Love Isn't Enough Anymore

Zooey sat on her couch, watching as her best friends played silly games. They were attempting to play Scrabble, but kept making up words on the spot along with their definitions, claiming that it was in the dictionary.

They’d try and get Zooey to interact, but she wanted nothing to do with it right now. All she really wanted to do was sit in her room and plug in her iPod and cry.

This was their attempt to help her – post breakup.

Or well, semi-post breakup.

It was like that awkward stage in the relationship where in the end you’re either together forever, or you end it where it is.

How her and her boyfriend of two years, Johnny, had gotten to this point was a mystery to an outsider. But to them, it was clear as day.

Even though he was in a band, that was certainly not causing their relationship problems. Nor was it the alcohol. Or the constant rumors of him cheating. Or some of the silly fights they had gotten in to.

If anything, those things made them stronger.

Before they jumped in to the romantic world together, they were best friends since Jimmy had introduced them. Zooey knew Jimmy in high school and when he said that she would love his friends, he wasn’t kidding.

They were a bunch of goof balls; Crazy, insane, genuine, kind hearted people; the type of humans that you want to associate yourself with.

Zooey excused herself from all of the fun and went out in to her backyard, sitting down on the heavily padded lounge chair, pulling her hoodie tighter around her body.

She looked up to the sky, seeing almost every star shining brightly. She loved that about this part of town.

Technically, it was still Huntington Beach, but it was so far from the beach that you could barely hear the ocean. To make up for it though, there was a spectacular view of the stars almost every night.

She sighed, leaning her head against the back of the chair. She appreciated her friends desperate attempts to cheer her up and take her mind off things for a while, but really, all Zooey needed to do right now was figure what was going on in her head.

She loves Johnny.
She loves him with everything she’s got.

If he died, she’d die right there with him.
He would do the same for her.

But lately, because of their relationship issues with just growing apart, Zooey was starting to second guess things.

“Hey,” One of her friends said, holding a drink in her hand and taking a seat on end of the lounge chair Zooey was sitting on. She just stared at her friend.

“Why are you out here all by yourself?” She asked, still getting no response from Zooey.

She sat up straighter, blinking her eyes. “I just needed to think,” Zooey admitted, curling her fingers around the cuff of her hoodie.

“Babe, we’re not thinking tonight, remember,” Her friend said, placing a comforting hand on her knee. “We’re drinking and we’re having fun.”

Zooey shook her head. “No, you’re having fun. I’m thinking.”

She sighed. “About what?”

Zooey looked out to the stars, trying to come up with a reasonable answer to her friend’s question. She sighed, turning her head slowly back towards her friend that was still seated by her feet.

“What if love isn’t enough?”

She stared at Zooey blankly.

“Think about it. What if love wasn’t enough? Like no matter how much you love a person or think you love a person, what if it still wasn’t enough?”

“What are you saying Zo?”

“I’m saying, Johnny’s a really great guy and his friends are pretty awesome too, but sometimes, well lately actually, I’ve been wondering if loving him wasn’t enough. Like, if I’m holding myself back from someone else, or if him and I are meant to be friends rather than boyfriend and girlfriend.” Zooey explained. “But every time I think about that stuff, something always reminds me about how much him and I are perfect, ya know? Like this was meant to be and we were made for each other.

She sighed. “If love wasn’t enough Zo, he wouldn’t be standing here right now.”

Zooey twisted her body around to see Johnny standing there in the doorway to her backyard, holding a bouquet of daisies and all of her friends crowded around the windows.