Chapter 3
1328 Words
Jaime
When I got home, the apartment was quiet. My roommate, Shelly, had left a note on the counter saying she’d be out late—and maybe not back until morning.
Sharing an apartment with her saves me a fortune, even though technically I could afford to live alone. Having a roommate isn’t just about the money, though—it’s about not walking into silence every night. And when you’re single, that silence can get heavy.
I’ve been single since college. When I graduated, I thought I was ready to meet Mr. Right. Spoiler: he hasn’t shown up.
My last serious relationship was with Kevin—and it ended in flames during our first year in college. I was devastated, and my cousin Jay, in his infinite wisdom, gave me advice in his usual weird way.
“Watch The Sweetest Thing,” he told me.
That’s Jay. He swears every life problem has an answer in a movie. And the scary part? He’s usually right. In The Sweetest Thing, Cameron Diaz’s character says it’s not about Mr. Right—it’s about Mr. Right Now.
Jay told me to stop stressing, to go out, have fun, live. That Mr. Right would come along when the timing was right. His advice works wonders on other people’s love lives. His own? Not so much. He ignores his own rules and gets hurt over and over.
Meanwhile, my best friend Keira had already found her forever. She married her high school sweetheart, Adam, and now they have a beautiful daughter and another baby on the way.
Don’t get me wrong—I love Keira. But sometimes it’s easier to vent about bad dates with someone like Shelly, who’s also single, than with your married friend whose husband brings her flowers just because it’s Tuesday.
Still… tonight felt different. I agreed to go out with Kevin tomorrow. A part of me is terrified it’s a mistake. He broke me once, and I don’t know if I could survive him doing it again.
My phone dinged. A text from Kevin.
K: Tomorrow night, 6:30. Where should I pick you up?
J: That’s fine. I can just meet you there.
K: This is a date. Let me be Prince Charming and pick you up like a proper gentleman. What’s the address?
I shook my head, smiling despite myself, and sent him my address.
Kevin has always had that alpha streak—confident, a little bossy. I like it, honestly. I just don’t like it when he forgets balance and lets it become everything.
That was part of the problem before. He had so much anger bottled inside, forced to grow up too fast, never given a safe outlet. That anger turned into bullying, into shutdowns, into walls. Back in college, my anxiety collided with his rage, and the whole thing imploded.
And now here we are. Tomorrow, it’ll be me and Kevin—our first date in six years. God help me. This should be interesting.
⸻
Kevin
After Jaime left, I went back into Adam’s living room. He was on the couch with Eliza, who was glued to a cartoon, her little head resting against his chest.
Adam shot me a look. “So… you and Jaime?”
I shrugged. “Don’t know yet. She agreed to go on a date with me.”
“Do you think that’s smart? People say you can’t go back.”
I leaned against the wall, rubbing a hand over the back of my neck. “I don’t know if it’s smart. All I know is—she’s the only one who ever made me feel like… well, not to sound like Jay, but like I was on top of the world.”
Adam sighed. “I just don’t want to see you crash again. You were wrecked when you two broke up. I don’t want you back in that place.”
He wasn’t wrong. When Jaime and I ended, I spiraled. Darker than I’d ever been. I didn’t care about school, about work, about myself. Adam pulled me out of it, even while he was struggling with the distance from Keira. He gave me the wake-up call I needed—told me I’d end up just like my dad if I didn’t get my s**t together.
Adam’s the only one who knows what I found out about my father. One of those stupid DNA test kits gave me answers I never wanted. Confirmed blood I wish I didn’t share. That man abandoned us, and I want nothing to do with him.
But tonight wasn’t about him. Tonight was about Jaime.
“Relax,” I told Adam, smirking as I gestured at my body. “It’s just dinner to catch up. Besides, you gotta admit—I’ve changed in six years.”
Right on cue, Eliza clapped her little hands and laughed.
“See? Even Lizzy approves.”
Adam kissed the top of his daughter’s head. “God, Lizzy. No boys until you’re thirty.” Then, with a glare at me, “And between you and Austin, if she turns out boy-crazy, I’m blaming you two.”
I laughed. “Relax. With you and four uncles, no boy is ever getting near her anyway. Right, Lizzy?”
She giggled, and Adam just shook his head. “One day, you’ll have a kid of your own. I’m looking forward to payback.”
“Speaking of kids, I gotta head out. Mitzi will throw a fit if I’m late.”
“When are you finally getting your own place?” Adam asked.
“One day. The rent’s cheap, and I think Mitzi secretly misses Jay.”
When I graduated, Jay moved to Florida permanently with Evan, but he offered me his three-bedroom condo at dirt-cheap rent to help with my student debt. The catch? His roommate, Mitzi, a six-foot-two drag queen, came with the package.
At first, it was… an adjustment. Try explaining to a date why a glamorous “woman” in a sequined gown is screaming about the lack of Ben & Jerry’s at midnight in your living room. But Mitzi turned out to be a great friend—older, wiser, protective. Kind of like having a sarcastic aunt and a life coach rolled into one.
When I walked into the condo that night, Mitzi was sprawled across the couch, legs draped over a guy’s lap.
“Kevin, darling, meet Bob,” she said, gesturing lazily.
“Hi, Bob.”
He nodded stiffly, clearly trying to figure me out.
Mitzi turned her sharp eyes back to me. “So how’s our little expecting mother?”
“Keira’s good. I was helping her with the baby shower plans earlier. Jaime was there.”
Mitzi’s head snapped up. “Shut. The. Front. Door. Did you just say Jaime? As in the Jaime?”
“Yep.”
“Oh my lord.” Mitzi swung her legs off Bob and stood. “Tell me—has she gotten fat and ugly?”
I couldn’t stop my grin. “Nope. Opposite. She’s even more beautiful.”
Mitzi clasped her hands dramatically. “Still single?”
“Yep. And before you start interrogating me—she agreed to go out with me.”
“Oh, Lordy!” Mitzi fanned herself. “That could go either way, Romeo. You better be ready.” She turned to Bob, who was staring like he’d walked into a soap opera. “Jaime is the love of his life. He let hormones and rage ruin it back in college, but now fate has brought her back.”
I groaned. “Mitz, it’s just dinner. Catching up. That’s all.”
“Dinner, schminner. When is it?”
“Tomorrow.”
Her face lit up. “Perfect. Make a reservation. Pick her up properly. Bring flowers. And for the love of all things fabulous, don’t screw it up.”
Her voice dropped, suddenly serious. “Kevin, don’t f**k this up.”
- Writer
