the girl on the bench

Chapter 25

I have absolutely no energy today so I decide to sit alone watching romantic comedies. At 4pm, I tune in to Triple J and listen to G promote her Bonds ad and new song. It warms my heart to hear her voice and her sound so happy. I find myself missing her even though she left only an hour ago. She sounds like a natural. She talks about her upcoming shows and they ask her about her birthday which she just says was fun and tries not to elaborate.

Alex gets home at 6pm and I tell her everything that happened. Getting it off my chest is somewhat cathartic but it doesn't help when she becomes irate. "Who the fuck does she think she is?" Alex flails her arms in anger. "Their past is somewhat complicated though" I feel myself getting defensive over G. "That does not give her the right to swoop back in and take her back!" She says looking at me. At this point, I don't know if she's angry at G or Jem. "I get it, the four years, the long distance but it didn't work out for a reason" she continues. "You know I stalked her. Georgia" she pauses. Using people's full names never bodes well with Alex. "This chick's all over her Instagram. Calling her her soulmate and posts about how much they love each other" she pulls out her phone and starts scrolling. She shows me the break-up. "Now if that's not a kick in the teeth, I don't know what is!" She says sternly. "Alex... this was before we even knew each other. I would've said the same thing about Lila after we broke up as well" I explain to her. She doesn't get it. She's been with Nate since they were in high school. She's never broken up with anyone. "Lila is a different kettle of fish and you know it" she says pointing at me. For once, I don't think she's right. Everything that happened before I came along doesn't matter. What matters is what happens now. "Ugh! I didn't want to fall into another relationship so quickly after my last one" I say putting my head into my hands. "You do seem happy" she says softly to me. She strokes the forearm of my right arm. "You think?" I ask looking at her. "Yeah, you big softie" she says and I laugh. "I still don't know how I feel about her" she says to me looking quizzically. "Well it's a good thing that you're not the one dating her!" I say making her laugh.

——

I try not to be on my phone too much today so I don't get tempted to message G. I think a break from each other and talking about the situation is what we need. Taking the time to heal by ourselves seems right. G messages me at 8:33pm:
G - Hey
Hi. How are you feeling? - Me
G - Tired
G - Missing you
Mmm miss you too - Me
Early night tonight? - Me
G - I guess
Get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow - Me
G - OK

Knowing I don't have any plans for the rest of the night, I retire to my studio to spend a long night finishing off two paintings I started a while ago and one commission that I desperately had to start.

——

I've finished the commission piece of a colourful female's face and an outline of a naked female body by midnight. I head to the couch and start doodling on my iPad. I've always loved graphic arts and the trend of creating digital artworks is starting to rise. I've got the tools and skills so I decide tonight is the night to try my hand. It means I can relax on the couch watching a movie. Seeing as I'm not tired, I'll keep doodling until I get restless. I haven't done very much on Procreate when I hear a knock at the door. I get slightly paranoid at night so the TV volume is low enough that I can hear all the spooky sounds of the night. I walk to the front door thinking it either has to be someone I know or a stranger trying to kill me. I'm both relieved and surprised to see G standing there with a large bouquet of red roses and white lily flowers in her arms and a sad smile on her face. "I couldn't sleep" she says holding the flowers out to me. I take them from her and take in their smell. I stand back to let her in.