There's No Way

Pink Peonies

My mind was racing with things I wanted to say to him but my lips remained speechless.

"Yeah, I didn't know how to react either," he admitted. I immediately felt bad about the lack of comforting words I had to offer upon this gentle giant admitting something very personal.

"Shawn, I'm so sorry," was all that I could muster. He looked up at me and I could see tears threatening to spill from his eyes.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked. He took a deep breath and looked at me with a face that could easily break my heart.

"No, I don't want to – but I do think I need to," he admitted. He went on to tell me the full story. I had noticed that he had left work early on Friday, but wasn't sure why. I thought maybe he had an appointment or something. When I heard the real reason he left my heart broke for him, even more than it already had.

It was their anniversary.

They had been together for 5 years and he wanted to make sure the day was special – something they would both remember for years to come. As it turns out, it would be a day to remember - just maybe not for the reasons he had hoped.

He had left work early and stopped at The Sprinkling Can, a local florist, to get a bouquet of pink peonies for his fiancée at home. They were her favorite, so he knew that she would be pleasantly surprised. His next stop was at the little liquor store on the corner to pick up a bottle of her favorite wine (and a bottle of tequila for himself). Finally, he stopped at the far-too-overpriced spa that she had been hinting at wanting to go to for months. He had originally intended on scheduling an appointment for her, but upon seeing the list of countless services they provided he realized that he had no idea what she would prefer. Lucky for him they sold gift cards, so he put a couple hundred dollars on one of the small cards so she could make the decision herself and headed back to his car.

He was on cloud nine, smiling from ear-to-ear the whole drive home. The look of bliss, love and happiness quickly contorted into a look of confusion when he saw an unfamiliar pickup truck in the driveway of his and Carly's home.

"I walked in and immediately heard them. I knew exactly what was happening the moment my ears communicated with my brain the noises I was hearing, but for some reason my feet still wandered back to the bedroom. I don't know what I expected to see, but for some reason I still felt surprised at the sight of them. I mean seriously, who sleeps with someone else on their anniversary with their fiancé?" He shook his head in disbelief at his own story as I sat there trying to swallow down the tears that were starting to pool in my eyes.

He was heartbroken. I could see on his face that he had a million questions running through his mind. My body's first instinct was to move next to where he was sitting and wrap him in a giant bear hug – but I quickly stopped myself before I could get that far.

I quickly glanced away from him, not being able to bear looking at his sad expression for a moment longer. My eyes landed on the dining table – more specifically, the crystal vase full of pink peonies that were just starting to wilt.

Yup. That did it.

A single tear snuck out of my eye upon seeing the flowers and before I could even wipe it away Shawn was apologizing again.

"I'm so sorry, this is too much. I didn't mean to unload on you like that, I need to just deal with this myself..." Before he could even finish his sentence I had him wrapped up in the bear hug I was trying to avoid just moments prior.

"Hey, it's okay. I know me crying probably isn't helping, but it's just..." I felt his hand gently squeeze my arm before slowly removing himself from the hug.

"You're a really good guy, Shawn," I continued. "I know right now you have a lot of questions and doubt running through your mind, and I know that this is going to sound extremely cliché – but everything happens for a reason, okay?" He nodded.

"You're incredibly special and honest and kind-hearted, not to mention the most attractive male on the first floor of the office," I quipped, alluding to an inside joke from a conversation we had a few months prior about how we were both the best looking people on the first floor of our office building. I saw a soft smile cross his face as he shook his head at my comment.

"You're going to be okay, I promise." He looked up at me with those hazel eyes, that even when filled with salty tears were still the most beautiful things I'd ever seen.

"Thanks, Camila," he softly spoke. His use of my first name caught me off guard slightly. Typically he opted for just referring to me as 'Cabello', which honestly I found endearing.

"Anytime – really," I responded sincerely. Suddenly, an idea hit – and before I could even decide if it was a good one, I was already pitching it to Shawn.

"Do you still have that bottle of tequila you mentioned?" I asked. He snorted at my question.

"Sure I'm sad, but I'm not drink-an-entire-bottle-of-tequila-in-one-sitting sad, Cabello."

Fair enough. I now realize it was kind of a ridiculous question.

"Good, because we're putting it to good use this weekend," I stated bluntly. He cocked an eyebrow at me in confusion, a slight smirk creeping across his lips. Suddenly I felt very bold.

"This weekend you're coming to my place. You bring the tequila, I'll provide some of the most delicious Cuban & Mexican food you've ever had, a playlist specifically made to lift the spirits of even the saddest people, and maybe even a good movie. You need something to get your mind off of this – something to remind you that you can, in fact, have tons of fun – even after your fiancée cheats on you." I could tell that last part stung him a bit.
"Sorry - that was a bit more...blunt than I intended it to be," I awkwardly mumbled. He chuckled at my quick loss of confidence.

"No, no – it's fine. You're right, I would love to do that." He smiled.

"Perfect! It's a date!" Our eyes held each other in the awkwardness for a brief moment before I quickly clarified,

"I mean, not a date but just-" Shawn chimed in before I could finish my sentence.

"I knew what you meant, Cabello."

We had talked for a while longer while finishing our pizza. Some parts of the conversation were about the Carly situation, other parts were much more light-hearted.

"It's eight o'clock already, I should probably get going," I sighed. He nodded in agreement and quickly stood up and offered me his hand. I hesitated for a brief moment before grabbing it as he pulled me to my feet. He walked me over to the front door and just I was about to walk out he seemed to have remembered something.

"Wait!" He exclaimed as he quickly walked over to the dining table and picked something up. He walked back over to where I was and handed me a small card with 'Estheva Luxury Spa' printed on it. I looked down at it and then back up at him, clearly he noticed that I was surprised by the gesture.

"They don't take returns, and I won't use it. And if we're being honest, you're a lot more deserving of it than she was anyways." He let out a small chuckle as he finished his sentence. Just hours ago he couldn't even hear her name without nearly breaking down, and now he was making jokes at her expense? Maybe I really had helped the guy, even if I didn't feel like I was.

"Thank you, I'll make sure it gets put to good use." I smiled up at him before tucking the card into my pocket and starting to make my way out to my car.

"See you tomorrow!" He called from the front door. I turned back to see him leaning against the door frame. I waved at him as I got into my car and put the key in the ignition.

I smiled to myself as I drove home and recounted the moments of both laughter and tears that we had shared that night.

"It's nice to have a friend," I thought to myself.