It Had to Be You

Cliche

It was an utter cliché. Really the entire thing was so typical she's amazed she could love someone who lacked this much creativity when it came to cheating. Honestly, he could have at least made it saucy or juicy, a better story to tell her friends than the classic "oh you know, he met someone at work." She, the other she, could have been an acrobat, a Rockette, a magician's assistant. Maybe then she'd understand the appeal. But no, she, the woman Ian had been cheating on her with for not one, not three, but six months was in fact a coworker, another banker who had recently transferred to his company after living in London for ten years.

"She probably got kicked out of London for ruining someone else's relationship" Nina thought bitterly to herself as she struggled to untie the laces of her running shoes. She wasn't running. That would be unheard of. No, running shoes were the only thing she had when she left their apartment with a tote bag of her things and nowhere else to go but Janey's couch.

"Off to work?" Janey looked at her hopefully, hands wrapped around a hot cup of coffee. Nina noted her engagement ring flickering in the light. It was remarkably beautiful and had Nina not been in such a "I hate love" phase, she would have complimented her.

"Nope, today we apartment hunt." She pulled on her shoe and stood up triumphantly from Janey's couch ignoring the shooting pain in her right hip. Her body was not meant to sleep on couches for an extended period of time.

"Oh thank god." Janey took a deep exhale out.

"I love you, but I don't think I could handle another week of you sobbing into your Sauvignon Blanc while watching Golden Girls."

Nina knew she was half joking and tried not to feel defensive.

"Rose's love for her dead husband would bring anyone to tears."

"Maybe you should aspire to be more like Blanche, you know – less 'I miss him' and more "where's my next victim?" Janey sipped her coffee pleased with herself for knowing the names of another Golden Girls character. She'd secretly grown to like the show after hearing it in the background of her apartment every single day for the last three weeks.

"Where are you going to look?" Janet wanted Nina to find a place of her own and get over fuck-face Ian Jeffries. He always acted like he had a stick up his ass and Janey was dying to put an actual one there.

"I don't know, wherever the wind takes me. I just need to get my stuff out our – his – place. I miss my plants."

"I still can't believe you let him keep it. That was a great place."

"I let him keep it because he has no idea they're doing construction on the building next door for the next three years. We got the notice a month ago and I forgot to bring it up to him especially since we had just resigned for another two year lease."

"How convenient you forgot to tell your lying, cheating, no good, rotten scum of an ex-boyfriend that his life will be jack hammers and drilling for the next two years at 5K a month in rent." Janet smiled conspiratorially.

"Funny how that works isn't it?" Nina grabbed her tote, the item that contained all of her belongings and headed for the door.

"Wish me luck. Who knows, maybe I'll be off your couch by the end of the week."

"From your lips to God's ears!" Janey called after her.

---

What was she thinking looking for somewhere new? It wasn't that she couldn't afford it – it was that everywhere had something wrong with it. She wasn't even being picky, not having a stove or an air conditioner, or a working shower all seemed well within the realm of not being picky. She needed somewhere livable.