Unbreakable

by Ashley Blake

“Don’t let anything she says get to you. She probably didn’t even see him today.”

  I stopped and turned to both of them, my eyes beginning to fill with tears. “No, she probably did see him.”

  Jenn looked totally confused. “Wait, what is going on? Did you and Lucas break up?”

  Gigi put her arm around me and looked at Jenn. “No, he wants to take a break while he sorts some things out. It’s only for a couple of weeks and then I’m sure everything will be back to normal.”

  I looked at both of them, wiped away my tears and smiled.

  “You know what? I need to go dance.”

  Gigi smiled right back. “That’s a great idea, I’ll go find Carrie.”

  The second we walked in to Urban I went straight to the dance floor and I didn’t leave until it was time to go home. Dancing always made me feel better and I needed to lose myself in the music that night, which is exactly what I did.

  Sunday morning I checked my email, my heart racing, hoping to see something, anything from Lucas. Nothing. I leaned back in my chair and stared at the screen. I sat there for a few minutes and then I decided it was time for me to do something and not just wait to hear from him. We had something really special and I didn’t want to just sit and wait to hear from him anymore. Even though it had only been a few days since we communicated, it felt like an eternity and I was going to change that. I decided to email him like we were still together, to let him know what was going on with me.

  Hi Lucas,

  I hope you’re doing well. I met with a couple of people from my young entrepreneurs group last week and we all decided that we are going to collaborate on writing a book geared toward young entrepreneurs, giving them ideas about how to start your own business and telling them what it takes to be successful. It was so cool to bounce ideas off of each other and I really think the book will be a big hit.

  I also went home for a couple of days to see my family. Jeremy surprised me and came up from Madison. He and Amanda are doing really well. Mom and dad are good also; it was comforting to know that everyone at home is doing okay.

  Gigi put together a girls night Saturday night so we went to The Store and Urban with Jenn and Carrie. I don’t think I left the dance floor the entire night!

  I have a meeting with Glitz tomorrow, I finally get to see the final product and I am so excited. I hope it’s what they want. They are going to let me know if they’re going to sell my bracelets and I am so nervous!

  Well, that’s all for now. I hope you have a great day!

  XO Sophie

  I must have re-read the email 20 times and then, with my heart banging against my chest, I hit send. For just a couple of seconds I wondered if I had made the right decision, but that quickly passed. I wanted Lucas to know what was going on with me and I missed him, so I felt good about the email.

  I met with the girls from my entrepreneur group for the rest of that afternoon, which was a good thing because I didn’t have time to dwell on the email that I had sent to Lucas. I refused to check my phone to see if he had emailed me and told myself I would look on the computer when I got home. Of course, when I got home I made a beeline for my computer and I was a little let down to see that I had not received anything from him, but I had not really expected to. I think writing the email to him was therapeutic for me and I decided that I would continue to do so until I heard from him because it made me feel better.

  GiGi was with Dex that night so I had the place to myself and it was the first time since the night Lucas told me he wanted to take a break that I was all alone. It felt good to be still and quiet for a while. I pulled out my latest book and got lost in somebody else’s world for a while.

  The next day I was filled with nervous excitement as I made my way over to the Glitz office. When I arrived, the receptionist told me that Cheryl and Stephanie would be with me in a few minutes. I leafed through the latest People magazine, not seeing anything on the pages because I was so nervous. Twenty grueling minutes later the receptionist came over to me.

  “Sophie? They’re ready for you now. Will you follow me?”

  I walked into the conference room and not only were Cheryl and Stephanie there, two other people were there also.

  “Sophie, it’s good to see you. This is Mark Taylor and Carol Pipers, they’re part of our marketing team.”

  I nodded at them.

  Cheryl pulled out my bracelets and spread them out on the velvet cloth. They were beautiful.

  “Sophie, we could not be happier with the final product and we are very excited about moving forward with our relationship with you. You did a beautiful job.”

  A huge grin spread across my face and I could not have been happier.

  “Thank you so much! I am very excited about this next chapter as well.”

  Cheryl looked around the room and then her eyes settled on me.

  “We would love for you to design another style of bracelets, we are thinking different types of bangles would be cute. Customers love those items and they always sell out.”

  I looked at everyone, my face totally beaming.

  “I am so honored that you asked me to do this and I will not let you down. Thank you so much for this incredible opportunity.”

  Stephanie looked touched. “No, thank you Sophie. Your designs are beautiful.”

  “When will they be available in stores?”

  “We are looking to have your bracelets available online by the fall. We’d like to see your designs for the next line in three weeks.”

  I smiled and nodded at Stephanie. “No problem.”

  “Terrific. Well, I think we’re done here unless you have any questions, Sophie.”

  “No, I’m good.”

  “Okay great. Feel free to contact us any time if you have any questions about anything.”

  “Thanks, I will.”

  I was on cloud nine when I left their office and I decided to reward myself with a new pair of shoes. I went to the Louboutin store and took my time looking for just the right pair of gorgeousness. When the sales person rang me up, I told him about my bracelet line and he was super excited for me.

  “Oh honey, that is fabulous! When will they be available? I would love to buy one.”

