‹ Prequel: Who Ever Thought Life Was Fair?
Sequel: Everything in Between ›
Unlucky in Love
Deleted
“So what exactly do you do?” he asked me.
I swallowed the bite of chicken I had just taken. “I go to the Aveda Institute for cosmetology. I’m trying to be done by the spring.”
“And then what?”
“Get a job somewhere.” I said simply.
Craig smiled in a knowing sort of way. “Are you happy doing hair and nails? Will you be happy doing that for the rest of your life?”
I exhaled slowly. I’d never really given much thought before. “I don’t know.” I said honestly. “It was on a whim. A sixteen-thousand dollar whim.” I laughed to myself. “I had just had Emma. A few days later, on my birthday, I went to get my hair done and just to have a me day.”
“Where was your daughter?” he asked, cutting in.
“She was with her dad.” I assured him. “So,” I continued. “I decided to do the program, because it was a guaranteed career. I never knew what I wanted to do before, so I did it.”
“And are you happy with it?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I might go to college someday.”
“Why didn’t you just go to college in the first place?”
“You ask a lot of questions.” I announced.
He shrugged sheepishly. “I just want to get to know you better. Do you want to ask me questions now?”
I nodded. “What do you do?”
“I teach at PSU. And to answer any further questions; I’m thirty-two. Logan is my only child, and he’s going to be four next week. I’ve been divorced for three years, and my ex has been trying to drain my bank accounts ever since.”
I bit my lip. “You already know my schooling and career path,” I laughed shakily. “I just turned twenty last week. Emma is my only child, and her first birthday was at the beginning of the month. I’ve been married since I was eighteen, and I’m not sure what’s going to happen to us.” I sighed. “I love him, but I don’t know if I’m in love with him anymore.”
“What makes you think you’re not in love with him anymore?” he asked.
My breathing got heavy all of a sudden. “I think it has something to do with the fact that we didn’t plan to be together. It just kind of happened.” I lied.
Nobody would believe I was in an arranged marriage, especially not Craig.
“We were married for a week when we decided to get pregnant. We were still in high school, and it was to spite my mother, who was trying to break us up.”
“So, your daughter was created as a last resort?” he asked.
I vehemently shook my head. “No, not at all…I mean, it kind of started out that way, but Emma is the best thing that ever happened to either of us. She’s really the only reason we’re still together.”
“And relationships shouldn’t be built on that.” he agreed.
I nodded. “It’s getting late. I should probably go.” I told him, and he got the check. He walked me out to my car, and kissed my cheek before heading off in another direction.
* * *
“Is this just a sign that we don’t work together?” I asked.
Dominic and I were lying in bed in the dark, not looking at each other. “I don’t believe in signs, Em.” He replied, and I sighed quietly. “Do you want a divorce?” he asked.
“I think we’ll be even more miserable if that happens. Not to mention what it will do to Emma.” I turned on my side and wrapped my arm around his waist. “No. I don’t want a divorce. Dominic, there’s just something missing.”
“You’ve been acting weird since you found out you weren’t pregnant. Is that it? If we had another baby, would that make things better between us?”
I bit my lip, thinking. “I know that I want another baby. I want us to have another baby, and I want Emma to be a big sister. That’s the only thing I want.”
Dominic pulled me to him. “I want things to be normal, Ember. I want what you want, but not if it’ll get twice as bad later on. I don’t want any more unnecessary drama.”
“Me neither,” I agreed. “I’m quitting school, so I’ll have all the time to be home with Emma and if we had a new baby.”
“Why are you quitting school?” he asked sharply.
“Because I want to be a mom. I don’t want to be a hairdresser if it means I’m a shitty wife and an even shittier mom. I’ve always wanted to be a mom, you know that.”
He kissed my forehead. “You are a mom, Ember. And you’re not a shitty on either.”
“It feels like I am.”
“You’re not.” He promised. “You’re not.”
* * *
“So I’m officially un-enrolled.” I told Dominic, walking up to him. He had just finished his last class. I was toting Emma on my hip and walking into the lecture hall.
“How do you feel about that?” he asked, putting his laptop into his bag.
I sighed dramatically. “I’ll live.” I looked around the blasé room, bouncing a slightly fussy Emma to calm her down. My eyes locked on the professor, and I nearly gasped.
“What?”
“Nothing,” I said quickly, looking back at Dominic when Craig looked in my direction. “Let’s go get some dinner or something.”
Dominic nodded and led me out of the room.
