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it'd been a mutual split between claudia and david. they were great together for awhile, but eventually each of their lives became too hectic for them to make much time for one another, and so together over a dinner of chipotle burritos and strawberry wine coolers the pair decided that breaking up would be beneficial for both of them.
the breakup had been a clean split at first. they'd remained in contact, saw each other at outings with mutual friends. the first time they were properly alone with each other after the breakup was maybe a week after it'd happened, when corinna had left a little early to go check on carl and the pair had remained in david's house on the couch, a few feet of cushion space left between them, a distance that they somehow both had mutually agreed on (without needing to say it aloud) was territory neither of them was willing to cross.
after half an episode of friends, the pair had ended up naked and on david's bed, door locked and his hand covering her mouth to muffle any sounds that natalie could possibly hear even from down the hall.
the breakup sex continued for a few weeks, but ultimately ended when claudia told david--with tears in her eyes and a heavy heart in her chest--that it hurt too much to be so close to him and unable to actually be with him. and so the two parted once more.
they stayed friends after that--somewhat, at least. as much as you can stay friends with someone you had once loved, someone you'd seen naked on more occasions than you could count, someone who'd been there for you through thick and thin, someone who you're constantly reminded of. he'd found little reminders of her all throughout his house. a shirt she'd left behind, a pink bathbomb she'd brought over for them one night but ended up not using. a sheet facemask in the cupboard above his sink. expired almond milk tucked away at the back of his fridge. she was everywhere, even when she was nowhere in sight.
truth be told, david missed her. he needed her, he thought, as their last conversation became a distant memory in his mind and he sat in his bed, trying to remember the last time they'd kissed. he marked it off as slight regrets of breaking up, as leftover feelings for someone he shouldn't have feelings for.
she'd moved on, he told himself as he poured himself a drink from the cart of alcohol in his hallway, his eyes half-lidded and exhaustion overtaking his body. he'd never been all too keen on drinking, but on occasions like this when his heart burned in his chest alcohol could never hurt. and so he drank, and he drank and he drank until he passed out on the couch and was found the following morning by natalie mariduena, whom of which was quick to wake him and move him onto his side so he could, promptly, vomit up his lungs.
the time david spent missing claudia was short lasted. he was much too busy to spend all that much time crying over a girl with whom he'd spent the better half of the year with, and so he opted for filling his schedule and compartmentalizing all his feelings for her.
and that worked out pretty well for him. he saw her briefly in passing on occasion, the two friendly but not too friendly. they'd exchange fond smiles and kind words, and then go on with their days, talk to their respective friends. claudia was busy embracing her modeling career. it was hard to see her on the front pages of various magazines, even harder to read about her alleged love interests on social media platforms, and certainly difficult when he'd come across a fan-made edit of the two on instagram, pictures of the duo kissing and videos of them laughing together, exchanging happy grins and love-filled phrases with sad music in the background. none of that really helped, but nonetheless david found himself slowly picking up the pieces, making himself whole again.