  “They will be available on their website this fall. If you give me your card I would be happy to send some to you.”

  “Sweetie that would be fantastic, thank you so much!”

  I gave him a huge smile. “No problem!” If he wore my bracelets to work that would be incredible free advertising. I didn’t care that a guy was going to wear my bracelets designed for women, if he liked them that would only mean great things for me!

  I was in such a great mood and I couldn’t wait to tell Lucas what had happened. As soon as I walked in I went right to my computer and wrote him an email.

  Hi Lucas,

  I just had the most amazing meeting at Glitz today! They really liked the final product and they are going to move forward with selling my bracelets! I am so excited! They also asked me to design another line of bracelets and they want my designs in three weeks. I was so nervous while I waited in the reception area (I was dying sitting there for over 20 minutes) and then I met with four people; Cheryl and Stephanie, the ladies I have been working with all along, and then two people from marketing. It was really surreal…this whole thing is surreal. It’s hard to believe that bracelets that I designed are going to be for sale with this incredible jewelry company!

  I treated myself to a new pair of shoes and the sales guy at Louboutin told me he wants to buy my bracelets when they are available. Of course I offered to send him a few bracelets. Do you have any idea how awesome it would be and how much incredible exposure it would be for a Louboutin sales clerk to wear my bracelets? I am beyond excited!

  Well, I just wanted to write you a quick email to share my good news with you. I hope you’re having a great day!

  XO Sophie

  I couldn’t wait for Gigi to get home so that I could tell her
about my meeting. I thought about telling her that I was emailing Lucas but I just wasn’t in the mood to hear that it wasn’t a good idea, and that was probably what she would have said to me. So I kept it to myself. I called my family and told them the good news and they were so excited for me. I worked for the rest of the afternoon feeling happier than I had since Lucas told me he wanted to take a break.

  When Gigi came home that night she was so happy for me you would have thought it was her that had the bracelet line. Her unfailing support was one of the many reasons why I loved her. She made me promise to let her know the day the bracelets would be available for sale because she wanted to buy a bunch for her family and friends. I went to bed later that night feeling really optimistic about my future.

  I decided not to email Lucas the next day because I thought that maybe he would be expecting the email and it might make him miss me if I skipped a day. I went to the coffee shop and buried myself in work for the day and then grabbed dinner with Gigi, Carrie and Jenn. I told Carrie and Jenn about the meeting and it felt really good to have so much support from my friends.

  The next day I had a few meetings and I welcomed the distraction. If I’d had the time to just sit around and dwell on the relationship I would have been a complete basket case. Staying busy really saved me. I went to the coffee shop after my meetings to relax, enjoy a cup of tea and let the business of my day melt away. I could hear part of the conversation of the couple next to me and they were talking about going to Door County for the weekend. That reminded me of the incredible weekend that I’d had with Lucas at his family's house. I smiled to myself as I stirred honey into my tea when I thought about him getting stuck in the window and I couldn’t wait to email him and remind him of that weekend. I looked around the coffee shop and most people were either working on their computers or staring down at their phones, except for a couple next to me. They were completely into each other and it was what I had with Lucas, and I wanted it back.

  I checked my emails when I got home and, once again, there was nothing from Lucas. But I didn’t really expect there to be. I wrote to him anyway.

  Hi Lucas,

  I had a really busy day today and at the end of the day I went to the coffee shop. You know, the one on Dearborn that I like? I had a cup of tea and sat there for a while de-stressing. Anyway, while I was sitting there the couple next me mentioned that they were thinking of going to Door County for the weekend. That reminded me of that incredible weekend you and I had there a few weeks ago. Do you remember? I had to smile to myself when I thought about you getting stuck in the window trying to get into the house, and the sheriff being called. That was so funny. Also, I want you to know that I never take off the beautiful necklace you bought me.

  I had such a great time with you that weekend, for just a little while it felt like we were the only two people in the world. I hope that we will be able to get back there one day; it was really beautiful.

  I hope you had a wonderful day.

  XO Sophie

  Chapter 16

  I hadn’t written Lucas for two days and, of course, every day I checked to see if he had emailed me. I was not surprised that he didn’t respond to me but I didn’t let it get to me. It was Saturday morning and it had been a week and a half since Lucas told me he wanted to take a break, and since I had not written him for two days I decided to send him a quick, simple note. Gigi and I decided to take the day off and just hang out together that day, so I sent the email right before we left.

  Hi Lucas,

  I miss you.

  XO Sophie

  Gigi had a date with Dex that night and she had to be back by 5:00 so she would have time to get ready. We had breakfast at our favorite breakfast restaurant and then we hit the shops on Michigan Avenue first before we headed over to Halsted Street. By the time we got home we were both loaded down with bags and we had found some really great stuff.

  “Do you know what you’re wearing tonight?”

  “Yeah, you know that black mini dress with the straps that cross all over the back?” Her eyes were begging and I couldn’t help but laugh.

  “You mean my dress?”

  “Yes, can I please borrow it?”

  “Gigi, I haven’t even worn it yet so please don’t spill anything on it.”

