“I forgot how delicious a man was in uniform.” Mel looked back at the police car pulling out of the parking lot.
“He’s married, with a baby on the way.” Sophie raised her eyebrows.
“I know, he told me. Don’t worry, I’m not gonna jump his bones. I just appreciate hot men. Besides, I gotta keep my options open in case Dustin and I don’t work out.” Mel’s enthusiasm waned.
“How are things going with you two?” Sophie asked with curiosity. It seemed like it had been awhile since Mel said anything about their relationship.
“We had a fight,” Mel blurted.
“And…” Sophie encouraged her to continue.
“I told him to fuck off and I ran out on him. That was a few days ago. I don’t even remember how it started. I haven’t answered his calls.” Mel sulked and collapsed back into her seat.
“Maybe it’s time you should,” Sophie gasped.
“Yeah, you’re right. I miss him like crazy and I want to get laid.” Mel sighed. “Drop me off at his place?”
“Definitely.” Sophie turned the music up in the car and a big smile spread across Mel’s face as well. They sang along with the radio and laughed until they pulled up in front of Dustin’s.
“Thanks, Sophie. Do me a favor and call Ashton. It’s nice to hear you laugh again but you still look so sad. I feel like you’re gonna shatter at any moment.”
Sophie only nodded, unable to bring words to the surface with the mention of Ashton’s name. She watched Mel disappear into Dustin’s apartment but she didn’t leave, instead she pulled her phone from her purse. She stared at the screen for what seemed like a long time before she decided to send Ashton a message.
Sophie: Truth or Dare?
The seconds felt like minutes as they slowly ticked by…
Ashton: Truth.
Sophie: When are you coming back?
Ashton: I don’t know.
Sophie: Your turn.
Ashton: I gotta go.
I’m too late!
Sophie: Please ask me! I pick truth…
Ashton: Bye Sophie.
Sophie: You made me a believer.
Ten minutes.
Twenty minutes. Respond already!
Thirty minutes…please say something.
One hour…
Chapter
Twenty-Nine
Sophie looked in the mirror, retouching the gloss over her red stained lips. It was the exact same color as her dress. It was the day of her mother’s wedding and they had spent the entire morning at the spa indulging in beauty treatments, styling, and primping. She looked at her hair as it fell in perfect waves around her shoulders with the top swept up into a beautiful clip her mother had bought for her. It was the first time that Sophie had her makeup professionally done and she loved how the colors played around her eyes.
The contrast to her perfectly polished exterior, the chaos it shielded inside couldn’t be more opposite. She smiled at herself in the mirror, trying to make it as genuine as she could. Her mother deserved perfection on her wedding day but everything reminded her of Ashton. I screwed it all up and now it’s too late. He didn’t even respond.
Sophie picked up a bottle of perfume from the counter. The sweet aroma brightened her thoughts. It was a smell that accompanied countless memories of her mother when she was growing up. She always wore the same scent and it gave Sophie an overwhelming sense of comfort. Sophie wanted to make sure this day was perfect for her.
A knock on the door startled her. She opened it, gasping in surprise when Mel burst into the washroom.
“Mel! What are you doing here?” Sophie didn’t even try to contain her shock.
“You sounded a little off this morning. I wanted to check on you.” Mel was dressed in a beautiful black and white patterned dress. Sophie smiled at the transformation into a sophisticated woman. The fitted dress accentuated her natural beauty without having her body on display. Her hair was in a sleek style and her makeup soft.
“You look gorgeous, Mel,” Sophie complimented. She loved the fact that Mel wanted to impress her mother.
Mel looked down at the dress, smoothing it over her hips. “Yeah, I clean up all right.” Mel shrugged. “You’re not so bad yourself. No one would be able to tell that you have cried yourself to sleep for the last few weeks.
Sophie dropped her eyes to the floor. “I can’t call him. I can’t not call him. I feel like I’m stuck.” Sophie took a deep breath to stay the tears that threatened to fall. I will not ruin my makeup! I will not ruin my mother’s day!
“Why can’t you just call him, Sophie?” Mel looked at her like it was the simplest solution in the world.
“Because…what if he’s better off without me? What if he already moved on? What if he doesn’t want me anymore? He didn’t respond to my text.”
“Sophie, you’re being ridiculous!” Mel stomped her foot. “I just want to slap you. He. Still. Wants. You.”
“How do you know? He could be moving on and dating other people for all I know…wait? How could you possibly know that?” Sophie looked at Mel with an accusing look.
Mel widened her eyes and then tried to casually dismiss Sophie’s question by turning her attention to the perfume on the counter. “Ooh…what’s this?”
“No way, Mel. You look guilty. What did you do?” Sophie grabbed her arm and turned Mel to look at her.
“Don’t get mad, okay?” Mel said sheepishly. The guilt rolled off her and it made Sophie nervous.
“How can you tell me not to get mad if I have no idea what you did?” Sophie leaned on the counter and took a deep calming breath.
“I may have called him.” Mel’s lips turned up in an awkward smile.
“You called Ashton?” Sophie gasped in shock. “When? How could you do that? What did you say? What did he say?” The questions tumbled out of Sophie’s mouth without end.
“Last night. You have been miserable since he left. I didn’t know what else to do. Don’t be mad, please. I watched you pick up the phone a million times. I know you wanted to call him, so I did it for you.”
Sophie squeezed her eyes shut. “I think I am going to cry…slap me.” Sophie breathed tightly.
“What?” Mel asked unsurely.
“Do you know how expensive this makeup was? Seriously, slap me so I don’t cry.” Sophie opened her eyes and looked at Mel expectantly. Without any more hesitation, Mel reached out and slapped Sophie’s face.
“Ouch!” Sophie gasped. “That hurt!”
“You told me to slap you,” Mel said defensively.
“Yeah, but did you have to do it so hard? Not to mention that you seemed to enjoy that way too much.” Sophie touched her tender cheek.
“Well, your face is annoyingly perfect. I’m not gonna lie, I have thought about it a few times.” Mel threw her hands on her hips.