IN THE PREVIOUS CHAPTERS:
Monique, a Personal Trainer and YouTube personality, walked in on her fiancé of three years in bed with another woman.
She took Trey's betrayal hard and went on an unplanned hiatus from men.
Eight months later, she met an Uber driver named Alexander after a night out with her best friend.
Monique was still recovering from heartbreak but felt a strange connection to this man who made her smile.
Nothing romantic, just an appreciation for him.
Their second encounter wasn't as pleasant.
He showed up at the gym she worked at, looking for a personal trainer.
Because his original trainer quit, she was the replacement.
But he didn't want to work out with a woman.
He requested a man for a reason.
She was offended by what she perceived as sexism, and the two had a falling out.
He left the gym in a huff, with her dismissing him from her life as another loser.
Yet, after talking with her big brother, she realized that she was presumptuous.
After finding his phone number, she disguised herself as a random representative of the gym to find out why he was quitting.
She found out the real reason he wanted a male trainer, and it had nothing to do with sexism.
He was just insecure about his body.
She apologized, and the two of them talked it out.
She even convinced him to give her a chance as his trainer.
That was the beginning of their friendship.
Monique looked forward to their workout sessions together.
They made each other laugh, and their personalities complemented one another.
Monique eventually got over her ex.
She even had a random one-night stand with a guy she met at a club.
His name was Craig.
It felt great to be liberated from Trey's grasp on her heart.
It was a celebration of that liberty.
The next day, however, reality set in.
She had a massive hangover and was drained of energy to do anything with her day.
After realizing there was nothing to do, she called Alex.
The two hung out outside the gym for the first time while watching Star Wars.
That became a thing for them over the course of the next few months.
They watched everything Star Wars related.
In that time, they got to know each other a little more.
As much as Alex wanted to deny the growing attraction he had for Monique, he couldn't.
His best friend Greg had a feeling that she was attracted to Alex too, but he was too jilted over a past experience to take the leap.
Summer Fitzgerald was that experience; the ghost that kept haunting him from high school.
She repeatedly broke his heart by keeping him in the background while she pursued "the bad boys".
She even used him as a bait and switch to trick her mom into letting her stay out late.
That was the last straw for Alex, and he hadn't tried to pursue another woman since.
But now, his heart -- and Greg -- was telling him to carpe diem.
So, he leaned in for kiss.
Unfortunately, he was rejected yet again.
Monique wasn't ready for that, at least not with him.
Right now, she just wanted his friendship.
Nothing more.
Alex took that pretty hard.
He renewed his vow to stay clear of romantic relationships and to keep Monique at a distance.
This hurt Monique, and the two had a long discussion about it.
Fortunately, they were able to re-emerge from that discussion as friends.
***
Earthquakes are loud, violent, and destructive forces of nature. They are unpredictable and happen without warning. The tectonic plates beneath our feet shift, and the earth shakes like a wet dog. Buildings fall. Roads are damaged. The entire landscape is changed, and no one's life is ever the same again.
All that, and they only last a few seconds.
Earthquakes' unpredictability is what makes their impact so immense. But, unbeknownst to humans, the earth is always moving. Right beneath our feet, those plates are constantly grinding against each other in small, unrecognizable increments. We don't feel them, so we don't think about them. We just go about our lives with complete confidence that the ground will always be there.
It's not until the massive one hits that we recognize the stability we took for granted.
***
Alex sat in the chair looking at himself in the small mirror on the desk. He was trying on different glasses to see which ones looked best on him.
"I like those. They complement your face." The girl behind the desk said as she pointed to the pair in his hands. He picked them up and gave them a second viewing. Turning his head to the sides to see his reflection from different angles, he nodded in approval.
"I'll go with your suggestion."
He looked at her, just as she brushed her hair behind her ear and looked away from him bashfully.
If he didn't know any better, he'd think she was flirting with him.
But he honestly couldn't tell anymore. Like Greg said, he had no instincts when it came to picking up social cues.
He slid the glasses over to her, and she put the order into the computer. As she did, Alex subtly assessed her without looking like he was checking her out.
She looked familiar, but he couldn't place her face. It was pleasantly round, kind of like a cherubim cupid. If there were a celebrity she resembled, she would be a Drew Barrymore with pink and black rimmed glasses.
On top of that, she had a pretty smile, and a soft voice.
"Okay. Your glasses will be ready in about 7 to 10 days from now. Your insurance paid the majority for you, so all you have to do is pay the balance and you can be out of here."
"Thank you...uh...Cameron." He said, reading her name badge.
Cameron looked at Alex without saying anything for a few moments before asking, "You don't recognize me, do you?"
"Should I?"
