I am snapped awake from my nap by a loud banging on the door. "Ollie, I know you're home. Mrs. Bradshaw next door told me, and we both know she does nothing but spy on her neighbors."
I groan at the sound of my sister's voice outside the door. If it was anyone else, I'd stay in bed until they gave up, but it's Dani, so I drag myself out of bed and answer the door.
"What do you want, Dani?" I demand. Then I look at her and, seeing her disheveled attire and running mascara, wrap her in a hug. "Are you okay, hon? What's wrong?"
She sinks into my chest and sighs, "Aaron's gone. He broke up with me."
I try not to tense up in anger, knowing that she'd feel if I did. Instead, I lift her off her feet like I would when she was younger and carry her into my apartment. I set her down on the couch and settle in next to her. "Do you want to talk about it?" I ask her hesitantly.
She scoffs, but it comes out strangled. "There's not much to say. He found someone else."
I'm silent for a second. I know she won't appreciate me saying anything against him while until she's past being hurt enough to be angry, and I don't know what else to say. After thinking for a second, I still don't know what to say, so I hug her closer.
She pulls back and wipes her eyes. "What can you do, though. He obviously wasn't worth it, if he was messing around, right?"
I sigh a breath of relief that we've made it past the pure sadness stage, although I find it surprising that she was able to move past it so quickly. "Of course he wasn't worth it," I tell her. "Any guy that is sleeping around isn't mature enough to be in a relationship and certainly doesn't deserve you."
"You never liked Aaron," she replies thoughtfully. "Maybe I should just have you pick out my boyfriends from now on."
I laugh. "You're my little sister, Dani, if I was in control of your dating life, you wouldn't date at all."
She chuckles a little and I give myself a mental high-five. "I suppose that's true," she admits. "But I know one thing you can get behind. Celebrity boyfriends."
I smile and she looks hopefully up at me. "They don't cheat on you because you're not in a real relationship, but you still get to look at them and drool all you want," she points out. "It's pretty much the perfect arrangement."
"You're right," I tell her. "What do you think? Movie marathon?"
"That sounds perfect," she says, a little more of the sadness leaving her voice. "I vote The Holiday," she adds.
"Are you sure you're up for that? Two love stories in one?" I ask her.
She looks at me as if offended. "Three of the four main characters were cheated on, and they all end up happy in the end, plus one epic verbal beatdown of a cheater? It's perfect. Plus, Jude Law."
"All right," I concede.
"We should make that a theme," she says, her eyes lighting up. "Movies with people who've been here. What else do you have?"
After we've compiled a list of movies that fit Dani's request, she looks down at her clothes. "Do you have any pajama shirts left for me to steal?" she asks.
I look at her apologetically. "I just sent the rest of them home with you last time you were over, remember? I never wear them."
She sighs, and I try to think of a way to brighten her spirits.
"Well, I also don't have any ice cream or popcorn at the moment, so maybe you'd fancy a trip to the store and we can get you one there?"
"I don't know if I really feel up to that," she says quietly.
