Played like a Guitar

Chapter 21 : Be Free

"Sometimes the hardest part isn't letting go but rather learning to start over." - Nicole Sobon

***

"YOU HOOKED UP WITH JAMIE O'DEA?! No freaking way!" – she screamed, prompting me to jump over the table in an effort to shut her indiscreet blabbermouth.

"Shh! Zip it, you dimwit!" – I hushed her. She started flapping her arms and legs like a six-year-old on steroids, mind-blown by the fact that her best friend was secretly dating one of her ultimate celebrity crushes.

"You hid this from me this entire time?!" – she whispered loudly. "How could you?" - she muttered, placing her left hand on her heart, as if this revelation inflicted a heavy wound on her tremendously sensitive heart.

"And now you understand why." - I nodded my head towards the disturbed guests who kept staring at us every two seconds.

"Yeah, sorry about that...But seriously?! How did you meet? Is he a good kisser? Did you have some sexy time? Tell me everything!" – she begged with stars in her eyes. As much as I loved Elektra, her face appeared extra slap-able with the series of intrusive questions she adored asking. 

"How do I know you won't gossip about us to some random person the second you leave this café, like your manicurist or coworker?" - I challenged her faithfulness with half-shut eyes.

"I won't, I promise! I'm no longer like that. Pinky swear?" – she offered her little finger, as if breaking it would cause an eternity of pain and suffering onto the promise-breaker. I'm going to regret this later, aren't I? Shaking our pinkies, we sealed the deal under God's eye.

"I suggest you order another drink and lay back, there's a LOT to tell." - Leo informed her truthfully while leaning back comfortably on his chair, ready to hear the crazy and unexpected story that was my love life for the past years again. A verbal recall of every event in detail, the last thing I needed right now.

Disclosing her our journey so far was emotionally strenuous to say the least. Despite my resentment towards his latest life decisions, I couldn't hide my joy when I described how perfectly compatible we were for each other, almost like I designed him in a genetic lab or in one of those Sims games I used to play on my computer. Not to mention his charismatic nature, remarkable talents and passion for music. But then came the unsightly parts, the ones that ruined everything, the ones that were difficult to overlook and forget about. For someone who interrupts people mid-sentence, Elektra was sitting quietly (almost too quietly) on her chair, nodding every two seconds to show that she was paying attention. I could almost see a loading sign floating above her head.

"Well Noah, for the first time in my life, I'm speechless." - she raised her eyebrows, blinking in quick succession with her fake eyelashes.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Let's just say I considered myself slutty until now, but sleeping with an engaged celebrity hunk a few months before his wedding is some next level shit. You beat me, congrats." - she offered her hand as if we were participating in a hoeing competition, but I ignored it.

"Can you please stop focusing on the sex part? What about everything else I just spent half an hour talking about?" - I slammed my face against the tablecloth in exhaustion.

"Okay, from what I've gathered so far, you're both madly in love with each other and have this little connection going on, but for some reason he forgets about all of it as soon as he leaves." - she gave a brief overview of the situation.

"Yes! It's driving me insane! I genuinely don't expect him to just tell Valentina about us immediately, but how can he continue following his plans with her, pretending that nothing happened? I couldn't look at my girlfriend after I expressed my love for him, yet he somehow plans on MARRYING that chick after cheating on her. He's not an emotionless prick - cross my heart." - I gestured accordingly.