was she my ex?? (lesbian story)

CHAPTER 5 part 1

COFFEE SHOP. PRESENT DAY

"Aki didn't asked anyone out for months after you broke up with her," I said, offering that up as evidence of his true feelings for her. "You really messed her up."

Lou shooked her head, "She didn't ask anyone out because you were there. I'm surprised you're still in denial about this." But she wasn't angry that i didn't believe her. If anything, she was amused.

After that awkward conversation in college, i did speak to Lou again. We were classmates in philosophy, and we eventually started saying quick hellos in the halls. At graduation, we even hugged -- but i figured everyone was emotional that night.

"Are we really going to keep talking about this?" I whined.

"She's here! Finally." Lou's eyes darted to someone behind me, and i turned to look.

I almost choked on my tea. "Menchie."

Menchie Pascua was thinner than the last time i saw her. She had her hair cut really really short, which accentuated her weight loss even more. She took an empty seat next to me, and dropped the heavy bag she was carrying under the table.

Menchie was Aki's second girlfriend.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, the meeting took longer that it i expected," she said. "What have you talked about already?"

(seriously? i am facing both exes of Aki? this can't be happening? this is a nightmare!)

"I gave her the gist of what we want her to do."

"Oh, of course." Menchie turned to me, her eyes a little brighter. "And what did she say?"

"She is not in speaking terms with Aki as of now."

"You're kidding me," Menchie said, addressing me directly now. "What happened?"

I am still wasn't sure what was happening but i answered her anyway. "i don't know. She just stopped -- You know what? I don't have to explain anything to you. Or to you. How did you two meet anyway?"

"Yoga," Menchie answered. "Didn't figure out who she was until i found out her last name."

When Menchie saw Lou's name on the attendance list of her weekly yoga class, she immediately yelled, "As in the ex of Aki Kazukiwa?!" in her typical borderline-tactless fashion. Apparently, she had never met Lou -- she had just seen a small picture on some website somewhere -- and barely knew anything about her.

While Menchie bought herself a drink, Lou filled me in on how their strange friendship formed.

"I heard that she had a new girlfriend, but I didn't know who she was," Lou said. "Just that she was a girl she had met at work."

"Yeah, they got hired at the same time."

"Well, Menchie is cool. She is not what i expected."

Menchie returned to our table with her own tall mocha. "This is just too funny! Aki's three exes all together."

(Aki's two exes, but nevermind, they are not aware anyway)

"Sorry," Menchie said. "You were saying?"

"Lou said you weren't what she expected."

"Oh, that's so true. She wasn't what i was expecting either. I kind of thought that Lou would be... more like me, you know. I thought Aki had a type."

Looking at the two of them in front of me, i understood what they meant. Lou reminded me of college -- all enthusiasm, spirit, pep, positivity.

Menchie was reserved. i found her a bit serious, less quick to laugh, not too smiley. That didn't meanthey were opposites, just that they were different.

I noticed there was an ease between them that i didn't feel. "But you're friends now. Maybe you're not so different."

Lou laughed. "Oh, we almost have nothing in common. Believed me, we tried. Apart from yoga and Aki, we have nothing."

"We can't even go to movies together." Menchie smiled, after faking a frustrated look. "It was interesting getting to know Lou, though. Because Aki never talked about her."

"Well, she talked about Reign a lot," Lou said.

"Totally," Menchie said. "I knew all about that boss you hated, that work stalker you tried to avoid... and i heard about you and Tim."

Me and Tim?

But obviously Menchie was still on the subject. "I knew what was happening between you and Tim from when he first asked you out -- to that basketb all game. You two fought a lot too. I felt like Aki was telling me about a new fight every two weeks."

Why were they dragging this all out? "I broke up with Tim a long time ago. So what you know, Menchie is an old news."

"The point is," she replied, "Why would Aki care so much about you and that guy? You and Aki broke up in high school. And still, we followed you relationship's ups and downs like it was a soap."

"See, it's just not me," Lou said. "Menchie agrees."

"Aki is totally inlove with you," Menchie said, dead serious. "She'll end it with Kaira if you ask her to."

"I'm not going to ask her to do that!"

Menchie arched her eyebrows. "Really? You don't remember what you did for me five years ago?"