It was during our first vacation together, when I realised that maybe Poppy wasn't as perfect as I thought. In fact, it was the beginning of the end.
We had been together for exactly four months when we booked the vacation. One week to a little seaside town in Italy. I had never been on a vacation with a girl before, and I was well excited. So was she.
The first day of our vacation was fine. We arrived at our hotel, hung out by the pool all day, went out for dinner, had some drinks and made out (a lot).
The second day was also fine. We went to the beach, visited a museum, had a little disagreement at the supermarket, then went out for dinner and drinks again.
On the third day, things went downhill. It started in the morning. I woke up before Poppy did, so decided to take a quick shower. When I got back to the room I got distracted by Poppy's phone, which lit up next to her. She had received a message and without actually knowing why, I wanted to see what it was. She was still fast asleep, so I sneaked up to her bedside table and grabbed the phone. When I saw the message she had just received, my heart started racing.
Luke: "Rise and shine, gorgeous.. Have a lovely day. I miss you. X"
Who was Luke, why did he address my girlfriend with "gorgeous" and why the hell did he say he missed her?! I stared at Poppy, who was still sleeping, while lots of questions and thoughts crossed my mind.
Was she cheating on me? Or was it just a friend called Luke? No, it couldn't be. She had never mentioned a Luke before. Or did she? No, maybe it was family. Her cousin? Or maybe the person had messaged a wrong number?
No, she was cheating on me. I was certain of it. I mean look at her, for God's sake. She was way too good for me. How did I ever think that this relationship could work? She was popular, she looked absolutely beautiful and she had been in lots of relationships. And who was I? Some history geek who had never been in a serious relationship before. How did I not see this coming? How had I been so blind?
I actually started to feel sick. I decided to lay the phone back on the bedside table and grabbed some clothes. I went downstairs and made my way to the little supermarket a few streets away from our hotel. I bought a pack of cigarettes and walked to the seaside, which was very close to our hotel. I didn't usually smoke, I really didn't. I used to, though, but I had quit a few months earlier. Which is why I tried to stay as far away from cigarettes as I could. But right then, I gave in.
I sat down on a bench which looked out over the sea, lit up a cigarette and inhaled the smoke whilst the sickness I had felt started to fade away. I closed my eyes and listened to the sound of the sea, the birds flying around above my head, and the people who were hanging around on the beach. I felt the smoke fill up my lungs but I really didn't care.
Until my phone started ringing. It was her. I stared at my phone until my screen turned black again. A few seconds later, a notification popped up.
Ezra, where are you??? Xx
I took a deep breath and started typing.
Getting breakfast for you. Back in a few minutes x
I finished my cigarette and made my way to the hotel. On my way I picked up some pastries from a local bakery. When I entered our hotelroom, Poppy just got out of the bathroom. She was wearing a bathrobe and her hair was up in a towel.
'There you are!', she kissed me. Then she looked down to the bag of pastries I was holding. 'You are the absolute sweetest, you know that?'
I tried my best to smile as she pulled me in for a hug. She then looked at me while she grabbed the bag of pastries out of my hand and placed it on the ground.
'Let me show you how grateful I am for a boyfriend like you..'
And while she pushed me down on the bed, I decided to forget about the message from Luke for now.
