I woke up with a headache. I was confused to find myself on my bed, my tears dry on my cheeks. I rubbed my eyes and squinted around the room. I was alone. I rolled myself off bed and checked in the bathroom, there was no one. I dragged my feet across the carpet, and I was barefoot. Someone must've taken off my shoes.
I rubbed the palm of my hand against my forehead as I noticed a note placed on the nightstand. I pick it up.
"Don't worry I'm not a stalker, I didn't watch you sleep. But how about breakfast? My treat.
-Michael"
A small smile formed on my lips as I rolled my eyes gently, "Creep."
I threw myself in the shower and quickly got dressed; skinny jeans and an oversized shirt. I still considered myself a mess, and I frankly couldn't care anymore about how I look. I grabbed my everyday bag, making sure the ring was inside, and I walked outside.
I met Michael at the small diner right outside the hotel. He had already been eating pancakes when I arrived. I had to sit beside him for him to take notice of me.
He looked over, first confused then surprise washed over his face.
He smiled. "I didn't think you would show up."
I grabbed his orange juice, taking a sip of it. "Well you're kind of my only friend at the time so why not," I replied in a tired mumble.
His eyes observed my face. "You don't actually live here, do you?" He questioned, the tone in his voice giving me the hint that he was figuring something out.
I shook my head. "No, well I do. Just not in this area."
I steal a piece of his bacon and he glared at me questioningly.
"You know you can order your own food right?"
I glared at him and shrugged, not interested. "I'll just have a muffin," I replied and leaned over the counter to a small tray where freshly baked treats were cooling down. I grabbed a banana-nut muffin and picked off a piece with my fingers, eating it quietly.
Michael continued to glare at me but I didn't notice.
"You see what you're doing?" I ask, now turning my head to return the eye contact. "You're being a creep."
He shook his head and went back to eating. "You're like a..." He hummed for a moment, pressing the glass of orange juice against his lips. "Ah, a heartbroken rebel."
I laughed as I wiped my fingers clean on a napkin. "And what would possibly make you think that?" I asked curiously, leading him to make him believe as if he were some genius.
"Well you don't really care about anything and you do whatever you want," he stated, setting his fork down once he had finished eating.
"Not true!" I argued. I picked a nut off from my muffin and flicked it as his face.
"Oh, it's not?" He asked in doubt, ignoring my nut attack.
"No."
"And how is that not true?"
I glared at him, eating my muffin peacefully. "This is only a phase," I replied, raising my shoulders slightly as if I just proved my point and won the argument.
"So you'll eventually get better?" He asked and it dawned on me that this was probably the question he was leading on to.
My eyes trailed down onto my half eaten treat. I let the question sink in my brain, as I never had actually thought about it. I remembered back on last night and it felt like witnessing Thomas cheating was only yesterday.
A small knot began to form in my throat but I ignored it, pretending as if I hadn't taken the question too deeply in thought. "That's the plan," I replied as I finished off my muffin.
"So it's not a phase, but a goal," he said, insisted to know where my life was heading.
"Are YOU going to get better, Michael?" I snapped in response, glaring at him intensely. It went quiet between us and I backed off, looking down at the table as I flicked away the crumbs.
I expected for him to just pay his bill and leave the diner, but of course my life took another unexpected turn.
"I've been better for two days now."
"And what happened two days ago?" I questioned, pretending as if I cared, but truthfully I didn't. I couldn't care less about anything. Not him, not myself. My life has been over for months and now he's going to brag to me about how his life is getting better.
"I got the balls to talk to you."
I paused, keeping my head still and focusing my eyes to try and see him from the side. I could see the small and shy smile on his lips.
"The first day I saw you in that bar I saw you staring at your ring as if it was the devil himself. Tears were in your eyes but you didn't dare let a single one fall. I knew you went through the same thing as I did and so I grew curious," he said with a narrating voice, but almost dazed at the thought.
I ran my fingers down the knuckles of my other hand. Though it was naked I could imagine my ring still perfectly fitted on my finger, as if it never left.
I sighed and stood up from the stool, finally glancing at him and placing a hand on his shoulder.
"You might wanna find a different reason to get your life together, cause it's not me."
I turned on my heels and headed out the door, leaving the man behind with a confused and rejected heart.
