bridges » david dobrik

32

"I think you should move in with me."

It was a statement that came out of nowhere. We were on some boat for someone that I didn't know's birthday, sitting on the ground near the front just talking. Zane, Heath, Mariah, and Todd were with us too, but they were drinking and dancing a few feet away from us. David had gotten his vlog footage, and now we were just chilling.

"No," was my honest and sincere reply. It was simple enough. I was not moving in with David.

"Why not?" he whined, shifting a little so he faced me more. His thumb, which was previously rubbing up and down the back of mine, stopped moving completely.

"David, we've been dating for, like, a couple months," I laughed. "It's not realistic, bub."

"So?" he frowned. "We are together twenty four seven. You pay rent for an apartment you never sleep at. Why wouldn't you just move in?"

"Well, first of all, if I moved in, where would I go to get away from you and your friends and your party and your life?" it was a joke, but I was 100% serious. David had too many get togethers at his house for me to live there. He was a popular guy, and I was an ambivert that leaned heavily toward my introvert side. I couldn't deal with that. "Suzy's my best friend, and I pay the rent for her, not for myself. Plus, no ring, no live together."

"Huh?"

"I'm not living with you until we're married... or at least engaged," I said sassily, like it should've been obvious.

"Why?" David whined again, resting his head against the wall of the boat. Water from the large waves was spraying on us every few minutes, but we couldn't find it in us to move.

"I was just raised that way," I shrugged in response. "I don't think you should move in with someone unless you're sure it's going somewhere."

"So you're not sure it's going anywhere between us?" David scoffed, like my very words offended him. I felt kind of bad, then, but he knew what I meant.

"I just don't see the point when there's no promise of anything. We could break up tomorrow, and then I'd have to move all my stuff out. Then I'd resent you not because we broke up, but because I had to move all my stuff out," I explained to the best of my abilities. "It's not because I don't want to live with you. We basically already live together. I just don't think we should make anything official until we're actually official."

"Okay, Gen," he rolled his eyes, pushing himself off the floor. He typically only called me Gen when he was annoyed or mad at me. "I'm going to get a drink."

I sighed, banging my head against the side of the boat. Of course he would get mad at me at a party where I knew nobody. It only made sense. I sat alone awkwardly for the next few minutes before I finally decided to go hide in the bathroom, where at least I couldn't be seen being a loser. On the way there, I passed by David, who seemed to be in a very engrossing (and hilarious, apparently) conversation with Madison Beer.

I had to laugh. I always assumed I wasn't a jealous person, but maybe I just never had anything to be jealous over, because I was livid in that moment. Not only would David not listen to me or even care about what I had to say, but now he was mad at me and flirting with a pretty girl with me twenty feet away.

I hid in the bathroom playing Subway Surfers (the best game to have on your phone) for the next half an hour until the boat docked, and then I quickly exited with a large chunk of the party so David couldn't spot me. I ended up hiding in the marina lounge's bathroom until my Uber arrived. David never called to make sure I was okay or ask where I was, which probably made me more mad than it should. I knew I was the one running from him, but come on. Not even a text?

Natalie, however, did call me in place of David.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Evie," I could tell she was annoyed, but I didn't know why. "Where are you right now?"

"Who's asking?" I replied, suspicious that she was calling me because David told her to, just so he could be stubborn and not talk to me himself. If I wasn't mad at him, it would've been cute that he was worried about me. But I was mad at him, and it wasn't very cute.

"David," she said, and I heard a slap ring out on the other line. "Ow! What the fuck?"

"Tell him I fell off the boat and drowned while he was eye fucking Madison Beer," I rolled my eyes. "Bye, Nat. Love you!"

I hung up the phone before she could respond. The truth was, I was in the employee lounge at the library, waiting for Suzy to get off so I could complain about my life before she went out with Collin for the night. It had been hours, and my phone was nearly dead, and all I wanted to do was cry. I was on my period, and I was annoyed and sad and alone, and all I wanted to do was cry.

I couldn't, though. Mainly because there were people outside the library waiting for me to come out, but also because I wouldn't allow myself. I had spent too many hours crying over David. I promised myself if he ever made me cry again, I'd break up with him. I didn't want to break up with him, so I couldn't cry.

Suzy finished a few hours later, while I was napping on the couch. She shook me awake and asked, "Frozen yogurt?"

"Oh my god, yes!" I cheered, perking up for the first time that day. "You always know how to make me feel better."

"Sugar?" she joked, grabbing her purse from her locker. I sighed and nodded, climbing off the couch and pulling my hood up, following closely behind her as to not draw attention to myself. We made it to her car safely, and she drove us to Pinkberry. We talked about many things on the way there, including the new pizza place she wanted to try out just a mile from our apartment, the car she was debating buying, and how she wanted to have a baby. I stayed silent for most of it, listening but unable to comment besides a few mhms and no, you can't have a babys.

When I finally had my salted caramel frozen yogurt covered in cookie dough and crushed Oreos, we settled into a table and began talking.

"What's wrong?"

"I think I'm going crazy," I told her, shifting in my seat when I realized someone was outside photographing us through the window. "David asked me to move in with him."

"Oh my god, cute!"

I could tell she had been binging Carly and Erin videos.

"Not cute!" I frowned. "Duh! If it was cute, we wouldn't be here."

"Okay, so what's wrong?" she shoved a raspberry into her mouth.

"I don't want to move in with anyone if we aren't married. David will probably break up with me in two months because I'm ugly and boring. It will just break my heart even more if I have to leave."

"You are stunning, and you have one of the most interesting lives, like, ever," she protested. "Plus, David flew to Vegas to make you happy after, what, two weeks of knowing you? He's a good person. Not only that, but can we also talk about how much he loves you? He asked you to move in after a few months... and you haven't even had sex yet. Clearly, he sees a future."

"Well, then, why'd he storm off and flirt with Madison Beer instead of talking it out with me?"

"Was he flirting?" she asked, turning up her nose. "You're dramatic, babe. Are you sure they weren't just talking? He's a nice person. If someone talks to him, he'll stay and chat. I think you misinterpreted it."

"I probably did, which is why I think I'm crazy," I explained. "He makes me feel crazy. I have never been jealous, ever, until I met him. Even the second day together, I got jealous because fucking Stella was talking to him. Stella! I don't even know her. I'm sure she's a lovely girl. He's making me go crazy."

"You love him. Just tell him you think you need to wait a month or two. He'll understand. If he doesn't, break up with him. That's what I'd do!"

Suzy was always right.

hi im lonely and sad so i wrote this lonely and sad chapter xoxo abby