When I first saw you I knew something was up. A beauty like you shouldn't have lost that twinkle in her eye, shouldn't have her head held down so low when she brings so much light to those around her. I could tell immediately you'd been having a few rough weeks just from the way you held yourself, the way you moved and looked around with that straight, sullen face.
When I found you I couldn't help myself, but I had to help you. I saw you picking at the skin on your nails, blankly gazing at the weeds growing in the park. Something was clearly up, and perhaps you wanted to be left alone to your thoughts but I came and sat with you. You didn't seem to want to open up to someone else, you didn't want to go through it all; it took some convincing but I managed to get it out of you in the end.
A terrible breakup, with your fiancΓ©e no less. You'd found his messages to those other girls, managed to track them down and get the truth from them. All his late nights at work, all the spontaneous trips to see long lost friends from school, your sleepless nights waiting for him to return to you as you lay in bed cold and anxious without him... you told me everything. A childhood sweetheart after being friends growing up - you couldn't help but notice the changes within each other and things went from there. Things were good from there, but eventually he started to wonder if there was more he was missing out on. Clearly, he found that answer.
Had you ever wondered that too? Maybe you should have. With your entire world being one person, there's a lot to miss out on. A lot of places you could have gone, experiences you've missed out on, not to mention all the people you could've met. As we talked I saw the light inside you burn with that angry flame as you let out your frustrations. It's better to talk to a stranger who isn't going to go behind your back and spread rumours, who isn't going to judge you, just a sound board to straighten out your thoughts and let you know that it wasn't your fault.
I could tell you felt worthless, you were desperate and sad after what he did to you. Part of you was desperate for revenge, something to put him in his place after what his infidelity. You wanted to toy with his feelings as bad as he had with yours. I let you talk and talk and talk, and you let me in on the misery he'd caused you. I just wanted to lend an ear, a shoulder to cry on when there wasn't another around. You felt as though you didn't have friends now after the breakup after your friends group had merged together after bring together so long - they were his, they preferred him anyway, you thought. I assured you that wasn't the case, and that he's the bad guy here. Anyone who sides with him after knowing what he did wasn't worth your time anyway.
I knew you didn't have all day to be moping around in the park and neither did I. I gave you my number there and then, telling you that I was around and willing to listen. I didn't take yours, the ball was in your court. I'd be here for you if you wanted me and if not, then at least I'd done one good deed.
I didn't get a reply until the next evening. It seems that you'd been giving it some thought, mulling it over, and decided to give me a shot. Worst case it was some free therapy after what had happened to you. We decided to meet somewhere public again - after all you didn't know anything about me. A little coffee shop downtown that'd been your favourite for a while, they had a library where you could take the books home or donate old books to their shelves. Over the years the better books had gone missing and been replaced with lacklustre paperback novels filled with pages of cheesy made-for-tv romance plotlines but that didn't bother you. You had your own books anyway, you were just there for the ambiance and the coffee, and now you were here for me too.
I wasn't sure if I'd ever get to see you again after that first time, but I sat there waiting for you to arrive and I have to admit you looked even better than I remembered. You'd glammed yourself up just enough that it wouldn't be too obvious, or so you thought, but I saw that little move to impress me as you strode over to the booth. After ordering our coffee we immediately picked up from where we left off and talked about what had happened since last time. Piece by piece of it all came together as I learned about your family and friends, pulling on the threads of the conversation to unravel the bigger picture of who you are. That's not to say it was entirely one sided; with the chapter of your life dominated by him coming to a close you started to work your way into a new one. I told you about myself and my own friends and family, what I kept myself busy with and the sort of things I liked.
Every now and again the conversation would go back to him, but I took the chance to grab your hands and hold them tight as I looked you deep in the eye to tell you it was going to be ok. It can't hurt you any more when it's over and clinging onto the ghost of your previous relationship wasn't going to help you. Of course it'd take time to let your wounds heal, to piece it all together in your head and look back on what went wrong, but there's no use sitting around feeling miserable forever.