For Real? ✅

Chapter 1

Two months before.

LEAH

"Leah, I'm sorry, but I can't do this anymore," Will speaks, without an ounce of guilt. "We need to break up."

The world freezes into silence as Will utters those irrevocable words. I stare at him, my jaw opens, my breath halts and all I can think of is, "Why?"

Why me?

What did I do wrong?

Why was this happening again?

Tess had been watching the whole thing. As soon as he leaves, Tess runs up to me and engulfs me in a hug, trying to stem the invisible wounds that were gushing through me.

"He doesn't deserve you, Leah, " She says soothingly, "Will is a jerk, we all knew that."

Behind Tess's shoulder, I see Will walking away, not caring one bit. A lot of people who had gathered around to watch our seemingly 'loud' breakup, now disperse, except for three people.

Tess. Her boyfriend Greg. His friend Andy.

Tess makes me sit on a chair and hands me some water. I gulp it, not realising how thirsty crying made me feel.

"He told me that he couldn't do this anymore, Tess," I cry, unabashed, much like a small child.

"Let's get you back to your apartment," Tess says, looking at how broken I was. Tess had been my roommate until last week when she'd moved in with Greg.

Meanwhile, Greg and Andy hover awkwardly, until Greg says, "You guys carry on, then."
With a final nod at Tess, Greg leaves, with Andy, who mutters a tiny, "Bye."

Tess motions me to get up, and she speaks to the cab driver on her phone. Within minutes, we were in a cab, and I lean my head against the window, trying not to think.

Which is so hard, since my mind is busy with replaying what had just happened a million times.

To put it short, Will and I had been dating for three months. He'd asked me out, and I'd agreed since I'd already had a crush on him. Our first date went on to be near perfect. In fact, our whole relationship was. Before I'd realised, I had fallen too hard for him, so much that my world had begun to revolve around him.

That's why it was hard for me to believe that he didn't feel the same way about me.

The breakup was so sudden, I'd never seen it coming.
And now, it was over. All in the blink of an eye.

My breath hitches in my throat, which causes Tess to look at me. She gives me a soft gaze, before swiping at her phone.

"What ice cream flavour do you want?" She asks.

"Chocolate, I reply, my voice thick with tears.

As I gaze outside at the window, amidst the traffic and skyscrapers, I realise just one thing.

I'm tired of this world.

So tired that I would escape into an imaginary one any day.

*****

It's been five hours since I've come back to my apartment.

Tess and I are on the couch, me eating ice cream, crying and trying to patch up my broken heart.

"Tess, you were right! I should've listened to you," I say, probably for the hundredth time that evening.

Tess had seen it coming. She'd warned me multiple times against falling too deeply for Will.
And me being me, I'd never listened to her.

"Leah, we all make mistakes. Just don't repeat it next time," She says.

I give her a guilty look and focus on eating my ice cream which was now over.

Tess had always been right regarding my relationships. I'd dated three guys in college, and it had all led to more heartbreak. I'd never listened to Tess, always dismissing her advice, only to suffer the brunt of my actions later.

It's just that, I couldn't help but hope that the perfect guy existed somewhere, a guy who not only loved me for my looks but my whole personality as well.

I don't think they exist.
I've completely lost hope.

Tess's phone rings and she smiles, seeing that Greg was calling her. She gets up and walks away, laughing at something Greg had said.

I sigh. While I felt happy for Greg and Tess, I still couldn't help but feel a little bit jealous. They were perfect for each other.

I just wish I had a relationship like that too.

I get up from my bed and pull my long strawberry blonde hair into a bun. I glance at the mirror and notice that my dark green eyes were now red from crying. My cheeks were tear-stained, and the hollows under my eyes were more prominent than ever.

I looked like a mess.

It was hard to believe that I had any hope for myself.

"I deserve true love!" I yell at the mirror, with all the confidence that I could muster, unable to accept my fate.

My reflection stares back at me, her eyes full of disbelief.

I would have started crying if Tess hadn't returned.

Who, by the way, looks really nervous for some reason.

"Um, Leah, there's a party at the frat house tonight..." Tess says, eyeing my face for any reaction.

I stare at her, emotionless, waiting for her to continue.

"So, Greg asked me to it," Tess says slowly, "And you know what he's like if I refuse.

I observe Tess, waiting for her to continue, as she takes a deep breath before adding,

"Would you like to come?"

*****

So that's the first chapter. Hope you all liked it. Please make sure to vote and comment, it really means a lot.

Thank you for reading!