My Day - Blue Harmony

CHAPTER 1-2

“The

question isn’t what really happened between them. I mean, I was there. I saw

Bethany with my own two eyes in her birthday suit. Well actually, in Ethan’s

suit, or his shirt, at least. Anyway, my goal is to confront him in person and

prove to myself that I don’t let people walk all over me.”

Even

though I sound sure, deep down I, too, think there’s a chance I could get

burned. What if I find out Ethan and Bethany are still together? Or what if he

tells me he never really cared about me? The only reason I’m determined to go

through with this is the hope I’ll feel stronger after demanding an

explanation. I need to stand up for myself and then move on.

“While

I support the idea of talking to him, I fear you won’t come out from this

confrontation unscathed, all the same,” Allison says softly.

“I’m

not a naïve twenty-four-year-old anymore. I’m twenty-seven, and I know how to

confront people like Ethan,” I state with bravado.

Zoe

shakes her head. “See, that’s exactly the problem. I’m not sure you do,” she

insists.

I

don’t blame Zoe for having doubts. From the very first time we met, I was never

able to resist Ethan. When he cheated, not only did I feel betrayed, but I also

felt like an i***t for trusting him. I believed I was important to him. I

understand my friends don’t want to see me get hurt again, but I’m sincere when

I say I need to get my dignity back. Maybe my life won’t really change, like I

envision it, after I confront Ethan, but I still think it’s important to face

your failures head-on. I may not be able to erase all my regrets, but I do have

a chance to get closure on this one at least. I let Ethan walk away scot-free

while my world crumbled around me. Now, I want him to give me an explanation

because I hope it will bring me peace.

“That

said, Allison’s right,” Zoe interrupts my train of thought. “We don’t know

exactly what happened, so for that reason alone it might be a good idea to go

through with your plan. Especially since you have successfully passed my test.”

“Your

test …?” My jaw drops, though I really shouldn’t be surprised since it’s

exactly the kind of thing Zoe would do.

“Yes,

you managed to defend your idea despite my criticism.”

“Zoe!

Stop acting like a lawyer with me. Besides, you both know there’s no room for

doubt. It wasn’t like I heard a rumor he was cheating. I witnessed it myself.”

“You

may not like it when I act like a lawyer, but the fact is you could never prove

Ethan’s infidelity before a jury.”

“So

finding a woman wearing nothing but your boyfriend’s t-shirt in his hotel room

isn’t evidence enough? And the fact he didn’t call me afterward, not even to

give me some lame excuse, isn’t more proof? Should I go on?”

“I’m

sorry. I’m just saying that sometimes things aren’t as obvious as we think. Either

way, I’m on your side, and I’ll help you the best I can.”

“The

more we talk, the more I like your plan,” Allison says. “Honestly, if I could

speak my mind to Jake Matthews, I would. Because of that i***t, I put my life

on hold for two years.”

“Allison,

you are an accomplished entrepreneur. You have your own business and you’re

living your dream; you proved him wrong. Why do you still care about Jake

Matthews?” Zoe asks.

“Because

it took me a while to get to this point. I struggled, and I’m sure if he hadn’t

made me doubt myself, I would have succeeded long before.”

“Maybe,

but it’s also possible you needed to grow up before you were ready to have your

own business,” Zoe reasons. “Besides, we are responsible for our own decisions;

you can’t blame it all on Jake.”

“Of

course we are; I’m not trying to blame him for my choices. Still, the fact

remains, we’re social beings. It’s normal to be influenced by our friends or

even our enemies,” Allison counters. “We’re not robots. Sometimes a small gesture,

or even a kind word, can make a difference.”

“It’s

true,” I add. “Do you think the fact that I’m still affected by what happened

three years ago makes me happy?”

“What

can we do to help?” Zoe asks.

“Start

by finding out what Ethan’s plans are for the upcoming days. I want to know

exactly why he’s here. The more I know, the better I can fight. And I’d like to

have this information by tonight because tomorrow I need to be the woman I

should have been three years ago.”

“Not

to ruin your plans, but I don’t see what he would be doing in an idyllic place

like this besides vacationing. And I doubt he’s here alone,” Zoe says.

“That

isn’t a problem. In fact, this way I can get my revenge by hitting him where it

hurts most.”

“Get

your revenge?” Allison’s brow raises. “I thought you just wanted to ask him for

an explanation so you would feel better. What has revenge got to do with it?”

“It’s

just a word, Alli. I don’t intend to tie him to a chair and leave him without

water and food.”

“Good,

because the word ‘revenge’ sounds dangerous to me, and I’m afraid, most of the

time, seeking revenge causes more problems than it solves.”

“And

here I thought you’d agree with me that Ethan is an i***t who deserves some

payback,” I retort.

“You

know, Amy, we may have said things like that at the time because we couldn’t

stand to see you so unhappy, but the truth is …”

She

stops and wrings her hands, and I study her closely. “I’m listening. The truth

is …?”

