Metamorphosis

Chapter 8: I Love Coffee

I didn't do much, just a little makeup here and there and a dress I had stored way back in my closet, one of those things you buy but never think you're going to wear.

"Dove? Are you ready?" Brad asks as he tries- to open the bathroom door. I locked it out of habit. "Why is the door locked?"

I rushed to open the door, "Sorry, I'm ready now."

The drive there was silent but not in the wrong way; we weren't fighting, which was a good sign. As we drove up to the Neon pink sign, I knew exactly where we were.

"Oh my god, Pastels?!" I shouted with excitement.

Brad opened my door and gave me his hand. I remembered the first time we came here. It was our first date, and I had fallen head over hills for Brad. Maybe he was trying to get that spark back between us.

As we walked, my mouth started to water, the abundance of decadent smells wafted through the air. My stomach growled. The waiter gave us a somewhat secluded table.

"Anything I can get you to drink?"

Brad gestured for me to go first, "Do you have any dessert wines?"

"Of course, what would you like?"

"Surprise me," I said, feeling risky. As the waiter walked away, Brad placed his hand over mine.

"Happy?" He asked; I nodded, Brad's phone started to vibrate.

He ignored it, "Nope, tonight is our night. No one else," I smiled. For the longest time, I had not felt like I had Brad's full attention, but now he was all eyes on me.

I blushed, welcoming the attention. As the night went on, we drank and dwelled in our memories and laughed. The feelings I had for him way earlier in the relationship were starting to stir up again.

His phone buzzed once more; this time, he looked at it but did not reply. I excused myself to the restroom. I felt giddy for the first time in a long time. As I sat in the bathroom stall, I could hear a barrage of heels click on the bathroom tile. A flutter of giggles filled the restroom. I could see the two women through the small gape in the stalls.

"SO, aren't you going to tell me the juicy details?" A woman with a tight blonde ponytail asked who I assumed was her brunette friend.

"Emma, please, I don't kiss and tell..." the brunette said as she fixed her cherry red lipstick in the mirror.

"Lacy, I swear if you don't tell me, I'm going through your phone right now!" Emma snatched Lacy's purse.

"Hey! Alright! I'll tell you!" Lacy shouts as she grabs her purse back. "Here, I'll show you a picture. This was us at my pool last weekend."

"Oh my god, are you-

"Skinny dipping? Yes, and boy, let me tell you, he has some juicy abs," Lacy fawns.

I rolled my eyes at the lady's gossip, 'can a girl get some peace in the restroom? Geez,' I thought to myself.

"I texted him tonight to see if he wanted to get together, but he hasn't responded yet-Oh wait! he says he will meet me later after his meeting," Lacy squeals.

"So what's this guy's name, huh?"

"Brad, it's a boring name, but he is amazing in the sack. What can I say?" Lacy giggles with her friend, but my heart stops at the sound of the man's name.

I slowly get up and exit the stall to wash my hands; it felt like a ton of bricks had hit me in the chest, and I couldn't breathe.

"Hey, are you alright?" Lacy asks; I stare at her. Did she even know about me? Did Brad even tell her he was in a relationship? I nodded my head slowly, and as soon as they walked out, I fell to the floor. All of this was fake... Nothing more than a facade. My tears overwhelmed my eyes to the point where my vision was a blur. I was thankful no one came in because I felt like a wreck. I had given so much to someone who has repeatedly f****d me over. My tears and sadness slowly turned into rage.

My blood boiled over; I was done with his f****d up intentions, and I planned to make a damn scene. I made myself look presentable and walked out of the restroom. I slowly walked over to our table and acted as if I was happy.

"Everything okay?" Brad asked; I forced a smile.

"Everything is fantastic..." I forced the words out of my mouth, and my fists balled under the table. A waiter passed by me, "Oh! Excuse me? Can I get a cup of coffee, please? Thank you."

"Coffee? It's late at night Dove, do you really need that?"

I felt a twitch under my eye, " Oh yeah, we have a long night ahead of us..." I said in a sultry voice. The waiter came back around with a piping hot pot of Coffee, "Oh, perfect!" I exclaimed as he poured my cup.

"I've never seen you this excited about a drink before," Brad said as he watched me drink it; I gulped it down, not caring that it burned my tongue. "Whoa, okay..."

The waiter's eyes widened, then filled my cup again, "Thanks, you can leave the pot," I said as I gave the waiter a tip. Brad's phone vibrated again; he tried to be slick and glance at it under the table.

"Whose, that babe?" I asked all innocently. Brad laid the phone on the table.

"No, one just my boss," he said.

"Oh, really?" I asked and grabbed his phone and dunked it in the pot.

"What the-"

"Oh, I thought you said it wasn't important, my bad."

Brad's brows furrowed, "What the hell is wrong with you!?"

"Nothing, I'm lovely, but I did have a question. Who's Lacy?" I asked, and Brad's face turned pale; he swallowed hard and sat back down and acted like he didn't know what I was talking about.

"I don't know anyone named Lacy-"

I slammed my hands on the table, "Oh really?! Lacy! Oh, Lacy, come over here!" It's Brad!"

I shouted out to Lacy's table, and once Lacy saw Brad, her face paled as well. "Look, you too must know each other!"

"It's not what you think..." Brad tried to say.

"Oh really? Because what I was thinking is that you're Nothing but a manwhore with an emotional maturity for Dummies. Also, Brad, I think you've misjudged the amount of crazy I have picked up from my mother!" I screamed and splashed the Coffee into his face. I grabbed my purse as Brad wailed in the background.

"Check, please!" As the waiter met me by the entrance, I paid for the breakup coffee and marched out of the restaurant. As the chill wind embraced me, I looked back, and I started to chuckle, hardly believing I actually did that.

I called Annie as I walked down the street, hoping she was awake.

A sleepy Annie answers my call, "Yes?"

"Hey, can you come to get me, please?"

"What? Wait, where are you?"

"Broke up with Brad, threw pipping Hot Coffee in his face because he screwed a b***h named Lacy, and I'm freezing my nips off."

A couple of moments of silence went by on Annie's end, "I f*****g love you; I'll be right there."

I kept walking, and the further I got, the more weight lifted off my chest. I felt like I could breathe again, no more walking on eggshells...

"I should send Coffee a Thank You letter," I said to myself as I walked down the road, freezing but feeling more alive than I had ever felt before.

"f**k men."