8 months later
It started to rain lightly as I sat on my fire escape, smoking a Marlboro Red, listening to music on my giant clunky headphones. I looked up at the falling water and closed my eyes. The hair around my face started to get wet and I gently used my free hand to swipe it away to the sides of my face. I grabbed onto the railing ahead of me and used it to help myself get up. Taking one last inhale, I tossed my cigarette off the edge of the fire escape and climbed back into my apartment through my window.
It had been about 8 months give or take since Austin and I had sex. I never looked back. After what happened, I tried to return to "real life", but of course who could ever act like nothing happened. That caused a giant rift between my boyfriend and I, and well, we split about a month after the concert. Being with Austin made me recognize the settling I was doing. I really became a shell of myself.
I put on a oversized tee and wore it as a dress, leaning over, I slipped on a pair of white crew socks and put on my Fila's. I grabbed onto a couple of hair ties and made my way over to the full body mirror in my bedroom and began to braid my hair.
My phone pinged.
Sam 🥭💖: Hey Mel! We're still on for Thai later right?
I texted back "of course!" and continued to weave my hair over and under.
My phone pinged again.
Sam 🥭💖: I heard that Austin's in the city for his show this weekend, want to go?
I thought hard for a moment. How would we even get tickets this close to the day of? I'm positive that they were probably sold out. And in any which case, though it would be amazing to see him again after all this time, I was feeling a bit anxious about it.
I messaged Sam back "Do you think we would be able to get tickets this close to the show time?" Before I could even set my phone down, another ping.
Sam 🥭💖: What if I said I already had tix for the pre show party tonight?
I stared at my phone in disbelief. You've got to be kidding me. Of course only Sam would concoct a master plan for this. She's talked little to nothing else these past few months of my rash decision to just leave after Austin insisted we have breakfast together. And let me tell you it was nothing short of disappointment that I basically rejected him.
I googled this pre show party and realized that it started in about 3 hours. I clicked back to our message and texted Sam "so it apparently starts at 8pm.. are we not having Thai?" a pause. I heard my door unlock.
Sam peeked her head into my room and smiled sheepishly.
"So I was planning on bringing takeout Thai this entire time" she laughed and set down a large bag onto my coffee table.
I laughed half heartedly.
"You're so sneaky you know that"
Sam smiled "It's all with good intention. I just really feel like you should see him in some way shape or form, whether it be good or bad or nothing at all, yknow"
I covered my face with my hands. "I'm too nervous to"
Sam shook her head "Nope sorry, you don't get that option. You're going to get dressed up, and you're going to be chill and cool and look like this doesnt phase you. But like you should also want to talk about what happened."
I waved my hands in front of me. "I don't want to talk about what happened, I made my decision"
"And a month later you and him broke up so"
She had a point, but no one leaves their boyfriend for a celebrity. And there was still no inclination that Austin even felt the way that I did. He could have a new girl by now. There were so many variables and layers to this, but at the root of it all; it was just a one night stand. There were no feelings attached to it.