During dinner, I got a text from Craig. He had figured out Dominic was my husband, and I didn’t reply. I deleted his number, his messages, and turned off my phone.
I swallowed the bite of chicken I had just taken. “I go to the Aveda Institute for cosmetology. I’m trying to be done by the spring.”
“And then what?”
“Get a job somewhere.” I said simply.
Craig smiled in a knowing sort of way. “Are you happy doing hair and nails? Will you be happy doing that for the rest of your life?”
I exhaled slowly. I’d never really given much thought before. “I don’t know.” I said honestly. “It was on a whim. A sixteen-thousand dollar whim.” I laughed to myself. “I had just had Emma. A few days later, on my birthday, I went to get my hair done and just to have a me day.”
“Where was your daughter?” he asked, cutting in.
“She was with her dad.” I assured him. “So,” I continued. “I decided to do the program, because it was a guaranteed career. I never knew what I wanted to do before, so I did it.”
“And are you happy with it?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I might go to college someday.”
“Why didn’t you just go to college in the first place?”
“You ask a lot of questions.” I announced.
He shrugged sheepishly. “I just want to get to know you better. Do you want to ask me questions now?”
I nodded. “What do you do?”
“I teach at PSU. And to answer any further questions; I’m thirty-two. Logan is my only child, and he’s going to be four next week. I’ve been divorced for three years, and my ex has been trying to drain my bank accounts ever since.”
I bit my lip. “You already know my schooling and career path,” I laughed shakily. “I just turned twenty last week. Emma is my only child, and her first birthday was at the beginning of the month. I’ve been married since I was eighteen, and I’m not sure what’s going to happen to us.” I sighed. “I love him, but I don’t know if I’m in love with him anymore.”
“What makes you think you’re not in love with him anymore?” he asked.
My breathing got heavy all of a sudden. “I think it has something to do with the fact that we didn’t plan to be together. It just kind of happened.” I lied.
Nobody would believe I was in an arranged marriage, especially not Craig.
“We were married for a week when we decided to get pregnant. We were still in high school, and it was to spite my mother, who was trying to break us up.”
“So, your daughter was created as a last resort?” he asked.
I vehemently shook my head. “No, not at all…I mean, it kind of started out that way, but Emma is the best thing that ever happened to either of us. She’s really the only reason we’re still together.”
“And relationships shouldn’t be built on that.” he agreed.
I nodded. “It’s getting late. I should probably go.” I told him, and he got the check. He walked me out to my car, and kissed my cheek before heading off in another direction.
* * *
“Is this just a sign that we don’t work together?” I asked.
Dominic and I were lying in bed in the dark, not looking at each other. “I don’t believe in signs, Em.” He replied, and I sighed quietly. “Do you want a divorce?” he asked.
“I think we’ll be even more miserable if that happens. Not to mention what it will do to Emma.” I turned on my side and wrapped my arm around his waist. “No. I don’t want a divorce. Dominic, there’s just something missing.”
“You’ve been acting weird since you found out you weren’t pregnant. Is that it? If we had another baby, would that make things better between us?”
I bit my lip, thinking. “I know that I want another baby. I want us to have another baby, and I want Emma to be a big sister. That’s the only thing I want.”
Dominic pulled me to him. “I want things to be normal, Ember. I want what you want, but not if it’ll get twice as bad later on. I don’t want any more unnecessary drama.”
“Me neither,” I agreed. “I’m quitting school, so I’ll have all the time to be home with Emma and if we had a new baby.”
“Why are you quitting school?” he asked sharply.
“Because I want to be a mom. I don’t want to be a hairdresser if it means I’m a shitty wife and an even shittier mom. I’ve always wanted to be a mom, you know that.”
He kissed my forehead. “You are a mom, Ember. And you’re not a shitty on either.”
“It feels like I am.”
“You’re not.” He promised. “You’re not.”
* * *
“So I’m officially un-enrolled.” I told Dominic, walking up to him. He had just finished his last class. I was toting Emma on my hip and walking into the lecture hall.
“How do you feel about that?” he asked, putting his laptop into his bag.
I sighed dramatically. “I’ll live.” I looked around the blasé room, bouncing a slightly fussy Emma to calm her down. My eyes locked on the professor, and I nearly gasped.
“What?”
“Nothing,” I said quickly, looking back at Dominic when Craig looked in my direction. “Let’s go get some dinner or something.”
Dominic nodded and led me out of the room.
During dinner, I got a text from Craig. He had figured out Dominic was my husband, and I didn’t reply. I deleted his number, his messages, and turned off my phone.