A Matter of Time

I must be in shock, because for the next few days after Cam and I break up, I'm in a relatively good mood. When I tell Emma, I don't even cry. 

"Are you sure you don't need anything?" she asks, her voice full of concern. 

I shrug. "I'm fine for now. Really. I appreciate it though."

After Emma leaves for work, I call up Marie. It's Saturday and I don't really feel like staying in. She doesn't answer, so I text Kolby. 

"Feel like going out tonight? I could use a few drinks." Neither she nor Marie knows about the breakup--it's still fresh in my mind and I haven't told anyone besides Emma and my mom. 

Kolby texts back a few minutes later. "Of course. Pint house at 7?"

Pint house is going to be crowded, no doubt, but as Jordan said in The Great Gatsby, huge parties are intimate. Large, crowded places are private since everyone is doing their own thing. If I cry, which is likely especially with a few drinks in me, I'd prefer to be at a busy place where no one is paying attention to me. 

It's already past five, so I put on makeup and curl my hair for the first time since the split. Cam used to love my hair curled, I think with a lump in my throat. 

Stop it, I tell myself. None of that.

I pull on my favorite sundress, red and light and flowy, and call Marie again. This time she answers. 

"Hey!" I say. "I'm glad I caught you. Do you want to get drinks tonight? Kolb is in."

"Oh, that sounds fun, but I think I'm going to stay in," Marie says dismissively. 

"Oh," I say. "Okay. What's up?"

"Nothing." Marie pauses. It seems like she's trying hard to sound casual. "I've already got plans."

I'm suspicious immediately. "Plans? Like a date?"

Marie sighs, but I can tell she's excited. "Remember that guy I met the night we went bar hopping?"

"You mean the guy you made out with?" I ask.

"Minor details. Well he's actually really cool, and we've gone out a couple times since then."

"Wow! Getting right back on that horse, huh? That's great! So what are you doing tonight?"

"Oh, you know," Marie pauses. "The usual."

"The usual?" I repeat. 

"Okay, okay, he hasn't actually contacted me yet," she says quickly. "But he said he'd call on Saturday, so really it's only a matter of time."

"Marie, why don't you just come out with us? If he calls you can bail. No big deal." I hope it's a convincing argument. 

"I just, well, I think I'm going to stay home." 

Marie may be a sweetheart, but she's no pushover. I don't press things and instead tell her that if she changes her mind, we'll be at Pint House. 

Less than two hours later I spot Kolby standing at the bar. I approach her and bump her with my hip. "Hey pretty."

Kolby turns and hugs me. "You look great! What's the occasion?" 

"Well I just got dumped," I say brightly. 

Kolby's face falls immediately. "Oh God, Ry. Cam broke up with you?"

"I'll tell you everything as soon as I get a drink in me."

Two and a half beers later, the tale has been told, and Kolby is shaking her head. 

"You deserve way better," she tells me. 

"Thanks Kolb," I say, absentmindedly stirring the foam with my index finger. 

"No, really," she insists. "I'm not usually all about this sappy stuff but it sounds like he didn't respect you. And that's what you deserve: a guy who respects you enough to warn you about that kind of thing and stand up for you."

I nod. "You're right." After a big gulp of beer, I continue. "I feel like everything had been going so well, and then all of a sudden I meet his family and it all falls apart."

"That's exactly what happened," Kolby points out. 

For some reason, that makes me laugh. I punch her lightly on the shoulder. "Shut up," I say. "I'm grieving." 

"You'll find someone else soon enough," Kolby assures me. 

That immediately reminds me of Marie. "Speaking of," I say, "did you know Marie's been seeing that guy she met while we were clubbing?"

Kolby wrinkles her nose. "The dude with the weird forehead!"

"Kolby!" I laugh. "Mean, but yes. Him."

Kolby shakes her head. "No, I didn't know. I mean, whatever makes her happy."

"She didn't come out with us because she was waiting on him to call."

"That doesn't sound like Marie at all," Kolby says with a frown. 

"I know!" I agree. "It was weird. When I talked to her about it, it was like pulling teeth." I finish my drink. "It was like she was trying to hide it from me or something."

Shrugging, Kolby says, "well, she's in a delicate place. I'll ask her about it though." She eyes my empty glass. "Want another?" 

I nod. "This one's on me," she announces. "No one who's been recently dumped is allowed to pay for drinks."

I roll my eyes, but I'm glad Kolby is being lighthearted. I don't want to burst into tears out of nowhere. 

When she returns, Kolby has an odd look on her face. "Remember when you saw Liam a few weeks ago?" 

I sit up straighter. "Yeah?"

"He was with a blonde, right?" I nod. "I think they're here tonight." 

I immediately spot them just a few feet away from our table. "You're right," I say quietly. "Well, I guess it's good Marie wasn't here tonight." 

"Should we tell her?" Kolby asks.

"I wouldn't want to know," I say. "Let her do her thing with this new guy. Hearing about Liam and another girl is the last thing she needs."

"Did I hear my name?" Suddenly, Liam is standing next to our table. His blonde is nowhere in sight. Startled, Kolby just states up at him. 

"Yeah," I say coolly. "I was just talking about you and your girl there."

Liam looks around, his eyes roving. He seems nervous. "Look," he says in a low voice, "I don't know how you found out, but do not tell Marie I was cheating, okay?"

Now both Kolby and I are stunned silent. Cheating? That's why they broke up? 

Finally I find my voice. "S-sure," I stutter. 

Liam nods. "Good." And with that, he walks off, presumably to find the girl he cheated on one of my best friends with.