A few months went by [nearing the end of February] and still no word from Jay. Liz had done this dance with Jay several times in the past--it was best to just wait for him to decide he felt like talking to her again. In the meantime, Liz couldn't even begin to pretend that this did not bother her. This was the man she gave up so much for, the man she gave up her virginity and her heart for. And now he wasn't even speaking to her again. He was too busy fucking other girls, no doubt. Well two could play at that game...
Every time Jay forgot about Liz, their mutual friend Neil was always there to pick up her broken pieces. It had been this way for years, and nothing had changed. One night while Liz was online, Neil noticed her upset away message and sent her a message, asking her what was wrong. "We had sex. Several times. And now he's not talking to me at all. It's like I'm nothing to him. Like none of it meant anything to him, and all the things he said were just to get in my pants," Liz replied.
Neil felt himself growing more angry than usual. He could not quite understand why he was getting so worked up over this; yes, he cared a lot about Liz and valued her as a friend and hated to see her hurting, but something bothered him in a different way this time. Things had changed a bit between the two of them since their relationship had grown more comfortable and a bit more flirtatious. He also felt a little awkward, seeing as he had admitted several months earlier that he found her attractive. Perhaps he thought of her as a bit more than just a friend?
"That's not cool at all. You really need to distance yourself from him and think about if this is what you really want, Liz. You deserve so much better than this. In the meantime, we need to get you out of the house. Keep you from dwelling on it. How about you come over and we watch a movie or something?" Neil asked.
Liz smiled. Neil was such a good friend to her, even though he was several years older than she was. "That sounds great," she replied. While he wasn't the most handsome guy she had ever seen, he certainly was cute in his own right. More importantly, he was always so kind and good natured toward her; a true gentleman with a great sense of humor. Unlike Jay, Neil had managed to always be there for Liz. They had never hung out alone before, the majority of their friendship occurring in conversations online, so she was looking forward to being able to spend time with Neil away from a group.
Liz pulled herself out of the bed she had been sulking in and went to go shower and get ready. She picked out a chocolate-brown colored sweater which hugged her curves nicely, a pair of faded jeans, and her brown clogs. She sprayed herself with her favorite strawberry scented perfume and applied her makeup carefully so that her multi-colored eyes and her bright smile would stand out. For the first time in weeks, she felt motivated to take pride in her appearance, and she didn't exactly understand why.
She grabbed her car keys and drove over to Neil's house. Liz was very nervous as she knocked on Neil's door. She twirled her fingers around a few strands of hair as she waited outside in the cold. Finally the door opened and Neil beamed as he welcomed her in. Liz shivered as she entered the house, removing her coat, scarf, hat, and gloves.
"It's good to see you. And to hang out with you outside of the hustle and bustle of music and friends," Neil said.
"Yeah, definitely," Liz replied, still feeling nervous.
"Oh, uhm, you look spectacular." Neil added, turning a bit red.
Liz blushed a bit and thanked Neil.
Neil took her hand and led her into the living room to the couch. "I thought we'd watch Pirates of the Caribbean since that always seems to cheer you up when you're upset... " Neil said as they sat down.
Liz smiled. "That's awesome."
The two of them sat down on the couch to watch the movie, leaving quite a bit of space between each other; an indication of how nervous they both seemed to be. About fifteen minutes into the movie, Neil got up.
"Do you want anything from the kitchen? Popcorn? A soda? Water? Anything?" Neil inquired.
"Popcorn and water would be great, thanks," Liz replied before turning back to the movie.