Your Ex My Man

by Sharissa Coles

  Sometimes he ran cold while I ran hot, and vice versa, and for whatever reason, neither one of us trusted each other. I think we were both insecure, but it was nothing that we couldn’t have fixed had we ever tried.

  Instead, I broke up with him on a whim, thinking he’d fight to get me back. He didn’t. He didn’t even send a single flower or text or anything. At my lowest point after our breakup, I’d gone out to the bars by myself.

  That was the night I met Antoine. He seemed easy and obtainable. He was low-hanging fruit. Most of the guys I tended to go for were afraid to even approach me, so I always had to approach them. Antoine was definitely approachable.

  Once I got to know Antoine, I couldn’t believe how sweet he was. He was different from anyone else I’d ever dated. I knew he was special and that I’d be stupid to let him go. He waited on me hand and foot. He was drama-free and straightforward. I never had to read between the lines with him, and being together felt good.

  Then Kevin moved into my building. Seeing Kevinhim while I was with Antoine gave me a rush. I loved shoving my happy little relationship in his face and showing him what he was missing out on. It gave me great pleasure and satisfaction to watch him eat his heart out, but I guess I got a little carried away.

  Before I knew it, Antoine had proposed to me, and I couldn’t say no. My family was crazy about him. He fit in so well. He was so kind, and I knew he’d make an amazing husband.

  I could hear the pastor speaking, but it all sounded like Greek to me. I couldn’t focus on his words. I couldn’t focus on the beautiful ceremony taking place. All I could do was close my eyes and pretend I was marrying Kevin.

  I knew then and there that I wanted a relationship with fire and spark and passion, even if it wasn’t always perfect.

  I forced myself to look up at Antoine and flash him a smile. I didn’t want to hurt him. I loved him, but I wasn’t in love with him. I had no business marrying him. He deserved a nice, boring girl. Not someone like me who thrived on attention. The past year had been great, but it had also bored me to death. I couldn’t imagine a lifetime of that.

  As the pastor asked our guests if anyone objected to our marriage, I squeezed my eyes tight and hoped and prayed for a miracle. I knew it wouldn’t happen. Those sorts of things never happened, and especially not when you wanted them to.

  I heard gasps from the pews and the creaking and shifting of people moving around in their seats. I turned my head and looked out, only to see Kevin standing in the sixth row.

  “Who invited him here?” I yelled,

  My words sounded angry, but on the inside I was relieved. It was nothing short of the miracle I’d just prayed for.

  “What’s going on?” Antoine asked me. I couldn’t answer him. Not there. Not then.

  Next to Kevin was Rashida, the girl who worked for my mom. She had a lot of nerve bringing him there, especially when I’d recently told her about how we’d once dated.

  “Get him out of here!” I heard my father snarl. Within seconds, two security guards headed towards him to escort him out of the church.

  Kevin and I locked eyes, and it was like we both knew.

  My hand loosened from Antoine’s and I ran after him. I didn’t even think about it. I just did it. I probably looked silly, running down the aisle in a poufy white dress after the man who had just objected to my wedding. I was going to have a lot of explaining to do, but I didn’t care.

  “Kevin!” I yelled after him as I saw him slip around the corner.

  He spun around, and his expression softened when he saw me.

  “Ayla,” he said as he walked towards me. He slipped his hands around my waist.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked him.

  “I came with a date,” he said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t expect to stand up at your wedding. Something just came over me.”

  I was secretly glad he did what he did, but I didn’t want him to know that. Not yet anyway.

  “Why did you do that?” I asked him.

  “Because I still love you,” he replied.

  He leaned over and softly kissed my lips, and it only confirmed what I’d been feeling. I still loved him too. I wanted to be with him and only him.

  “I missed you so much, Ayla,” Kevin continued. “This last year has been the worst year of my life.”

  “Yeah, but you moved on,” I replied. “You’re dating that girl from my mom’s work.”

  “She’s not you,” he said. “No one could ever be you.”

  He leaned in and kissed me again. His hands traveled down my hips and pulled me closer.

  “Do you still love me?” Kevin asked. “Be honest.”

  I paused for a second before responding with a simple, “Yes.”

  “It killed me seeing you with him,” Kevin said. “Watching you day in and day out. Watching someone else steal my happiness. Our happiness.”

  “I couldn’t trust you, Kevin,” I said. “You couldn’t trust me. That’s why I ended things.”

  “I’m a changed man,” Kevin replied. “On my father’s grave.”

  “I want to believe you,” I replied.

  I leaned into him and rested my head on his shoulder as he rubbed my back and held me tight. I’d missed this so much.

  “Believe me,” he said as he pushed me away and cupped my face in his strong hands. “I want you back, Ayla. I will do anything. I love you. I can’t imagine spending my life with anyone else but you.”

  “Why did you have to wait until now?” I whined. “Why are you doing this today of all days?”

  “I had to stop you from making the biggest mistake of your life,” he said. “I knew you didn’t belong with him. He’s not good enough for you, Ayla. No one is. But I’m going to try to be if you let me. I promise you that.”

  “Oh, there you are, Ayla.” It was Rashida. “I’ve been looking for you.”

  Kevin and I stepped back away from each other. Our magical little moment had just been so rudely interrupted.

  “So, um,” she said. “People are wondering what the heck is going on.”

