by Kimmy Love
She felt numb. She had spent the entire night crying in her bed, thinking about the amazing date that they were supposed to have had. She finally found the courage to stand up, but instantly ran to the bathroom. She could feel some vomit coming up.
She thrust open the bathroom door and unleashed all of the built-up emotions she had from the night before. She instantly felt better. Although all of her insides had managed to make their way from her body to the toilet, she was still feeling pretty awful mentally. She felt guilty for ruining a great night that her mom and sister were supposed to have. They flew all of this way just to watch their girl get her heart broken. She made her way into the kitchen.
Her mom had made a huge spread for breakfast. Tessa didn’t have many groceries in her fridge and cabinet, but it was clear JoAnn didn’t need much to make her feel like she was at home, waking up to a traditional breakfast she was so used to her mother cooking up. “Oh honey!” JoAnn ran towards Tessa and wrapped her arms around her. Jade and Maria walked from the living room and joined in one big group hug.
“Guys, I’m fine.” Tessa pushed them all off. She had broken down last night and unleashed a lot of emotions at once. No way was she going to let her family see any more of her vulnerability. “I don’t want to talk about it. Let’s just eat and have a great day! You’re not here for long.”
Everyone was skeptical. They knew from what they had seen last night that Tessa was seriously hurting. They decided to let her be and do what she wanted. They certainly weren’t interested in pushing her too far. Her mother filled up a big cup of coffee for her. “How do you want your eggs done, honey?”
“Eggs?” Tessa instantly felt sick again and ran back into the bathroom. She hadn’t drunk an exceptional amount last night, and there were days in college when she drank way more but still didn’t throw up. She figured getting older, along with the stress of the night before was causing her to feel the need to keep throwing up.
“I guess she’ll just eat some cereal for breakfast then.” JoAnn set the table and didn’t fill Tessa’s plate with any eggs. Tessa eventually made her way back to the dining room and sat down, beginning to pick at her bowl of cereal.
“How are you feeling with what we talked about last night honey?” JoAnn had eventually told Tessa the truth. She didn’t want to hurt her anymore, but Tessa was suffering with questions and JoAnn felt revealing everything would help her get some closure at least. She showed Tessa all of the articles that she had read on Oscar, leading Tessa to start her own investigation. Tessa was shocked. She couldn’t believe that she was dating such an important man.
“I just don’t understand why he felt he couldn’t tell me any of this.” Tessa wondered why he wouldn’t reveal that he was a well-known billionaire going through a messy divorce. It wouldn’t have been ideal, but she at least wouldn’t have gotten so invested in their relationship. Maybe if he had been honest with her upfront, she wouldn’t have felt so hurt and betrayed and they could have actually pursued a relationship.
After reading Lydia’s texts, her mind wandered to an entirely new place. Was he actually over Lydia? He had obviously loved her enough at one point in his life to call her his wife, so clearly there were some feelings there, right? Was there a chance that they were going to get back together? Was he just using Tessa to make her jealous? These constant thoughts flowing through her brain hurt so much, but she couldn’t find a way to silence them. She just wanted to wake up one more time, realizing that it was all just a dream. She wanted to be in Oscar’s arms, with him telling her that it was just a nightmare and that he was there to hold her close and tight.
“Maybe he was just embarrassed.” Jade was trying to comfort her sister, but as soon as the words left her mouth, she realized it sounded like she was standing up for him. “But also, he like sucks so…”
“Yeah what kind of freak doesn’t tell you he’s married?” Maria had only caught the story when it was in the middle of all the drama, but she still wanted to offer her support and let Tessa know that she was still surrounded by people who cared. Oscar had charmed his way up to their floor, past the locked gate in the front. He told a story about how he lost Tessa’s number and was wandering up and down the street, trying to remember her street number. He had asked several people for help, but Maria was the first one to speak English, and luckily happened to be Tessa’s roommate. It all would have worked out perfectly, if only Lydia hadn’t messed everything up.
They all sat at the table, quietly picking at their food. This was not how Tessa had imagined her night going. She had wanted to spend the evening with Oscar, laughing, playing, teasing and joking with each other. She had felt so beautiful and spent so much time perfecting her look that she also had to mourn the loss of that emotion that night too. She didn’t want to think about any of this anymore. She needed something that would make these thoughts of loss just shut up.
“Okay, I think we’ve spent enough time feeling sorry for me, guys,” Tessa joked. She hated when people felt bad for her. “How about a little retail therapy? I think a new pair of shoes will help!” Tessa stood up, stretched, and ran into her room to find the perfect outfit to wear for a day out in beautiful Greece. She was still hurting pretty bad, but she was not interested in picking her wounds in the apartment all day.
It was time to get out and experience Greece. That’s why her sister and her mother had flown so far to see her. Jade left her baby so far away in the States to spend time with her sister, and Tessa didn’t want to give her any reason to regret this decision. She knew she had to make their time there worthwhile. She didn’t want them to leave and for her to have more regrets and pain to deal with once they were gone.
The rest of the girls looked at each other, finishing up their breakfasts. “I have to head to work, but you guys should stop into the gallery to see me! Take care of our girl today, okay?” Maria got up from the table, rinsed her plate, grabbed her keys, and headed out the door.