  “I won’t, I promise! Thank you!” She threw her arms around me and squeezed really tight. “What are you going to do tonight?”

  “I have three episodes of the Real Housewives of…I can’t remember which one…and I’m going to lounge on the couch and zone out with those episodes.”

  “That actually sounds like fun. Okay, I’m going to hop in the shower.”

  I yelled down the hall as she rushed off. “I want to see the dress on you when you’re ready! I might snap a couple of quick photos!”

  “Okay!”

  A little over an hour later Gigi was ready and she looked so pretty.

  “Gigi, you look stunning. You’re going to take Dex’s breath away.”

  She adjusted the dress. “Really?”

  Even though they had been dating for about a month, Gigi acted like it was their first date every time she went out with him. It was really cute to see her get nervous over a guy because it never happened. She always had the guys falling all over her, and Dex was a little bit more of a challenge for her.

  “Yes, really. I’m going to take a couple of pics. Can you just stand by the door so I have a white background?”

  Dex showed up right as we finished taking pictures so Gigi grabbed her clutch and was on her way.

  I decided to quickly check my email before I became a couch potato for the night and my heart nearly stopped when I saw the email from Lucas. My palms were sweating, my mouth went dry, and my heart was thudding against my chest, each heartbeat feeling stronger than the one before it. I was terrified to open it but I knew I had to. He had written one brief sentence.

  Hi Sophie,

  Can you meet me in the Water Tower lobby tomorrow at 11:00?

  Lucas

  I just stared at the screen, trying to breathe. I had no idea what would happen when we saw each other but at least I would have a better idea of where I stood with him. I responded with a quick ‘OK’ and stepped away from the computer. If I had not gone into the other room to watch TV, I would have stared at the computer all night like a crazy person.

  As I sat in front of the television I don’t even think I saw one thing that was on the TV, all I could think about was what Lucas was going to say to me the next day. I forced myself to sit there and tried really hard to zone out, and I finally was able to shut down and focus on what was going on in someone else’s life.

  A little bit later I went to my closet and picked out a sexy but casual blue dress and then I got ready for bed. The next morning Gigi was still with Dex so I sent her a text to let her know that I was seeing Lucas. I needed some support! She called me literally two seconds after I sent her the text and she sounded just as excited as I felt.

  “Oh my gosh, Sophie, are you dying right now?”

  “Totally, I’m trying not to freak out. I’m so nervous, Gigi.”

  “Don’t be nervous, everything will be okay, you’ll see. At least he didn’t make you wait the full two weeks to hear from him, so I think that’s a really good sign.”

  “I don’t know Gigi, that could mean that he doesn’t want to wait anymore to be with her. It might not be a good thing.”

  “Don’t even think like that, Sophie. I’m serious. I think this is a good thing and I really wish that I had more to tell you, I wish I had some inside info but I don’t. Dex hasn’t talked with Lucas in almost three weeks.”

  “Oh really? Wow. Well, that’s okay, I will know something one way or another in a couple of hours.”

  “You have to call me after you talk to him because I am dying to know what happens, okay?”

  “Okay, I will.”

  “Everything will be fine. Positive thoughts, positive thoughts.”

 
; “Right, positive thoughts. I’ll talk to you soon.”

  “Okay, good luck!”

  My hand was shaking as I applied my lipstick a couple of hours later and I took a deep breath, counted to 10, grabbed my purse and headed out the door. I was about five minutes early as I stood in the lobby of Water Tower next to the sunglasses store, leaning casually against the wall hoping that I didn’t look like a nervous wreck. Two minutes later I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder and I turned to look into Lucas’s beautiful blue eyes. He smiled at me and I thought I was going to melt into the floor.

  “Hi Sophie, it’s good to see you.”

  I wanted to throw my arms and around him and never let go but I couldn’t tell what kind of vibe I was getting from him.

  My eyes searched his. “It’s good to see you too, Lucas.”

  “Do you want to go walk along the beach?”

  “Sure.”

  We strolled down Michigan Avenue to Oak Street Beach in silence and my stomach was completely twisted in knots. We walked under the under pass onto the beach and Lucas picked a bench and suggested we sit down. My heart was pounding and my throat was completely dry as I sat there looking at the people and bike riders passing by. A gentle breeze washed over me and I wished that it could calm my fears because I was a nervous wreck. After what felt like an eternity Lucas finally opened his mouth to say something to me. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

  Here we go.

  “Congratulations on your bracelet line getting the green light. That’s fantastic.”

  I glanced at him. “Thanks.”

  “So, future TV host, huh?” He gave a half-hearted smile and tried to sound light-hearted but it wasn’t the place or time.

  “Yeah, maybe.”

  Lucas took a deep breath. “I have to apologize to you, Sophie. I have done a lot of thinking over the past week and a half. I had no idea I would feel so confused about us and what I wanted. I think I got caught up in old feelings and my judgment was clouded. Ellie and I were together for almost five years and I guess I thought I wanted that old relationship back when she told me she wanted to get back together. But what I found out is my relationship with you, even though we haven’t been together that long, is so much better than anything that I have ever had with anyone.”