It was 6:30am on a Saturday and I was about to head to the gym for a workout when Martijn and his new girlfriend, Alicia, came into my room. Some of you may find it weird, me being best friends with my ex. I, however, did not see anything wrong with it considering the break-up was mutual.
"Off to the gym?" Alicia inquired, examining me from head to toe. It was mid-July here in London and considering the heat wave that has graced the city with its presence, opted to wear a see-through top over my sports bra, pairing it with a pair of Lululemon shorts and my favourite Nike trainers. "You know it," I replied, picking up my phone, bag and water jug from my desk. "What do you have planned for later?" Martijn asked, handing me the wireless headphones he gave me the other week. "Oh," I started, "I have a date."
Silence filled the room for a few seconds before Alicia spoke up. "I'm so happy for you," she squealed, pulling me in for a big hug. Martijn, on the other hand, was not pleased at all and I did not understand why. I was happy for him when he told me he met someone. Why could not it be the same for me?
"When do we get to meet this lucky guy?" Martin added, trying to be enthusiastic about the whole ordeal but clearly failing to do so. "He's picking me up at around 12," I added. Looking at the clock, I knew I had to head out ASAP because I had stuff to accomplish prior to my date. "I have to go. Be back in an hour and a half." Luckily, the gym I go to is a fifteen minute walk from here, so panicking was not necessary even though I had to get stuff done today.
I had just left the house when my phone started buzzing and opened it to find a message from Martijn on the screen. "You're making a mistake," it said. Trying not to let the negativity get to me, I put my phone on do not disturb for the time being and proceeded to the gym.