“I guess we should start getting ready too then, huh?” JoAnn looked at Jade. Neither of them had showered that morning because they figured they’d be spending the day in their pajamas comforting Tessa. They should have known better than to think that Tessa would have allowed that to happen, however.
Maria popped back in several minutes later, carrying a massive bouquet of flowers. She had already spent the night before shredding the ones that Oscar had brought on the date. “You guys want to do something with these?” She handed off the bouquet to Jade and left for real this time. Just as Maria shut the door, Tessa ran back out.
“Jade, will you do my hair again—” Tessa had spotted the bouquet.
“Can you believe it? Dominic managed to find your apartment and send me roses. That boy will do anything to get me back.” Jade laughed. She wasn’t very good at acting. Tessa walked over to her, grabbed the bouquet, and walked to the sink. She shoved them into the garbage disposal and turned the switch, causing a horrible noise. She walked back into her room, slamming the door. There were about a dozen spiky rose stems sticking out from the sink.
“I’ll take care of that. You go shower,” JoAnn responded.
They both collected themselves, cleaned up the breakfast, and then showered and dressed. They had spent weeks looking forward to this trip and saving money to come spend time with their girl, and they weren’t going to let some billionaire get in the way of that either.
*****
Tessa looked around her. She was surrounded by beautiful trees illuminated by the warm sun. They were in the park, the same one that she had met Oscar in on their second encounter. She was avoiding the fountain where she had been waiting for him, but they ended up walking right towards it. She didn’t completely know her way around the park just yet. She looked at the flowing water hitting the gorgeous pond below it.
All of the excitement and emotions that she felt when waiting there for him the second night floated back to her. She thought about how good he looked when he walked towards her, ex
cited about their date together. Memories of them dancing and laughing at Duka’s came back too, causing a pain in her stomach and her chest. She didn’t know him that well, and she certainly realized that when she found out he was married. Every thought of him still sent what felt like knives in her brain, however.
She didn’t know how much money he had or what his relationship past was like, but she still felt like she had really known him. She felt like she had seen a different side to him, one that most of the people that knew him probably didn’t know. The Oscar she knew wasn’t someone who kept being married a secret because he was deceptive and evil.
She started to think about how he wasn’t trying to be malicious, and probably just caught up in the moment, exactly how she had been. She pulled out her phone to see if he had tried to contact her at all. She wasn’t sure exactly what text she was hoping to see, but she knew that she just wanted to know he was still there.
Then she remembered his wife. Tessa had dated in the past, so she wasn’t jealous that he had either. She felt marriage was more sacred, however. She hadn’t been married to anyone and wasn’t sure how she felt about being with someone who had. What about this woman made him think that she was the only one he wanted to spend his life with? Earlier that day, while she was waiting for her mom and sister to get ready, she made the mistake of looking up his name online.
He had been in the headlines just that day for meeting up with his wife in Greece. Paparazzi photos showed them both entering the same place, at different times, and leaving moments later. Some of the articles said “sources close to the couple” revealed they might be getting back together. Tessa wasn’t one to believe celebrity gossip, but she couldn’t help but feel a little hurt at the idea that it might be true. She had also seen another article that showed pictures of her entering his apartment. Was he late because he was hooking up with her again moments before their date? She knew there was probably an explanation, but her anxiety was getting the best of her like usual.
“Hey girl, what’re you thinking about?” Jade wasn’t going to let her sister get lost in her thoughts and was going to do whatever she could to make sure they had a nice stress-free day empty of Oscar.
“Nothing. Let’s get out of here. You guys want to see where I work?” Tessa needed to get away from this fountain immediately. She wasn’t sure that there was anywhere that she could go that would make her stop thinking about Oscar, however.
“Real quick, let me get a picture of my girls in the park,” JoAnn commanded.
“Mom, no!” Jade responded. She was always making them pose together in the park.
“Can we just do this somewhere else please?” Tessa asked. She didn’t want to remember this day or this park. She just wanted to leave.
“Oh girls, just get together! It’s so pretty here! Come on, make your mama happy!” JoAnn pressured them. They both got together in front of the fountain, reluctant to pose. JoAnn pulled out her phone to snap a picture when a couple of attractive young men walked up.
“Please, allow us to take the picture,” one of them said. He had a thick Greek accent, making him even cuter.
“Oh no, that’s okay, thanks anyway!” JoAnn replied.
“Please, we insist! You get in the picture too!” the other handsome man told JoAnn. She handed over her phone.
“Mom, no!” Tessa yelled. She had read too many horror stories of tourists getting their phones and cameras stolen by people looking for someone to slip up. She realized that they were just two nice guys, however. JoAnn walked over, and they snapped a couple pictures.
“Now you repay us by going to dinner tonight?” the cuter one asked Tessa.
“Yes, please, beautiful ladies, let us buy you some drinks at least?” The other one grabbed Jade’s hand and started teasing and flirting.
“Very sweet boys, but we can’t, we’re taken,” Tessa responded.
