"I've been trying your phone all afternoon. I thought you might be with Roman. Tell me why when I talked to him, he told me he hadn't talked to you since last night when you broke up with him?" I stood and walked past her.
"I mean, that's the whole story right there; what did you think I was going to tell you that was different from that. You wanted to know whether it was true?"
"You can't be serious, Vee. What the hell is going on? Why would you do something like that?"
I walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge – just a ploy to get away from Tiff, not because I was hungry, even though I hadn't eaten since I had gotten home. I pulled out some water and screwed the cap off.
"Because I didn't want to be with him anymore. That's why relationships usually end."
"Did you get into a fight or something?" she asked. I sipped the water, biding time so I didn't have to answer her immediately.
"I just realized things weren't going right," I tried to say casually.
"Veronica." I didn't like her tone. She sounded like a disapproving parent.
"What? What did you want me to do if it didn't feel right anymore?"
"What was it, two days ago when you couldn't stop talking about how happy you were with him?"
"I spoke too soon," I said.
"What happened?"
"Last year happened, Tiff."
"I thought you guys talked it out."
"That doesn't change that it happened and it doesn't change that he had the nerve to think it wouldn't be a problem after all this time. I wanted my life back. I kept going when he left me, and he didn't give a shit that maybe I was happier that way."
"You weren't. I was there, Vee. Both of you were still so hung up over each other. You asked me whether he was seeing someone else."
"It doesn't matter now. I'm done living in the past." I didn't believe myself, but I was hoping that she would. That or she'd just fold and let it go. If I told her what it was, she'd just go tell her brother.
"Was it what I told you?" she asked. I tried to keep my face neutral.
"No. Nothing like that. It was just me and what I had to do."
"You really have to do this again to figure out that you're meant for each other?"
"That's the thing. We aren't. When he dumped me last year, it was because he didn't want to be honest with me. Didn't trust me with the news that he had to leave. I had no idea that was how he felt. We weren't on the same page, and that is why it doesn't matter if we got together now. It wouldn't work. He doesn't feel the same way I do."
It was only half a lie. There was some truth there, but I had forgiven Roman for what he had done. I didn't want to dwell on that when I loved him so much and saw how earnestly he wanted to correct the situation.
"I can't believe this is happening again."
"This will be the last time," I said.
"Are you okay?"
"I will be."
"I'm sorry this is happening. It must be hard, even though this is the second time."
"I'll be okay. I was last time," I said, shrugging. She came over and hugged me.
"How do drinks sound?"
"Are you buying?"