All characters are over the age of 18. Comment, rate, and share.
It's a slow burner with some sexual activity in this chapter, with a lot more coming up.
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The bell above the door jingled as yet another person entered the cafe. "Damn! I've never seen this place so packed before."
"Yeah, me neither."
My girlfriend and I were sitting at a corner table. The sunlight hit her in a way that made her look heavenly. Her fingers tapped to the rhythm of the music playing on the speakers on the table as we waited for our order.
"Calvin!" the barista shouted. "I got a caramel frappe and an iced coffee for Calvin!"
"Be right back," I said as I got up. The drinks were waiting for me at the counter. After confirming it was mine, I took them back to the table. "One Caramel Frappe for Kayla, and an iced coffee for me."
"Thank you," she said timidly.
"Ok, so listen, we're starting our road trip Friday, right? I was thinking we would take a small detour before hitting Oregon and Washington. How does that sound?"
Kayla put on a forced smile, the corner of her lips barely turning up. No matter what, she wouldn't make eye contact with me. Instead, her eyes were locked on the untouched drink before her.
"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked.
"Calvin," she said softly, still looking at her coffee, "I don't think long distance is gonna work."
It hit me like a brick wall. "What?" I asked quietly. "What are you talking about?"
Finally, she met my eyes, a glassy look over her eyes. It seemed like she had rehearsed this before, but still had a hard time.
"We need to be realistic," she said. "We're going to be in two different colleges in two different states."
"It's only a few hours apart by flight. I'll fly down to meet you once a month, you can come up to meet me once a month."
"It's not just the distance. It's the life we're going to be living after. I'll be surrounded by new people, new experiences, and I know you'll be too. We won't be living the same life anymore. It feels like we're desperately holding onto something that we know is going to fall apart."
I had nothing to say. I had no idea what to say. We sat in silence as the cafe got busier and louder.
"Can't we at least try?" I asked desperately.
"It's only going to make it worse, Calvin," she said as she placed her hands on top of mine. "I enjoyed our time together, but long distance is something I can't do. I hope the best for you."
And just like that, she got up and left me all alone. No kiss, no hug, no nothing. She just got up and left.
I don't know how long I had sat there, but it felt like an eternity. Eventually, an employee approached me and asked if I was ok. I nodded my head and left the cafe. Instead of driving straight home, I drove around, taking every wrong turn I could. At the end, I had to use GPS to find my way home.
When I got home, I didn't bother talking to my family. I went straight to my room and locked myself in there. The weight of what had happened washed over me. Her words kept repeating in my head. When I wasn't replaying her words, my mind raised questions, doubts, and thoughts of what I could've done differently.
Some time during the night, I managed to fall asleep.
The next day, I was awoken by someone knocking on my door. Reluctantly, I got out of bed and opened the door. It was my sister, Addison. She was home from college for summer break.
"You slept in the clothes you went out in last night? Didn't you get home early?"
"Yeah, I'm going back to sleep." I tried shutting the door on her, but she stuck her foot in the doorway.
"First, that hurt. Second, what's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong. Now, leave me alone." I pushed her out of the way, but she was persistent and wouldn't leave. I relented, knowing this was a losing battle. I went back to bed and hid under my blanket.
Addison sat down on my bed, but didn't say anything. The silence was deafening and more annoying than if she were to pester me.
Her plan worked because I got up and asked, "Ok, what do you wanna know?"
A smirk appeared on her face. Calmly, she asked, "What happened?"
"Kayla broke up with me. She said she couldn't do long-distance. Didn't even want to try. Just ended it."
"Awww, I'm so sorry." She closed the gap between us and hugged me. That unleashed the damn as I started crying into my sister's arms.
She didn't say anything at first. Her hug tightened, and she gently began to rub my back to console me. It took me back to when we were kids, and I would hurt myself, or when Dad would yell at me. At that moment, that hug felt like the safest place in the world.
"It's gonna be ok," she said reassuringly. "I know it hurts now, and if I'm being honest, it'll hurt for a while. But you'll get over it eventually."