“Speak for yourself, sis. I’d love to. Here’s my number.” Jade pulled out one of her cards. “It’s for my business, but, I use my cell phone for fun too.” Her card was adorned with stylist motifs, like scissors and hair dryers.
“You sure you don’t want to give me your number?” Tessa felt uncomfortable getting hit on in front of her mother, but JoAnn was laughing up a storm at these charming men.
“No, really, I’m okay. Thank you, though!” The men blew kisses at the girls and walked away.
“Why would you give those random dudes your number? They’re probably like traffickers or something, sis!” Tessa yelled.
“Sis, chill out. When in Athens, right?” She looked at JoAnn and they both laughed.
Jade gave her number out all the time, but she never followed through with the men. She was a gorgeous girl and looked similar to Tessa. She had a sort of assertiveness that attracted a lot of men. She knew exactly what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to say so. She was approached more often than Tessa, not because she was more attractive, but because she had a more approachable look to her. Though she could be mean, she just as well knew how to turn on some serious charm.
Still, every time a boy would text her, she would never respond. She loved the idea of dating other guys and certainly loved flirting. However, her heart belonged to Dominic. He was her first love, and she was pretty sure that was going to be the greatest love of her life. Though she wanted to move on, she wasn’t really sure she could.
Her daughter giving out her number to strangers in public was something that would normally be terrifying JoAnn, but she knew Jade would never take the relationship with these strangers anywhere, so she played along.
She was actually a little disappointed that Tessa hadn’t taken their numbers. She worried that Tessa would take a long time to mourn this relationship, though she knew it was best for her to move on. She didn’t want to see her daughter waste her 20s away with a man who would only let her down.
They walked from the park to the gallery, as the two were just a bit further than walking distance apart. She didn’t mind going the extra way in order to keep distracted by the different sights around her. Once they made their way into the gallery, she was relieved to see Maria’s smiling face.
“Hey guys! You got here just in time! We just hung a new piece on the back wall I think you’ll love!” Maria showed them where the piece was displayed. Of course, it was a Cronus, the same artist who created the beautiful piece that Tessa and Oscar had bonded over the first night.
“Eh, I’ve seen better.” Tessa was lying, but she didn’t want to have to think about Oscar’s blue eyes anymore. She turned around and started to walk away, only to see that same piercing stare make its way into the gallery. Oscar was there, probably looking for Tessa. Before he could see her, however, she screamed and ran to the back. He looked good. Really good. But Tessa wasn’t ready to see him again just yet.
Maria, Jade, and JoAnn all saw him and immediately acted. JoAnn hurried over to comfort Tessa and Jade and Maria walked up to Oscar, ready to fight. Jade wouldn’t hold back if she didn’t have to.
“Can I help you, sir?” Maria said in the rudest way possible.
“Hey, Maria, right? Um, I know I shouldn’t bug her at work but is Tessa around?” Oscar asked sweetly.
“She doesn’t work Saturdays.” Maria was being as rude as possible but didn’t want to say anything too incriminating, as she was still on the clock.
“And she doesn’t want to talk to you anyway. Why don’t you just go,” Jade added.
“I’m sorry, I just really need to explain what’s going on. I’m assuming you’re Jade?” Oscar could tell by their deep brown eyes and bouncy hair that they were related. Tessa had told him all about her family on their date.
“I’m your worst nightmare, dude, so why don’t you just get up on out of here and go back to whatever million-dollar loser’s club you crawled out of.” Jade wasn’t really sure how to insult a billionaire, but she was doing her best.
“OK, I get it. Look, just, tell her to call me, please? For some rea
son, her number’s gone from my phone and I have no way to contact her.” Oscar was smart, but not enough to realize that Lydia probably had something to do with this.
“We’ll do our best to get the message to her,” Maria said sarcastically. She and Jade stood firm, their arms crossed as Oscar left the gallery like a dog with his tail between his legs.
“Is he gone?” Tessa walked out of the back with her mom. “God, he looked so cute! Why me?” Tessa had seen the entire thing through a crack in the door.
“Forget about him! He’s a loser! Come on, it’s my lunch hour, let’s grab something to eat,” Maria said. The girls all left the gallery together.
They ordered lunch from Mama Roux, one of the most popular spots in Athens. The walls were filled with gorgeous murals. Tessa knew that Oscar would love a place like this, decorated so beautifully. Her heart was still hurting like it had been the entire day. Tessa still wasn’t feeling well so she just ordered soup. The waitress brought a plate of pita chips and hummus to the table to share, and Tessa realized she was actually pretty hungry. She shoveled a few chips into her mouth at once, not caring who saw her.
“Hungry?” her sister said sarcastically.
“Just a little bit,” Tessa replied, shoveling more chips in her mouth at once. Her mother had ordered a burrito and the waitress just now brought out all of their entrees. She took a big bite, making a moaning noise as she chewed her food.
“This is so good! Tessa if you’re hungry, try this.” JoAnn reached the burrito towards Tessa. There were beans and chicken spilling out from it, something that Tessa would normally smash into in a second. For some reason, this particular burrito made her want to die. She looked down at all of the food and realized she wanted no part of it.