  Kevin and I exchanged looks.

  “So what are you going to do?” she asked.

  “I can’t marry Antoine,” I said as I turned towards Kevin. I knew he’d been dying to hear those four little words.

  Kevin leaned in and kissed my mouth hard and with passion.

  “I’m tired of the games,” I said to him. “I just want to be with you.”

  “Really Kevin?” Rashida interrupted our moment once again. “After everything we’ve been through? The talks we’ve had?”

  I didn’t know why Rashida was fighting for him. He clearly didn’t want to be with her. It was a lost cause, and now she was just making a fool out of herself.

  “I was an idiot to believe a single word you ever said to me,” Rashida added. “Good luck with that, Ayla.”

  She pointed to Kevin like he was some sort of repulsive toad and spun around on her heel only to bump into Antoine who was standing there with a dumbfounded look on his face.

  “W-what’s…” Antoine stammered. “What’s going on here?”

  “Yeah, you two definitely owe him an explanation,” Rashida said with her hand on her hip. I wished she would just butt out. She was really starting to annoy me.

  Kevin stared down at the ground awkwardly as I fidgeted nervously.

  “I don’t know how to say this, Antoine,” I began as I looked up at him. “But I can’t marry you.”

  Antoine looked devastated, but I knew this was just the way it had to be. There was no easy way to go about this and there was nothing more that needed to be said. Nothing he could say or do would talk me out of my decision to be with Kevin.

  “Ayla,” Antoine objected. He was going to fight for me, I knew it. “Can we speak privately?”

  He shot me a look before nodding to Kevin and myself in an attempt to ask us to leave.

  “No, Antoine,” I said. “I’m sorry. There’s nothing more to talk
about. Let’s not make this harder than it is.”

  “So that’s all I get?” Antoine said with a huff. It was rare to see him get angry, but I could tell he was reaching his boiling point. “A year together. A whirlwind romance. And this is what I get? No explanation and you won’t even talk to me?”

  “Just go, man,” Kevin said to Antoine as he slipped his arm around my waist. “Let’s not make this harder than it is.”

  I saw tears well up in Antoine’s eyes and watched as Rashida reached over to take his hand. He promptly yanked it away and walked off. The sight of Antoine stomping away in his black and white tuxedo, throwing his blue floral boutonniere on the ground, was nothing short of heartbreaking.

  I felt bad for him, but I knew his happiness wasn’t going to come from a marriage to me. Somewhere out there was someone else better suited for him. I was doing the right thing for the both of us. I was sure of it.[r12]

  I turned towards Kevin and stepped into his embrace once again. I could stay wrapped up in his arms forever.

  “Take me out of here,” I said to him.

  He slipped my hand into his and pulled me towards the nearest exit where we ran off towards his car.

  Driving away from the church, from the awful scene that had just taken place, was like a breath of fresh air bringing new life into me. It was a new beginning with an old love, and I was sure I’d done the right thing. The life I’d nearly resigned myself to would have been filled with boredom and malcontent. That life would’ve turned into one of resentment and self-loathing.

  Sitting next to me was my future. Things with Kevin were never going to be perfect, that I knew, but they would always be fun and exciting. Kevin injected the passion in my life that I had missed so much.

  I reached over and squeezed his hand.

  “Where to?” he asked.

  “Out of Harrisville,” I said.

  “You got it,” he replied as he merged onto the interstate.

  Flying down the road at 70 miles per hour with the windows down, my tightly pinned curls loosened and my hair was flying everywhere, but I finally felt free. [r13]

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  LETTER / THANK YOU FROM THE AUTHOR

  SAMPLE OF __________

  * * *

  [r1]If you’d prefer to word this yourself, please feel free! This is just a suggestion of how to make the sentence(s) flow a little better.

  [r2]It seems like she’s avoiding sitting at her desk rather than prolonging it.

  [r3]“Gussied up” is used to describe primping oneself and dressing up to look nicer than usual.

  [r4]Trying to keep the tense consistent.

  [r5]Huh? I thought it had been almost a week since they talked? Why are those two days singled out?

  [r6]I agree… I’ve never understood the draw.

  [r7]Sounds amazing!

  [r8]This is where the story is starting to get good. So far, you’ve been pretty devoid of conflict, just a lot of talking and the main character and her love interest being away from each other. I actually wish this moment came sooner, because up until this point, it’s all moving rather slowly.

  [r9]I’m a little confused. She’s not pretending that she saw him. She *did* see him. And I’m not sure I follow her logic on this anyway. The next part makes sense, but this is a little confusing.

  [r10]Isn’t it more likely that the balls of her feet would be hurting? That’s where my pain always came from, anyway.

  [r11]You don’t use this to differentiate between section breaks anywhere else, but you really should. It’s a good way to let the reader know we’re switching scenes.

  [r12]I feel like this entire recap isn’t necessary. Her POV isn’t any different from Rashida’s, really. It’s rehashing what we already know and doesn’t add anything to the narrative. The next part is far more interesting.

  [r13]Since this part is so short, I actually retract my previous comment… I feel like it isn’t necessary to have this entire chapter. We don’t get Ayla’s POV at any other time, so why now? What does it really add? I feel zero sympathy for her and Kevin and doubt your readers will, either. I think ending on the note with Antoine and Rashida is much better.