“Ross and Madi’s love story is truly one for the storybooks…” You muttered to yourself, frantically scrawling down the lines on a sheet of paper. “No that’s not right. When Ross first laid eyes on Madi…” You scratched out the previous sentence and quickly jotted down the new one. “God, this sounds like a cheesy eighties movie!” You groaned, balling up the paper and tossing it across the room. “Hey Kate- Whoa!” Your roommate quickly deflected the wad of paper with an oven mitt as she stepped into the bedroom. You slammed your notebook shut in frustration as she approached. “Sorry.” You mumbled apologetically. She shook her head as she flopped down on the foot of your bed. “No worries. Still working on your speech for Ross’s wedding?” she questioned. You nodded as you tugged your hair up into a ponytail. “Yeah. So far I’ve got nothing. Less than nothing. I’ve got…negative nothing.” Kristen rolled her eyes and laughed. “Don’t be such a drama queen. Just…speak from the heart.” She offered. You gave her a skeptical look. “Yes, because I’m sure ‘You should be marrying me instead of the backstabbing bitch that cheated on you twice’ would go over so well.” You said sarcastically. Kristen let out an exaggerated huff as she got back to her feet. “Well sorry I tried to help. If you need me I’ll be in the kitchen, making spaghetti for dinner since I know Italian is your favorite. Because I am such a good friend!” she called dramatically, stomping back out into your shared apartment. You laughed as you watched her flaming red hair disappear from view. “Who’s the drama queen now? And Italian isn’t my favorite, Chinese is!” you called.
**
“A year ago when I first met Madi, I knew she was the one for Ross-” “I said speak from the heart, not outright lie.” Kristen interrupted. You groaned as you roughly ripped the paper from your notebook. “Well then, I’m screwed. There’s nothing I can say BUT lies. She’s cheated on him twice, and he took her back both times.” You angrily took a sip of hot cocoa from your favorite Minnie Mouse mug. Kristen shook her head. “That actually says more about Ross’s intelligence than it does Madi’s lack of character. Just pointing that out.” She mumbled, taking a sip of her own cocoa. You nodded absentmindedly in agreement, pulling your legs up onto the couch. She was right. It wasn’t as if you hadn’t tried to warn Ross about Madi’s disloyalty. He knew. And yet, he had still chosen to propose to her three months ago. “By the way, why such a short engagement? Is Madi afraid Ross is going to catch a glimpse of her devil horns and run away?” Kristen smirked, clearly amused by her own joke. You shot her a disdainful look. “Pretty sure Ross has gotten a glimpse at more than that. It was Madi’s idea though. She’s worried he’s going to leave her.” You lifted your mug back up to your lips. Kristen’s eyebrows furrowed together. “Leave her? For who?” she questioned. You kept your eyes focused on the fireplace in front of you, being careful to avoid your roommates curious gaze. “Uh…me.” You said nonchalantly. Several long seconds of silence passed. You could feel Kristen’s stare boring into the side of your head, as if she were trying to extract the information she wanted telepathically. You sighed as you rested your mug back on the glass-topped coffee table. “She knows that I…havefeelings for Ross. And she’s worried that he’s going to miraculously come to some realization that he would rather be with me than her.” You said simply. Kristen smirked knowingly. “She should be worried. If Ross had half an ounce of sense he would have dumped her for you ages ago. But he’s clearly proven that common sense really isn’t his strong suit so…maybe she really doesn’t have anything to worry about.” You rolled your eyes as you got to your feet. “I don’t really want to talk about Ross anymore. Are you finished with your cup?” You asked, extending your hand toward her. She smiled sympathetically as she placed her empty mug in your palm. “I am sorry, Kate. So sorry. I always thought…” she trailed off, just as lost for words as you were. You could feel the familiar stinging in the corners of your eyes, indicating that tears weren’t far behind. “I did too.” you said quietly, picking up your own cup from the table before crossing the room toward the kitchen. You gently placed both mugs in the sink and turned on the warm water. You knew you wouldn’t be able to get Ross out of your mind anytime tonight. Or the next day, or the next week. You would probably never shake the thoughts of what the two of you could have been. You knew Ross probably didn’t feel anything for you, after all in the five years that you’d known him he had never said a word about it. But it was the ‘what if’ that had plagued you since he’d announced his engagement to Madi. What if he had felt something for you, and just been too afraid to admit it? What if he was just waiting on you to make the first move? What if… You shook your head as you roughly scoured the porcelain cups with a sponge. There was no use dwelling on the past. It was over. Ross was going to marry Madi. They were going to have a family and they were going to grow old together, and there was nothing you could do to stop it. You turned your attention to the sauce coated pans from dinner earlier in the evening, scrubbing them with a fierce determination. As if you were trying to scrub the thoughts of Ross and his impending wedding from your mind. You should have taken a hint from Kristen. She and Riker had been best friends for almost twice as long as you and Ross had. After waiting around almost a year for him to make a move, she had finally taken matters into her own hands. They had been happily together for three years now, not far off from an engagement themselves. You couldn’t help but wonder if you and Ross could have been the same. “Alright, let’s go.” You whirled around to see Kristen standing in the entryway, dressed in a sequined miniskirt and a pair of pumps. “Go where?” You questioned, glancing down at your dishwater soaked t-shirt and baggy sweats. Kristen nodded toward your bedroom. “Get dressed. I never thought I would say this but I’m taking you out and getting you drunk. You have entirely too much on your mind. It’s not your loss, it’s Ross’s. So put on something hot and let’s go.” She said firmly. You smiled appreciatively as you dropped the sponge back into the sink. “Have I ever mentioned how great you are?” you asked. Kristen smiled smugly and crossed her arms. “Not as often as you should. Now get dressed, don’t make you drag me out the way you are.” She threatened.
