The Unexpected Best Friends

Chapter 9 – Her secret

“Ugh.” Jamie let out a groan while holding her head with one hand, as she leaned on the bar. This is giving her a headache. Her lip twitched. Didn’t she tell Dave what she’d seen them doing the first time they met?

This Ella is asking her not to tell him it was her.

“I might have mentioned to him how I caught my ex and why I’ve broken up with him.” She didn’t mean to sound mean. Ella shrunk lower.

Her heart was trembling and there’s this indescribable ache around her chest. Her past is seriously catching up to her now. Well, maybe this is how karma works.

She was feeling confused and lost. What is she going to do now? It’s not as if Jamie is the only who has dirt on her. She’d say most of the people here at the club knows her. She can’t ask everyone to shut up about her past, can she? The way she currently dresses already incites mockery from some. Since she decided to change, there was that reaction from others who knew her from before. The girls, especially, were meaner. She heard there was even an ongoing bet on her. How long she’s going to keep up this pretense. Except this isn’t a pretense on her part. It’s difficult to convince others of the truth.

Jamie sighed while looking at her. “I’m guessing Dave doesn’t know.”

She looked around the club. “You haven’t been here for a while, have you?”

“Yeah, I don’t like this kind of environment anymore.”

“So, why did you come?”

“Well, it’s Dave. He’d been talking about this place for some time now and… he was keen on bringing me here for me to see.”

“You didn’t tell him you’ve already been here?” Jamie raised an eyebrow. She can tell the other girl is nervous.

“I couldn’t. I told him I don’t like noisy places. I frequent the library these days. That’s where I met him.”

“Yeah.” She replied.

When the bartender served them fizzy drinks, Ella quickly drunk hers.

Jamie’s lip twitched. “Easy there. Weren’t you wild when you’re drunk?”

Ella looked surprised and pushed the glass back. She winced. “I’m just…”

Her eyes darted around the bar again. She can tell some people have already noticed her out-of-place outfit. It’s only because she’s seated next to Jamie that they aren’t approaching her. Some of those mean girls would love to have a laugh at her expense.

“What are you afraid of? You never cared about people’s opinion before, did you?”

“I knew it would eventually come to this. I can’t hide this from him forever. How I wish I could simply erase my past from people’s memory. Dave treats me so well. He’s very kind, considerate and sweet. I want to keep him with me.” Ella paused, swallowing hard. The reality is difficult to accept.

“How long have you been friends?” She turned to the other woman.

“Funny. I came here a few days after I caught him cheating with you. Dave just had a break-up of his own. We were talking about those things and some other topics. It became a regular thing every week, talking to each other.”

Ella fidgeted in her seat. She can tell the woman before her is much better than she does.

“Do you like him?”

Jamie smiled, “Oh, no. As a friend, sure. I’ve never been tempted to kiss him or to get closer. There’s nothing like that between us.”

Ella relaxed a little.

“What’s your plan?” Jamie was curious.

“Nothing. What exactly can I do? If he learns of it, I can only hope that he won’t judge my present with my past.”

When the bartender gave them another set of drinks, Ella merely played with the shot glass, moving it around.

“You’re very different than before.” She may not have interacted with her, but she’d seen her plenty of times from afar.

“People will think I’m just pretending. That I’m acting… It’s kind of difficult to keep going when people keep telling you your past.”

Jamie stared at the woman. Frankly, she doesn’t hate her now. Firstly, it’s not as if she still loves Daniel. Secondly, she’s actually glad she broke up with the bastard.

“I’ll tell you this, then. Do what makes you happy. Fight for what you want. Don’t listen to what others say. Don’t let them drag you down. Keep soaring.” Wow, she didn’t think she has it in her to try cheering someone up. Those are some nice words, she belatedly realized.

Ella felt better at hearing those kind words from her. She smiled while staring at her with gratitude in her eyes. It made Jamie a little uncomfortable so she looked away. She did maintain the smile on her face, though.

Well, no wonder they’re friends. They have the same level of maturity, Ella thought.

Someone served them with snacks and they continued to chat. Jamie finds her admirable. She asked her questions about herself. What made her decide to change from that b***h to this angel? The reference made Ella shy. What angel?

She told Jamie the truth. She’s glad to have someone to talk to about these things. She actually teared up while telling the other woman her inner desires, her regrets, her hopes… her dreams.

Then, the conversation turned to Dave. Ella praised him to the moon and back. She only has good words about him. Jamie had to insert some rationality into her. She decidedly made her talk about his shortcomings.

“Well, I’m glad you have a good relationship with him. But let me remind you, this is your first after your shitty past. I think you’re feeling too much for him because he’s giving you most of your first times. Don’t blindly love someone. I’m not exactly an expert in relationships and I’m not saying he’s not a good guy, but I think you’ve put him on a pedestal. Try to look at him as an equal. Good guys are normal. You’ve surrounded yourself with scumbags before that you think Dave’s too wholesome. There are more good guys out there.”

Ella could somehow understand her message, what she’s getting at, but she also has this feeling that she’s dissuading her relationship with Dave.

“Be honest. You don’t want me for Dave, do you?”

Jamie almost choked on her drink. “What? No. Of course, not. I’m just saying you might be feeling more than normal because it’s your first time. We’re the most excited during our first experiences, aren’t we?”

They stared at each other for a few minutes, not saying anything. Jamie tried recollecting her thoughts. What was her point again?

“Let me ask you this. Aside from Dave, is there someone else, another guy, who is treating you kindly?”

Ella looked down. Well, no one. Since she decided to change herself, she’d been avoiding people. She keeps to herself. She doesn’t go out as much. She stays home when she’s not at school or the library.

“If some other guy treats you kindly, too, would you fall for him?”

Ella sighed. Okay, maybe she’s vulnerable at the moment. She’s looking for validation, isn’t she? She’s looking for acceptance. She’s looking for someone to appreciate her. She’s looking for someone to love her.

Ella smiled. “I don’t think so. Even before, I normally like only one guy at a time. I only move on when it’s over.”

“Okay. At least, that’s clear. Dave is a good guy. I’m not sure how he’s going to react to your past, though. I don’t think he told me who his ex was. I have no idea what his past relationship is like.”

Her shoulder slumped again.

Dave has been keeping an eye on them even when he was busy going around and catering to his customers. Every time he looked, they were engaged in a conversation. It’s a good thing that they seem to get along.

He wanted to show her around, but with her personality, she might not like it. She already looked uncomfortable earlier. He shouldn’t force her.

An hour has passed before he’s able to return to them. Their expressions were serious, though.

“Why do you guys look like that? What’s wrong?” He looked at Ella, then to Jamie. His best friend shrugged her shoulders. Ella replied with a quick nothing.

“Are you done checking in with your customers? What would you do next?”

“Nothing. I’ll just stay here and be available in case a problem occurs.”

“Why don’t you show her your office?” Jamie suggested.

“Do you want to go up?” Dave asked expectantly.

She doesn’t want to remain gloomy and drag his mood down so she agreed to go.

Unfortunately, they met some people along the way. Some of them did a double take at seeing her. She’s sure a few of them recognized her. Dave introduced her to some of them.