Like My Ex

by Peters, Norah C.

  "Ok darling, hurry, hurry. Good luck. Talk later, bye."

  "Bye," Cristina rushed on with a white carnation in her button hole, scanning the crowded street for a guy with a red one. Nope, don't see him yet. She dashed into the coffee shop and scanned for red carnations. None in sight. Oh God, he's left already. Why couldn't I be on time for once?

  Cristina got in line to order a drink, feeling a little self-conscious, she put the white carnation in her coat pocket, then her phone buzzed again. It was a text from Sally - "not our Sunday coffee shop btw the other one across the street."

  Panic swept Cristina's face as she dashed across the street and into another busy coffee shop, she scanned the room in search of that elusive red carnation. Nope. She was too late. Missed him. What was she going to do now?

  "Hello Cristina, over here", a familiar voice called out. It couldn't be. Could it?

  Cristina looked over and in the far corner of the crowded cafe Greg smiled back at her. He looked splendid in an perfectly pressed grey suit. Her heart missed a beat and she almost tripped before hesitantly making her way over to him.

  Greg moved his briefcase from the seat beside him. "Fancy seeing you here. Good to bump into you, take a seat, let me take your coat, I hung mine up over here." Greg, ever the perfect gentleman hopped up to get Cristina settled in and kissed her on the cheek before asking, "Are you meeting someone?"

  "Oh, thanks. I'm a little flustered I 'm afraid. I've been rushing around like a crazy thing . Late as usual," Cristina smiled. Pleased to have some company, and very pleased to see Greg. "Ah, no I'm not meeting someone, I mean, I was supposed to be but I got here too late."

  "Hey, relax, I'll be right back with a drink. Black coffee with a small dash of milk and one sugar, same as usual." Greg announced, Cristina smiled back at him.

  Over coffee Greg and Cristina caught up. And they talked like they never had back when they were together. Greg talked about his fears and about the void in his life since they parted. He hadn't been dating but he was about to start. He hadn't felt like it. And anyway he had recently got promoted to partner. He was the youngest partner in the law firm and the bump in salary was great but the pressure was unrelenting. He talked about a lack of purpose these days.

  Cristina sat close to Greg to hear him above the noise of the after work chit chat that filled the crowded cafe. She had never seen him open his heart to her like this before. He had matured. Something had definitely changed. She started to feel that old chemistry they always had. She knew what he was going to say before he said it and chose not to finish his sentences like she always did before. She listened, really listened and he talked with his complete attention on her, like she was the only one in the room.

  "So, anyway, enough about me, what's new with you?" Greg asked. "You look beautiful, I see you have a new look, It really suits you."

  "Oh thanks, it's nothing, I just got a few new clothes."

  Greg looked closely at Cristina. "It's not just that, your hair is different, a little longer, and, you have new ear rings. Very elegant. "

  Lisa felt a warm flush and almost blushed but she stopped herself before the glow reached her face. Okay, be professional, be friendly and stay in touch. That's it. That dating site guy is still a possibility but Greg is a ghost from the past. Keep some perspective. But still Cristina couldn't ignore the chemistry. At least they could start being good friends. It'll be weird seeing him with a girlfriend. It's just a matter of time. Need to be ready for that.

  "So, you seeing anyone Cristina?"

  "Not at all. Greg, I know this is going to sound weird but I had a date planned for tonight but it didn't happen. I was late and I missed him. It would have been my first date since us."

  "Oh well, his loss, my gain. It's great to see you again. Well, that's two coincidences today in that case. I had a date for tonight but she never showed up. And you won't believe this, I arranged it on a dating site. Her photo was terrible I couldn't really make out what she would look like in person so we arranged to wear carnations so we could spot each other."

  Cristina's pulse burst into song and she gripped the table. She raised her voice.

  "What? You must be having a laugh? Did Sally set this whole thing up with you? This isn't funny Greg. I mean it. It has taken me ages to get over you and now this. If this is your idea of a joke it's a very sick one indeed. I never expected you to stoop so low. You should be ashamed of yourself." Red in the face, Cristina gulped some coffee and slammed the cup back onto the saucer.

  Greg took a deep breath and sat back. He never minded when Cristina lost her cool but it had been a while. He calmly responded, "What are you talking about? Who is Sally?"

  "Just a friend. Show me your carnation, right now," Cristina shouted. Greg, a little taken aback stood up and reached up for a flower in the lapel of his coat. He handed her the red carnation and this time a wave of red filled her cheeks.

  "And, you don't have a profile photo on the dating site because you only joined a few days ago." Cristina shouted fixing Greg with a determined stare.

  Shocked, Greg paused before replying. "How did you know that?"

  Cristina stood up, reached for her coat, took the white carnation from the pocket and jammed it into Greg's hand. Greg couldn't believe his eyes.

  "So, you're "SundayCoffee?" Greg smiled in disbelief.

  "Yes I am. And you must be NewToThis?" Cristina snarled.

  Cristina grabbed her phone and stood up, "One minute I'll be right back. Don't you go anywhere. I'm not finished with you yet," she barked at the bemused Greg. He sat there patiently waiting for the fire to fade as it always did with Cristina. He straightened his tie and wondered who was about to get a blasting on the other end of her phone. He wanted to smile but decided it wasn't a good idea. Give her a few minutes and he knew everything would be fine again.

