Red
Forget - Nathan
It was happening all over again. All women want is the fame and the money. Eliza didn’t need my money though, she had her own. She didn’t even know who I was when we met though. I was so confused. I just needed to clear my head. I waved down the first taxi I saw and jumped in the back.
“Where to?” The driver asked. I looked out the window into the rain.
“Somewhere quiet.”
“Somewhere to think?”
“Yes, please.”
We drove in silence and I kept replaying the conversation over in my head. My phone vibrated in my pocket and I pulled it out to see Eliza calling. I had to get my words sorted out before I talked to her, so I let voicemail pick it up.
“Chihuly Gardens. I think the hall is closed, but the gardens are open. Quietest place in the city,” the driver claimed as the taxi came to a stop. I paid him and thanked him before getting out. I walked around the lush gardens and found a bench that was covered from the rain. As soon as I sat down my phone rang again. This time it was Jay.
“Hey mate,” he answered before I could say anything.
“Hey Jay.”
“How’s it going?”
“With what?” I questioned finding it odd that he would call me when he knew I was going out with Eliza.
“With Eliza and her parents?”
He knew something. Maybe he ran into her? “I left.”
“You left? Why?”
“She’s a Megan,” I answered without even thinking. My blood boiled as I thought about what I said.
“What are you saying Nath? This girl is a fraud?”
“I don’t know Jay. I dealt with her dad and then this guy shows up, I guess it was her ex. Anyways he said she craves fame. I can’t date someone that craves fame Jay. They want the lifestyle, they don’t want me. What makes her any different? At least I found out now and not years down the road. I just . . . I thought . . . I really liked her Jay.”
“I know you did Nath. Look I’m with her now, I’m just gonna talk to her. Why don’t you head back to the hotel and get some sleep.”
“Yeah Jay, I will. Thanks mate.” I ended the call but I didn’t move. I thought back to Megan. How she completely broke me when I was just seventeen years old. I fancied her all throughout our school years and I thought she fancied me back. It was when I caught her in bed with one of our music producers that I knew she was just using me. For her own benefit. I thought I was in love with her. How could I of been so wrong?
“Excuse me sir, the gardens are closing now, I’ll need you to exit,” a security guard stated bringing me out of my dark thoughts.
I stood from the bench and walked the way I came in. I didn’t bother with a taxi, I just walked through the rain.
Tomorrow we’d be leaving for London. A ten-hour flight could possibly be long enough to forget one Eliza Svenson. The girl I thought I knew.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Jay knew I had my eyes on him. He hadn’t said a single thing to me since we left for the airport. I was still so confused about Eliza, but Siva told me a little time away was probably what I needed the most.
“What?” Jay finally asked clearly disturbed that I hadn’t blinked in five minutes.
“What happened? What’d she say?”
“I think you need to leave her behind for now Nathan. If it’s meant to be in a year or two it’ll work. But just so you know, she’s no Megan.”
How the hell was I supposed to take that? I walked out on her because I thought she was using me, now Jay’s telling me that she’s not but to stay away anyways?
“Did I fuck up by walking away?”
“No Nath, she has serious issues she needs to work out. I’ll tell you exactly what she said. ‘Right guy, wrong time’.”
Right guy, wrong time? “When will the time be right?”
“I don’t know Nath. I don’t know.”
I dropped my face into my hands. Was there even such a thing as ‘right time’?
I completely fucked up the greatest thing that’s happened to me. I got up from my seat and walked to the closest store in the terminal. I bought a bottle of melatonin and the latest People magazine that I knew Eliza and I were featured in. If I had no choice than to forget her, than now would be the perfect time to start.
It wasn’t even twenty minutes into the flight before my eyes fluttered shut. Her face was the last thing I thought of before I fell into a deep sleep.
This wasn’t going to be easy.
“Where to?” The driver asked. I looked out the window into the rain.
“Somewhere quiet.”
“Somewhere to think?”
“Yes, please.”
We drove in silence and I kept replaying the conversation over in my head. My phone vibrated in my pocket and I pulled it out to see Eliza calling. I had to get my words sorted out before I talked to her, so I let voicemail pick it up.
“Chihuly Gardens. I think the hall is closed, but the gardens are open. Quietest place in the city,” the driver claimed as the taxi came to a stop. I paid him and thanked him before getting out. I walked around the lush gardens and found a bench that was covered from the rain. As soon as I sat down my phone rang again. This time it was Jay.
“Hey mate,” he answered before I could say anything.
“Hey Jay.”
“How’s it going?”
“With what?” I questioned finding it odd that he would call me when he knew I was going out with Eliza.
“With Eliza and her parents?”
He knew something. Maybe he ran into her? “I left.”
“You left? Why?”
“She’s a Megan,” I answered without even thinking. My blood boiled as I thought about what I said.
“What are you saying Nath? This girl is a fraud?”
“I don’t know Jay. I dealt with her dad and then this guy shows up, I guess it was her ex. Anyways he said she craves fame. I can’t date someone that craves fame Jay. They want the lifestyle, they don’t want me. What makes her any different? At least I found out now and not years down the road. I just . . . I thought . . . I really liked her Jay.”
“I know you did Nath. Look I’m with her now, I’m just gonna talk to her. Why don’t you head back to the hotel and get some sleep.”
“Yeah Jay, I will. Thanks mate.” I ended the call but I didn’t move. I thought back to Megan. How she completely broke me when I was just seventeen years old. I fancied her all throughout our school years and I thought she fancied me back. It was when I caught her in bed with one of our music producers that I knew she was just using me. For her own benefit. I thought I was in love with her. How could I of been so wrong?
“Excuse me sir, the gardens are closing now, I’ll need you to exit,” a security guard stated bringing me out of my dark thoughts.
I stood from the bench and walked the way I came in. I didn’t bother with a taxi, I just walked through the rain.
Tomorrow we’d be leaving for London. A ten-hour flight could possibly be long enough to forget one Eliza Svenson. The girl I thought I knew.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Jay knew I had my eyes on him. He hadn’t said a single thing to me since we left for the airport. I was still so confused about Eliza, but Siva told me a little time away was probably what I needed the most.
“What?” Jay finally asked clearly disturbed that I hadn’t blinked in five minutes.
“What happened? What’d she say?”
“I think you need to leave her behind for now Nathan. If it’s meant to be in a year or two it’ll work. But just so you know, she’s no Megan.”
How the hell was I supposed to take that? I walked out on her because I thought she was using me, now Jay’s telling me that she’s not but to stay away anyways?
“Did I fuck up by walking away?”
“No Nath, she has serious issues she needs to work out. I’ll tell you exactly what she said. ‘Right guy, wrong time’.”
Right guy, wrong time? “When will the time be right?”
“I don’t know Nath. I don’t know.”
I dropped my face into my hands. Was there even such a thing as ‘right time’?
I completely fucked up the greatest thing that’s happened to me. I got up from my seat and walked to the closest store in the terminal. I bought a bottle of melatonin and the latest People magazine that I knew Eliza and I were featured in. If I had no choice than to forget her, than now would be the perfect time to start.
It wasn’t even twenty minutes into the flight before my eyes fluttered shut. Her face was the last thing I thought of before I fell into a deep sleep.
This wasn’t going to be easy.