Torn

Present

Courtney and Scott meet at the same small café where he met with Gwen.

Scott smiles as Courtney sits down.

"Hi Courtney."

"What do you want to talk about?"

The intention behind her words were honest, sincere. Her body language suggested that. The forwardness of her question did surprise Scott a bit, but once she brought her wrists together and rested her head in the palms of her hands, he felt at ease. Courtney was opening herself up to him, just as he was about to open himself up to her. Hopefully she would give him a chance. That's all he really wanted.

Scott sighs. "I just wanted to clear some things up. I know what you saw yesterday, but Gwen and I are just friends. I swear."

"I believe you." And she did. Although she lashed out after seeing them together, she knew that Scott still cared about her. Or at the very least, that's what she told herself. That's what she wanted to believe.

"I've been thinking and...I want you back, Courtney. I miss you. I can't stop thinking about you. Just tell me you're sorry and we can be together again."

Courtney's eyes widen but she recollects herself quickly. "Scott..."

His head perks up in anticipation.

"I'm sorry, but I can't. Not right now."

"Is it...Duncan?" He looks at her pleadingly. He wanted to hear a no. Should she give him that, at the very least?

Courtney decided she could, and she should...but...

"Yes. I mean, it's not. No. Well...I don't know. I miss you too, Scott, really. But right now, I can't."

He scowls. "Of course you can't."

Courtney is once again taken aback. "Scott, what do you me-"

"I mean that you weren't there for me, Courtney! You never were. And now you're with Duncan like nothing between us ever happened. Do you even care about the fact that you broke my heart? Does it bother you at all?"

Courtney stiffens. "I...I need to go."

Courtney gets up to leave, and Scott stands up as well. He walks around the table, leans in, and kisses her.

Courtney pushes him away. "Goodbye, Scott." She walks away hurriedly, tears rimming her eyes, threatening to spill over.

Scott turns to the table and slams his fist on it. "Dammit!"

And that was the last time they spoke in person. Not the last time in forever, but the last time in a while.

Over the next several months, Courtney and Duncan continue seeing each other. Movie nights, dinner dates, and activities of the like become the norm. These casual dates made them much closer than Courtney would like to admit. If Courtney's being real with herself, there's one department where Duncan is significantly better than Scott: sex.
Scott is shy and gentle and it took some time to get into the fun stuff. With Duncan, it was easy. And c'mon, a grown woman has needs, right? That's what Courtney tells herself every time she finds herself sleeping in the same bed as Duncan.

"Babe," Duncan whispers to Courtney, who is laying down, facing the other way, and has a death grip on a pillow.

"Mmm," Courtney groans.

He laughs. "C'mon Courtney, I have a surprise for you."

Courtney turns to face him and looks up. "Right now? Really, Duncan?"

He reaches for her hand and drags her out of the bed. A groggy Courtney follows him into his kitchen, trying to wipe the sleepiness away from her eyes.
He pulls out a small box. He smiles sheepishly as he hands it to her. Inside is a small silver necklace with her initials "C.C." dangling from it.

Courtney gasps, her exhaustion diminishing due to her excitement. "Duncan!"

She gets closer to him and hugs him. "Thank you. I love it."

Duncan smiles. "Happy six month anniversary."

Courtney pulls away and looks up at him skeptically. "You know anniversary is for a year, right?"

He shrugs. "I do now."

She laughs and kisses him. She kept kissing him until they end up in bed.

In the morning, Courtney sits at the edge of the bed, plotting her next move. So that gift was an important moment. I think I should do it. But when can I break up with him? Should I do it soon? And how do I even break up with him? What can I say to make him-

"Morning gorgeous," Duncan says as he leans across the bed to kiss her shoulder. "What are you thinking about?"

Courtney laughs nervously. "Nothing..."

"So, what do you want to do today?"

"Actually, Duncan...I was thinking and...I think I could use some space."

"Space?" He huffs. "What for?" He fumbles for the right words, wondering where he went wrong. "Was it the necklace? Courtney, it's just a piece of jewelry, it's not that serious."

"No, no, the necklace was great. It is great. I just think we're getting too...comfortable...with each other."

"What the hell does that mean, Courtney?"

Courtney sits up, turns to Duncan, and raises her voice. "I don't know, but you can figure that out on your own." She gets dressed quickly, leaves his apartment, and slams the door.

Duncan sighs as he looks at the empty spot next to him in the bed and runs his fingers through his hair. "Fuck, man."

Shortly after leaving Duncan's apartment, Courtney toys with the idea of contacting Scott. They texted each other sporadically, like they were both using Tinder and didn't know how to keep the conversation going without meeting in person and fucking. It's possible he's moved on from her. Not meeting in person enhances the He's Over Me feeling. But ultimately, Courtney had a feeling that he wasn't over her just yet. She pulls out her PDA and sends a message:

Hi Scott. Come over at 7?

She's left on read, but she takes it as a sign that he's coming over.

Around 6:00 P.M., Courtney is digging through her drawers to find the perfect lingerie. If everything goes according to my schedule, I should be needing this. Shortly after getting dressed, she begins doing her makeup. The doorbell rings and Courtney excitedly goes to open the door, practically skipping to it. This is it, she thinks, her heart pounding faster and faster within her chest as she reaches out to grab the door handle.