Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 64966 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64966 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
I flashed my friend a smile. “Slutty and easy is everyone’s type.”
By the time we got home about an hour later, I could barely move. We both rented rooms in a funky pink Victorian near Delores Park, which was inhabited by a total of seven people. I loved the place and my housemates, but after that workout, I also hated every single stair leading from the sidewalk to the front door.
After a lot of grumbling, I managed to make it inside, where I collapsed in a heap on the couch. Meanwhile, Hal hurried upstairs to get ready for school.
He claimed he wasn’t seeking revenge on his ex, but he was wrong about that. He was just playing a different game than I was. His career-driven ex-boyfriend used to insinuate that Hal would never amount to anything, so Hal was proving him wrong by working his ass off to become a successful fashion designer—and success was definitely a form of revenge. Since revenge was also a great motivator, Hal was one of the busiest people I knew, between design school, an internship, and two jobs to pay his tuition.
Maybe fifteen minutes later, he came into the living room looking gorgeous in a fitted sweater, a short skirt, tights, and boots, all in black. No doubt about it, his Japanese dad and Colombian mom had ended up producing a stunningly beautiful human being. He had flawless skin, long, dark hair, and a willowy body that had graced countless runways. No wonder he’d been discovered by a model scout while he was still in high school.
He'd done well in the modeling world too, but his stuck-up ex hadn’t considered that a “real” career and had brushed off his achievements. It sounded to me like that jerk had constantly undermined my friend’s self-esteem, probably so Hal wouldn’t realize he could do a lot better than him. And somehow, after that guy cheated on him, Hal had been left with the message that he wasn’t enough.
Well over a year had passed since their breakup. In that time, Hal had left modeling behind and was slowly rebuilding his confidence. That was still a work-in-progress though, and when he nervously asked me if he looked alright, the vulnerability in his eyes made my heart hurt.
I sat up, despite protests from all of my major muscle groups, and assured him, “You look absolutely perfect. Is there something special happening at school today?”
“I have to get up in front of the class and give a presentation on my ideas for a spring collection. I’ve spent the last month working on it, and I really hope it’s good enough.”
“You’re going to crush it, Hal. The sketches you showed me last week were phenomenal.”
He turned his gaze to the area rug as he tucked a lock of hair behind his ear. “You should see the other students in this class, though. Some of them are unbelievably talented, and they’re only nineteen or twenty years old. It’s obvious they’ll end up being famous designers.”
“So, there are some talented fetuses in your class. So what? None of them are Hal Nakamura. And at the ripe old age of twenty-four, you have a huge advantage—life experience. You’ve been to New York fashion week, and Paris fashion week, and all sorts of other stuff.”
“Yeah, but I was there as a model, not a designer.”
“You were still there! You got to live it and soak it all in behind the scenes. The kids in your class would kill for that kind of experience.”
“I guess...”
I got up and gave him a hug. “You’re strong and amazing, and you’ve got this. I promise.”
“Thanks for saying that, Daniel. You’re a good friend. I’d better go, but I appreciate the pep talk.” He paused in the foyer to collect his large portfolio before heading out the door.
It was tempting to return to the couch, but instead I forced myself to climb the stairs and take a shower. Afterwards, I went to my room with a towel around my hips and glanced at my phone. I’d left it charging on the nightstand, and there was an automatic reminder on the screen from the calendar app. It said: Daniel and Brad’s One-Year Anniversary.
I felt like I’d been kicked in the gut.
Tears blurred my vision as I deleted the reminder. I climbed into bed, and after I found the little teddy bear I kept hidden under my pillow, I curled into a ball and clutched him to my chest. When I started sobbing, it shook my entire body, but I pressed a hand over my mouth to muffle the sound. I didn’t want my housemates to hear me, or they’d know how much I was hurting.
I’d made a real effort to get rid of everything that would remind me of my last relationship, but there were still things I’d missed, like that fucking app. Every time I stumbled across something like that, it felt like ripping open a wound and throwing salt in it.