  Sally picked up on the first ring. "Hey Cristina, so how did your date go? Is he hot?"

  Cristina shouted down the phone. "He is. And you already knew that. I walk in here and the date is Greg. How could you do this to me Sally? I trusted you."

  "What on Earth are you talking about. If the guy is like Greg don't blame me. I was just trying to help."

  "Come on Sally, you were setting me up with Greg all along. The two of you must have had a right laugh stringing me along like this for weeks. Grooming me to join that site, getting my hopes up, then this. I don't find this in the slightest bit amusing. In fact, I think its down right cruel messing with my head like this."

  "Calm down just one minute Cristina. I have never even met Greg, how do you think I could have conjured up this absurd scenario. Think logically for a minute."

  Through the haze of her anger Cristina saw that she was wrong. Greg had been genuinely surprised to see her, he was a terrible liar, he hadn't expected to see her, his face had given that away. And Sally have never met him. She suddenly realized, she'd got it all wrong. She apologized profusely to Sally and rushed back to Greg for more humble pie.

  Cristina slowly and cautiously took her seat next to Greg. "I'm so sorry Greg. Really I am, I thought meeting you was a set up planned by my friend Sally. I just spoke to her and as she rightly pointed out she doesn't even know you. I feel like such a complete idiot. Please forgive me."

  Greg reached out and put his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry Cristina. That's one of your most endearing qualities. I love your fire, it's exciting. And you never let it ruin the day, if you're wrong you say you're sorry and it's over. I love that about you." Greg smiled and looked across the table at the woman he had loved and lost. The woman he had not stopped thinking about everyday since they had split up. He had missed her so much.

  Cristina felt Greg's reassuring hand on her shoulder and she felt calm again, he always had that effect on her. "Thank you. How come you never said anything before?"

  Greg paused before moving his mouth closer to Cristina's ear and lowering his voice. "There's a lot that went unsaid before. I suppose that happe
ns over time even when you really care about someone, you stop saying the little things, the little things that matter a lot. You wait for the big moments like birthdays, like Christmas and like Valentines Day but it's the little things we do each day that say a lot. You know what I mean. Even going out for a meal can become old after a few years. It's just too easy to opt for the nearest place because it saves time, because it's convenient. But that misses the whole point which is to spend that special time together in a place you enjoy.

  "Lets change that right now. We have a lot of catching up to do. Let me get your coat, we're going out to dinner, right now, to that Thai restaurant you always loved."

  "Really? I have'nt been there since "us". I still remember what I ate there on our first ever date but maybe it's not the food that makes it so special. Maybe it's something else." Cristina joked and beamed at Greg.

  Greg laughed and helped Cristina on with her coat, he held the door open for her and as she walked ahead, gently placed his hand on the small of her back, just like he used to, just like she remembered, just the way she liked him to.

  * * *

  "I love London on a Sunday morning," Greg declared as he walked hand in hand with his sweet heart.

  Cristina squeezed his hand. "Really? So do I. Funny that. So, where are you taking me on this fine morning good Sir?"

  "There's a great coffee shop just down this street. I think you'll like it. I went on a date there once. Did I ever tell you about that?"

  "No, I don't think you did tell me. Tell me right now or I'm taking the next train home," Cristina teased.

  Greg felt her warm hand in his and looked Cristina in the eye before continuing. "I met this girl on a dating site. Funny thing is I could hardly make out her photo but her profile made her sound like just the kind of girl I like so I thought, what the heck, lets give it a try. Then I met her, and I was blown away. She was a stunning English rose. She dressed well, walked like a model and spoke well. She was everything I'd ever wanted in a woman."

  "She sounds amazing. I'll have to meet her someday," Cristina joked. "So, when did you know you were in love?"

  "I knew the moment she turned her head. When I called out her name, the way she turned her head and the way her long blonde hair swept past her collar. That was it. I was hooked."

  "Sounds serious. What are you going to do?" Cristina giggled.

  "I'm going to take her for coffee and tell her how much I missed her. I really have missed you so much Cristina. I never phoned because I didn't think it was fair on you. But I couldn't even imagine being with another woman. It was crazy and I was slowly going out of my mind. I 'd keep meeting women at work functions and often they'd want to arrange a date but I just couldn't. I felt like I'd be cheating on you. It just didn't make any sense. I was like half a person after we went our separate ways."

  Cristina nodded. "We're two of a kind. I was the same. I didn't know what to do without you. If what we had didn't work it seemed pointless to go and meet someone else. It's funny how things work out. We might never have talked again if it hadn't been for my love consultant, as I call her, the one and only Sally."

  "Thank you Sally. We'll have to make her the guest of honor at our wedding," Greg looked at the surprise in Cristina's wide eyes and knelt down on one knee outside the coffee shop. He took a small box from his coat pocket and opened it to show a huge diamond ring.

  With a slight quiver in his voice he asked, "Cristina, make me the happiest man in London by marrying me. Will you marry me?"

  Cristina put her hand to her mouth, took a deep breath and looked down at the engagement ring, looked Greg in the eyes, felt tears in her eyes, and said the words she thought she'd never get to say: "Yes Greg, of course I'll marry you."

  About the Author

  Norah C. Peters has always loved telling stories that make people smile and she especially enjoys writing stories that lift the human spirit and get us in touch again with what really matters in life: love and friendship. When she's not writing she can usually be found losing track of time in the garden with a hot cup of tea close to hand.