Mina's POV:
I honestly have no idea why I'm here. Loud music, awkward chat and dancing, definitely not my scene. I remind myself that I'm only here for Joe and the few friends I have. I spot Maddie talking with a few of her friends and I walk over to them.
"Hey Mina! How's it going?" Maddie asks, letting me into their circle.
"Pretty good," I reply, pulling at my short skin tight black dress.
"Ooh, I love you dress!" a girl pipes up. I recognize her, but can't quite come up with her name.
"Thanks," I mumbled halfheartedly, putting on a fake smile. Immediately, my eyes search for Joe. He said he was here. I zone out as the other girls keep talking, comparing lip gloss shades and talking about celebrity crushes.
I look around for his familiar brown hair. Something flashes in the corner of my eye and I see him slipping out of the back door with someone. It looks like his best friend, Jason. I roll my eyes. They're either going out for a breath of fresh air or a smoke and I will not be seen with a date who was smoking.
I slip away from the group and go after Joe, a real smile spreading across my face. I pick up my pace and try not to break my ankles in these heels. I accidently bump into someone I don't recognize and I stop to apologize, losing sight of my date in the process. Frustrated, I follow the lingering sound of footsteps up a set of stairs and down a hallway.
I slow my pace and try not to sweat off my makeup. I listen carefully for any noise at all. Some giggling comes from the boy's bathroom. I'm curious, but I don't really want to walk in on them. I debate knocking, but figure that would be even weirder. The giggling continues and gets louder. I swear if they're high and didn't invite me.
Reluctantly, I open the door, shielding my eyes so I don't see anything I don't want to. The door slams shut behind me and the bathroom is silent.
"Hello?" I say quietly to the empty room. "Joe? Jason?" Slowly, I open my eyes to see the bathroom empty except for Joe's jacket hanging over the stall door. I'm confused. I could have sworn I heard voices. I take Joe's jacket and sling it over my shoulder, about to turn and walk away. All of a sudden I hear a small cough and spin around.
I listen for a moment. When nothing happens, I lean down and look for feet under the stall door. I spot a pair of brown loafers in the last stall and stop, paralyzed by fear but still intrigued.
"Joe? Is that you?" I say quietly. The room seems to hold its breath with me as I watch the feet shuffle around and slowly unlock the stall.
Jason emerges, his eyes red and puffy and tear stains on his cheeks.
"Oh my god," I mutter under my breath. A small sob escapes his chapped lips and I pull him into a tight hug silently. He begins to sob harder, tears dripping on my bare shoulders. "Are you okay?" I ask eventually. His body tenses up and I swear I can feel his heart speed up against mine.
He doesn't answer right away. However, after a moment, he says, "My girlfriend left me."
"Oh I'm sorry. It's going to be okay though. I'm here." I try to smile.
"She told she me she's been hooking up with another girl for months now."
"Oh my god really?! That's so horrible. You deserve better Jason. That's a really dickish thing to do." He pulls me in closer, his body still shaking.
"I just...I...I don't know what I did wrong! Was is the fact that I told her I loved her? Did I forget her birthday or our anniversary or something? Oh my god was it bad sex? Mina I just don't understand. Why would she..."
I shut him up with a gentle kiss. His body relaxes in my arms and I can feel a smile spread across his lips. He kisses me back passionately and I wonder if this is considered cheating. I mean, Joe and I aren't technically dating, so I don't really think it is.
I'm proud of myself for making shut up and calm down. And when he pulls my into a stall and unbuckles my bra, I don't even persist. And even when he slips off his pants, I don't stay anything. Because at least he's here. It doesn't look like Joe even showed up.
"Thank you Mina."
"Anytime. I'm glad I made you feel better."
********
Author's Note:
:)))))))))))
