The one man I can't have

Everything changes

Ava! tell me please you're not my dad's secret lover for the past six months please, Lily's voice shrieked as she nodded her head and held my hands trying to convince herself that what her mom told her about my secret affair with her dad wasn't true.

But how could I tell her that I loved her dad and was completely obsessed with him even though she's my best friend.

Before our Romance

AVA

The coffee machine hissed like it was seconds away from exploding and honestly, I understood how it felt.

"Table six wants extra whipped cream, Ava!!

Mia dragged her voice across the table looking at me .

I glanced at Mia,

"They already got extra whipped cream."

"They said it wasn't extra enough,

mia stared back at me with a dramatic expression

Then we both burst out laughing.

The customer in question was currently taking pictures of her drink from twelve different angles and still haven't gotten a perfect one .

I was pretty sure she loved the whipped cream more than the coffee and she would barely drink half of it by the time she was done with her photography session with the coffee.

My shift officially ended ten minutes ago and unfortunately, nobody had informed the customers.

I wiped down the counter and checked my phone, it had three missed calls and one text from Derek

My smile faded immediately,

“We need to talk.

Great, I muttered under my breath

Nothing good had ever followed those four words.

Especially not from a boyfriend who had spent the last month acting like answering texts and calls was a part-time job.

"You look like someone just died, Mia's said sniffing her voice, she complained earlier during about the black smoke from her neighbors generator that had finally made it impossible for her to breathe well .

I slipped my phone into my apron.

"Not yet, hopefully

Mia snorted,

“Your shift was over forty minutes ago. What are you still doing here?

The bell above the café door chimed and a group of teenagers walked in, I finally glanced at the clock , I had been avoiding it to work as many shift I could for an extra pay, I looked towards the exit , then back toward the clock.

"Go."

I blinked.

And my manager appeared beside me.

"You've been here since six this morning, ava

"I need money,I smiled leaning towards her

" No ,You need sleep, proper one

I opened my mouth and closed it

Because unfortunately she was right, my manager she was my mom's best friend and ever since I lost mom she promised to help out in any way she could, she ran the Clare cafe and hired me.

It was my first job which ended at three and immediately was followed by my second job which was a remote job that started at five

And somewhere in between I occasionally remembered I was supposed to have a life.

It sounded like a scary concept to me because, this was life I was used to ever since I lost mum.

Work, church , work and the occasional trip I took to the other side of the city to visit my boyfriend, Derek.

And based on what mum taught me, I had to earn my way through anything so begging or asking for help wasn't an option .

I untied my apron , hung it over the rack and grabbed my bag.

"Witnesses," I announced dramatically. "I am leaving."

Mia saluted.

“ Aye, aye captain and you'll definitely tell us what Derek wanted tomorrow."

That knot in my stomach tightened.

"Hopefully nothing, " I said and headed for the exit. Somehow I felt like I knew what Derek wanted us to talk about.

I stepped outside the cafe and the evening air felt cooler than usual,the city buzzed around me . Chicago felt cooler than usual this evening. It was a very busy city running non-stop with Cars, music, people hurrying home or maybe heading for their second job like me

For a moment everything felt normal, as I made my way to the sidewalk beside the cafe by my left,then my phone rang.

It was Derek,

I stared at the screen, I was really hesitant to pick his call and somehow something inside me already knew what he wanted.

The same way you know it's about to rain before the first drop falls,

I answered the call and derek spoke first

"Hey."

There was silence and that was definitely not a good start then he sighed ,the one that instantly made my chest hurt like i just had a spicy taco

"Ava...",

And suddenly I wasn't standing on a busy sidewalk anymore, I knew I was standing on the edge of something.

Something about to break badly

"Ava..."

Derek called again but this time his tone was soft, careful like he was approaching a wounded animal Or delivering bad news.

My grip tightened around my phone.

I walked across the sidewalk, towards my next destination.

"What is it?" I finally spoke and there was a pause and It was long.

People brushed past me on the sidewalk.

Someone laughed ,a car horn sounded in the distance.

Meanwhile my entire world seemed to be holding its breath.

"I don't think this is working anymore."

The words didn't register immediately to my head

They just floated there, meaningless ,Weightless.

Then they landed

Hard,

I stopped walking.

A woman behind me nearly bumped into my shoulder.

"Sorry." I said

The apology slipped out automatically.

Derek was still talking, all I could hear was him yapping about

Something about growing apart between us, and something about us having different priorities.

Something about needing space.

I wasn't really listening,because all I could think was:

Two years,

Two whole years.

Reduced to a five-minute phone call.

Derek was my first boyfriend, he met my mum on her sick bed, consoled me that everything was going to be fine and he planned my mom's funeral for me . He was the sweetest guy I had ever known, he took my virginity and was my everything now he was breaking up with me .None of it made sense to me

"Okay."

I said shrugging my shoulders

The word surprised even me.

Apparently it surprised him too.

"Okay?".

Ever since I.lost mum, I promised myself not be moved by anything again now Derek was really trying me here on that promise I made to myself

"What do you want me to say, Derek?"

He went silent,this was his favorite answer lately.

I laughed, but it was not in a happy way, it was a short, bitter sound.

"Is there someone else Derek?I asked

He didn't say but his silence meant he didn't deny it and My stomach dropped.

"Oh my God., Derek

"Ava—"

"There is."

"It isn't like that." he stammered on the phone

I almost admired the audacity, Almost

Because every cheating man in history seemed to share the same script.

"It's not what it looks like."

"It just happened."

"I didn't mean for it to happen.

I was suddenly very tired, exhausted even,

“So is that the reason you've been off for the past one month, you barely spoke to me or called derek, I asked him, and I was bone-deep exhausted.

"Goodbye, Derek."

"Ava, wait—"

I hung up and stood there,

In the middle of a crowded street, holding my phone, watching strangers continue with their lives.

Nobody knew my relationship had just ended,

Nobody cared,

the world just kept moving.

My phone buzzed again, this time it was an email notification and I almost ignored it.

Until I recognized the sender it was my landlord.

Immediately my stomach tightened,rent wasn't due f

or another month so what now?

I opened it and the message made me pause,

The apartment building had been sold.

All tenants were required to vacate within thirty days.

Thirty days?!