“I wanted to. It’s just for one day because I do have to go back to work on Thursday. But I’m determined to show you a good time while I’m here.”
“That sounds like effort,” I whined. “Can’t we just hang out and talk shit about men?”
“We can do that at the nail salon. It’s important that you leave the house and interact with the real world, instead of shutting yourself up. Now, go get dressed.”
“What if I don’t want to?” I asked. I could still hear a whiney quality to my voice, which I knew was probably annoying, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. I wanted to wallow in self-pity for a while, not entertain Abby by leaving the apartment.
“Then my feelings will be incredibly hurt because I bought you new shoes.” She held up the bag.
I eagerly took it. Pulling out the red and white shoebox, I opened it to find a pair of hot pink, three-inch heels. The top had crisscrossing straps and I completely loved them. Cute shoes, especially heels, were something I adored, but I hardly ever bought myself any, not wanting to spend a lot of money on something so nonessential. Luckily, Abby knew me better than anyone, so she always got me a pair for special occasions like my birthday and Christmas. And devastating break-ups, apparently.
“Now, go. Take a shower and pick out a cute dress that makes you feel pretty because we’re going to get our nails done and get dinner. All my treat.”
“I can’t let you do that—”
“Correction, you can’t stop me. I flew all the way here to help my best friend cheer up, and I’m not going to budge an inch on how I get it done. All I want you to do is get ready.”
Deciding it would be rude to keep arguing with her about this, I took my new shoes and went into the bathroom. I’d taken a quick shower yesterday after Bones left, mostly to clean up from the night before, but I didn’t bother with one this morning since I hadn’t planned to go anywhere. Now, I took my time. By the time I’d washed and shaved, then shampooed and conditioned my hair, I was starting to lose the hot water, but I somehow felt a little better. My emotions were raw, but at least I felt good about myself.
It got even better when I got dressed in the bedroom, pulling on a white sundress that fell to mid-thigh and made my legs look a mile long when paired with my new shoes. A bit of confidence trickled into me and I actually smiled at my own reflection. Abby was right, I did need this. She’d gone through a couple of heartbreaks in her time, so I knew I shouldn’t have questioned her. I was new to this, having never felt this way about anyone before. This thought brought my gaze to the bed, where we’d slept together.
Tears suddenly swam in my eyes, and I let out a choked sob. I covered my face with my hands and tried to be quiet.
Abby must have heard anyway because she came into the bedroom and wrapped her arms around me, holding me tight without saying a word.
I didn’t cry for long and I knew it was because she was there. It felt so much better to have someone to be a shoulder to cry on. “Thanks for coming,” I said when the tears ceased to fall. I knew I probably looked like a mess, but I smiled at her anyway.
“You’re welcome. Listen, if you really don’t want to go out—”
“No,” I interrupted. “It’s not that. I actually do want to go. I think it’ll be good for me.”
“Trust me, it will. We’ll talk about what happened while we pamper ourselves, and you’ll feel much better by the end of the day.”
“Like, ready to move on?” I asked, doubtfully.
“No, but I think you’ll feel better about yourself, and that’s even more important.”
That sounded pretty great, actually. I would do this, spend the day taking care of myself with Abby, and tomorrow I would go back to work with my head held high, even if I saw Bones there working security. I was a strong woman and damn it…my heart would heal eventually. Although I couldn’t see myself ever loving a man this much again.