I wiped my tears away and sat upright. "She didn't even want to try," I repeated.
"Shallow bitch. I'm not saying this to make you feel better, but you dodged a bullet with her. If she wasn't willing to even try long distance, what makes you think she would work through bigger problems down the road?"
I sighed and lay back on the bed. Staring at the ceiling, "You're right, but I thought we were stronger than that. We have been together since freshman year.
Addison plopped down next to me, "People show their true colors when it gets tough, when it counts. Anyone can play the part when it's easy."
"This sounds stupid now, but we talked about a future together. Getting an apartment in the city, a rescue dog, and then moving out to the country with a big backyard. That's not happening anymore."
"Can I punch her in the face the next time I see her?"
I couldn't help but let out a little laugh. "I don't hate her that much. Plus, her dad is the sheriff. He'll throw you in jail in no time."
"Hmm, what if it's accidental? Like I run into her, and I punch her, but make it look like it's a mistake."
"Still no."
"Fine, but don't come complaining, saying I didn't do anything. I offered it, and you turned it down."
"Thanks for this. I really needed this. I feel better now."
"Oh, you think it's over? Hate to break it to you, buddy, but this is going to keep coming back in waves. It's going to take a lot longer than a day to get over a relationship."
I groaned, "Why can't this be easy?"
"Because it's life." She got up and stretched, "And life, my sweet, heartbroken brother is a pain in the ass."
"Profound."
She smirked and said, "I know. I'm a woman of many talents. Now, get up, get changed, and come downstairs for breakfast."
I showered before heading downstairs for breakfast. The food had gone cold as no one had touched it since they were waiting for me.
"What happened to you?" my mother asked.
"Uh, Kayla broke up with me."
"Aww, sweetie. How are you holding up?"
"Addison helped me feel better. But this is something that's going to take a while to get over."
"You're right."
"Um, Dad, is there any way to cancel the trip? Since we're not together anymore, it doesn't make sense to go alone."
"No, I can't cancel. I mean, I could, but they won't give a refund if I cancel two days before. This was booked months in advance. Can't you take any of your friends?"
"No, they're all going on another trip. What about you and Mom?"
Mom answered, "As much as we would love to, I doubt either of us would get the time off from work."
"So I have to go alone?"
"You don't have to," my dad said, "But I would appreciate it if you didn't let all that money go to waste."
"Why don't you go with Addison?" my mom suggested.
All of us turned to look at my sister. She looked up and pretended to think about it. "Hmm, I do have a whole lot of nothing planned this weekend. But I can sacrifice that for my heartbroken brother."
"That's settled. You and Addison will do the trip instead."
"Wait, seriously?" I asked Addison.
"Yeah, why not? It sure does beat sitting around the house doing nothing. All my friends won't come home till next week."
"It'll be nice for you. And Addison can make sure you don't sulk around the entire trip."
"I'll try my best, but I do have one condition," she said as she reached for her phone.
"What's that?"
"I know you got the cabin booked, but I control everything else. If you want to get over your breakup, let me take care of that for you. Deal?"
"Fine," I replied.
Deep down, I felt something close to relief. Maybe even excitement. A few days away from memories of Kayla and Addison's chaotic energy is exactly what I needed.
Friday came in the flash of an eye. To beat the traffic, we decided to leave early in the morning. At 5, Addison burst into my room, blinding me with a flashlight. "Wake up, heartbreak boy! It's time to go."
"We agreed on 6. Why are you up so early?"
"Because I'm so excited to go on a road trip with my little brother. If you wake up now, I'll let you choose the snacks when we stop at the gas station."
"That's not as enticing as you think it is." Regardless, I pulled myself out of bed. I met her downstairs in 30 minutes, where our parents were also waiting alongside her.
"Stay safe, you two," my dad said. "Here's my credit card. Use it responsibly."
"Thank you, father," Addison said as she snatched the card out of his hands. "Ready for the Grief Trip, Calvin?"
"Grief Trip? That is seriously not the name you came up with."
"It is. It fits perfectly. On to the car!"