This Is Becoming a Catastrophe

I had a good feeling about tonight. The mood was right, homemade spaghetti, her favorite, to be enjoyed in subtle candlelight. After the desert, a chocolatey cheesecake, not homemade, I will ask her to be mine. The ring box felt like a bolder in my pocket as my hands started shaking. She was going to be here in 5 minutes, and all I could think of was how I could mess this whole thing up or word something really stupidly. She doesn’t even know about tonight, I just told her to come over.
4 minutes.
My heartbeat picked up pace. My phone vibrated in my pocket, scaring me. I looked at it, and it was a text from Kyle, my best friend.
Hey, good luck 2nite, not like ull need it or nething!
I laughed and shook my head. I hated the way he texted. I shoved my phone in my pocket, not bothering to respond.
The knock at the door scared me, too. I guess I was very on my toes tonight.
I ran to the door and saw Alisha standing there, smiling. “Hey.” But something seemed wrong about her tonight; I couldn’t put a finger on it.
I hugged her and kissed her regardless. I was probably just paranoid. “Hey. I have a surprise for you.”
“Oh, I like surprises.” She said.
I smiled. “Alright, close your eyes, and I’ll lead you.” I said letting go of her, going behind her, holding her arms.
“Alright, I don’t know if I trust you or not, Caleb.” She said, laughing a little.
“You can trust me.” I said in her ear.
We continued to the kitchen and I sat her down in her chair. I sat in the chair right next to her.
“Alright, open your eyes.” I said, anxious for her reaction.
She did so and gasped, a smile spreading across her whole face. “Oh wow, Caleb, this is amazing!”
I gave her a crooked smile. “I thought you’d like it. I made you your favorite food, and got your favorite desert.” I uncovered the spaghetti and she gasped again.
“That smells delicious.” She said. “It’s homemade, right? Your homemade stuff? Using your mom’s recipe?”
“Yes, yes, yes. Now eat, before it gets cold!” I said, scooping her a heaping helping of it onto her plate.
We ate without speaking, savoring the awesomeness that is my mom’s spaghetti. The only person that can make it better than me is my mom, since it’s her spaghetti.
“Oh my gosh, I don’t think I can eat anymore, Caleb. I should’ve saved room for desert.” Alisha said, leaning back in the chair, looking like she was about to explode.
“Well you have to make room, ‘cause I bought your cheesecake.” I said, carrying it over to the table after clearing off all the spaghetti stuff.
“The super duper chocolatey one!?” She asked, excited.
“That’s the one.” I said, grabbing a knife and cutting her a piece.
“Why are you doing all this, Caleb?” She asked.
My mind came to a slight halt in thought when she asked me that question. It got started a couple seconds later and I stuffed a piece of cheesecake in my mouth, preventing me from answering her question.
She suddenly got a sad look on her face. I swallow and grab her hand. “What’s the matter, baby?”
She took her hand out of mine, and looked at the floor. “Caleb, I’m breaking up with you.”
My jaw dropped. “B-but Alisha...why? Everything was going so amazing, just...why?”
“It’s not that I don’t love you, but I don’t think I love you the way you love me. I love you as a person, and I don’t want you putting forth all this effort and spending your time on me when I’m not doing the same. I don’t wanna hurt you.” She said, still not making eye contact.
The bolder in my pocket felt ten times heavier. I was speechless. I didn’t even know what to say.
“I’m really sorry, Caleb. I have to go. Maybe we can still be friends.” She got up and left, closing the door softly behind her, leaving me there, tears stinging my eyes. How could she do that to me? After everything we had, the 4 years we spent together, and she’s just telling me that she doesn’t love me now? She was playing me the whole time?
Anger joined my sadness and I threw my plate and fork against the wall, the shattered glass flying everywhere, chocolate cheesecake smearing on the wall. I stormed out of my seat and grabbed my car keys, slamming the door and driving to the bar Alisha and I always hung out at. I pulled into my usual parking spot and went in, sitting at one of the bar stools, on the verge of sobbing. The place was basically empty aside from a few people who never leave.
“Hey Turman, why so down?” Buck, the nightly bartender, asked, sliding me a beer.
“I just got dumped by the most amazing girl ever.” I said quietly, grabbing the bottle, drawing circles around the rim.
“Aw, sorry to her that man. How about beers on the house tonight?” He asked, trying to cheer me up.
I shook my head. “I’m not in the mood to drink right now.” I just need someone that I can spill my guts to. Tell them everything. Someone I didn’t know, who didn’t know anything about my relationship with Alisha. So that took out Kyle and Austin.
“Alright, let me know if you change your mind at all. The offer stands til closing tonight.”
“Thanks, Buck.” I said, taking small sips from the bottle in front of me, the alcohol warming my insides.
“Hey, did you say you needed someone to talk to?” I heard a guy’s voice say behind me.
I turn around and see a thin, slightly muscly average height guy with straight brown hair with bits of blonde in it and gray-blue eyes, holding a martini. I’m not into guys or anything, but he was hot.
“I didn’t say that, but are you willing to hear it all?” I asked, my bottle of beer almost completely gone now.
“I’m all ears.” He said, sitting in the bar stool next to me.
“Could I get another beer, Buck?” I yelled to him.
“So you’re taking me up on my offer after all?” He asked, smirking, grabbing a new bottle, replacing my empty one with the full one.
“Haha, yeah, thanks, man.” I took a drink out of it. “Alright, here it goes...”
I was nervous at first, telling my personal life to a complete stranger, but as I finished the second bottle and started feeling a slight buzz, the words came out easier, but I couldn’t tell if it was because of the buzz or because this guy was really easy to talk to.
I started basically sobbing when I got to the details about tonight and what all happened, how it was going so well and then it just crashed and burned. The guy had a compassionate look on his face, like he actually cared. The idea of a complete stranger caring so much about another stranger’s problems almost made me laugh.
“Aww, I’m so sorry. I can tell that she meant a lot to you.” He said, resting his hand on my leg.
I laughed half heartedly, wiping my eyes. “But I obviously didn’t mean enough to her for her to stay with me. Why do all my relationships end up like this. Always. I’m always the one to get dumped because they never are in love with me, even though it sure as hell seems like it. It’s just so frustrating.” I buried my face in my hands, feeling more tears coming.
Before I could start another sob fest, I laughed a little and looked up at him. “I’m sorry, I didn’t even ask for your name, or tell you mine for that matter. It’s Caleb.”
He smiled warmly at me. “It’s alright, Caleb. My name’s Derek.” He shook my hand, squeezing it affectionately. “Do you need a ride home or anything?”
I shook my head. “I can still see straight, and I brought my own car. Thanks for offering, though. And thanks for hearing me out. It feels good to get all that out of my system.”
“No problem, Caleb. How about we exchange numbers and whenever you need to vent again, just call and we can meet up somewhere? Or if you just wanna hang out, that’s alright, too.”
I smiled and grabbed his phone as I handed him mine.
Once everything was exchanged, we hugged and I left to go to Kyle’s, to let him in on everything.
I don’t know why, but the whole ride to Kyle’s house, I couldn’t get Derek out of my head. It was like I was crushing on him or something.
I shook my head. No, I don’t even swing that way. I’m not into guys, so I’m obviously not into him. And who knows if he even swings that way. Sure he was getting really touchy with me, but a lot of people are like that, it’s not totally uncommon.
But the feelings are so strong, after talking to him for an hour, maybe not even...
“No.” I told myself out loud. “That’s stupid. Just let it go.”