“The

reality is, like Zoe said, sometimes things aren’t as simple as they seem. You

aren’t at fault in any way, but the fact is we think Ethan should have had a

chance to explain himself. Maybe there was a legitimate explanation for what

you saw.”

“Let

me think. He plans a romantic getaway, and when I arrive at the hotel, Bethany

opens the door wearing nothing but high heels and one of my boyfriend’s

t-shirts. She informs me that she’s spending the weekend with Ethan, and

he’ll be back in a few minutes. What could I have possibly misread in this

scenario?”

“I

don’t know, Amy, but it’s been three years, and you’re finally ready to face

Ethan. Maybe we can discuss this calmly and consider the possibility she could

have been lying.”

“Lying?

She was so confident she even invited me to wait with her if I wanted! She

acted like my relationship with Ethan was meaningless. She even told me, ‘Oops,

he must have gotten mixed up.’ You also forget that, before taking the

elevator, I asked the reception for Ethan Anderson’s room number, and that’s

the one they gave me. I’m not mistaken. He had it both ways, and I was so naïve

I never realized it!”

My

voice has risen in indignation, and Allison is biting her lip nervously, her

shoulders hunched. I feel guilty for yelling at her, but frustrated too. Why is

she defending him?

“Even

if you’re right, you should have given him a chance to explain himself,” Zoe

says, putting a calming hand on Allison’s shoulder.

I

stare at her, stunned. Zoe too? They were supposed to be on my side, not

his. “Listen to him when? Did he ever try to contact me?”

“Yes,

he did, and you hung up on him, crying that you’d rather go to hell than ever

see him again. I was there, remember? You called me to come get you because you

didn’t think you should be driving. It was while we were on the road that he

called. You insisted on staying alone after I dropped you off, and if I

remember correctly, you told us later he tried to get in touch at least once

more that evening.”

“You’re

right, he did try again, but I don’t even remember what he said. I was

devastated. He said he loved me, and how did he prove it? By cheating on me and

barely attempting to explain. You would think a person in love who has nothing

to hide would call more than twice before giving up because the other person

tells him to go to hell. I would have liked to have seen you in my shoes!”

I

jump up from my seat, unable to sit still under the onslaught of their

criticism. I have no desire to fight with my friends, but I can’t help feeling

a little betrayed. I know I shouldn’t; they were so supportive at that

difficult time in my life, but hearing them criticize my reactions now hurts.

I’m

pacing up and down by the pool’s edge, so frustrated by my friends inventing

reasons to justify Ethan’s behavior that I fail to notice a lounge chair in

front of me. I trip over it and find myself crashing into water as I fall right

into the pool. Instantly, I splash my way to the surface, sputtering and

swiping at the wet strands of hair clinging to my face.

“Need

a hand?”

The

voice I hear makes my heart stutter. I knew there was a possibility we’d bump

into each other by accident—the hotel isn’t that big—but in my head, I was

planning to initiate our first encounter. Things were supposed to go according

to my rules. What are the chances this would happen right after I took an

involuntary swim? Well, actually, considering how clumsy I am, pretty good …

Anyway, I need to regain my composure and a modicum of dignity. I smooth my

hair back and away from my face and exhale slowly.

“No,

thanks.” I turn toward him slowly, trying to decide if I should get out or

start swimming away and ignore him.

“You’re

not hurt, are you? Give me your hand.”

Why

the hell doesn’t he go away? I look up and shade my eyes against the sun to see

him standing at the edge of the pool, reaching a hand towards me. Now, on

second thought, I don’t want to talk to Ethan after all. Thank God he’s wearing

sunglasses; at least I can avoid looking him in the eye. Why did I think I was

ready to face him? I need to pull myself together immediately. Okay, you may

have fallen into the pool, but at least you’re wearing a swimsuit that fits you

perfectly. After all, it took you a whole morning to pick it out to make sure

you’d look your best. Besides, he no longer has any power over you.

I repeat this like a mantra in my head as he waits, his hand still extended toward

me.

“No,

thanks. I wouldn’t be surprised if you let go and let me drown.” My voice

didn’t tremble; thank God for small victories. My heart didn’t hear what I just

said though, and it continues to beat wildly.

“I

was hoping time might have improved your manners.”

The

girls finally get up and come over to the pool. Zoe asks anxiously, “My God,

Amy, are you okay? Hi, Ethan,” she adds onto the end, as if we’re just friends

having a casual chat.

He

lowers his hand, turns to them, and nods. “Hello, Zoe. Allison.”

I

can see both of them are struggling to keep from laughing, and I throw them a

menacing glare.

“What

a nice surprise to see you all here,” Ethan adds, smiling. From the tone of his

voice, I can tell he doesn’t believe this is a coincidence.

“This

is our annual week of vacation, and this year we decided to privilege luxury

and beauty,” Zoe says. At least she doesn’t mention it was my choice to come

here. “What are you doing here?”