The Magnolia Café

Chapter 14

"Peter?" I called as I held a decorative vase.

Two years ago, we were decorating our new home, and I was over the moon. Our home. How I loved to say that. It had a nice ring to it. Some place where I would feel at home, not just a house. A place that I would share with someone I loved.

But I took a deep breath and told myself to be rational. Told myself to not start idealizing the perfect future with someone I had only been with him for a year. Managing expectations leads to less disappointment. That was a belief I had at the time and that I still uphold. Although in this case it led to disappointment, regardless of my expectations.

Peter looked at me and pointed to his phone. It was his day off, but he was on a work call. I stood there in silence until I lost my patience and bought the vase without his input. Why did I even need his input to buy a stupid vase? He didn't even care. He couldn't care less if the vase was ceramic or glass or even if we had a purple couch with yellow cushions.

Peter worked long hours and spent little time at home. He told me I was the architect, so I should just make the choices myself. His lack of interest should've been a sign at the time. I'm completely aware that not everybody cares about the type of fabric of a chair or the shape of a lightbulb, but it was our first place together and it should've been a process we were both part of and yet he sat on the side-lines as if it had nothing to do with him.

After purchasing what I wanted, I wondered around the mall alone. After roaming around alone for a while, Peter easily found me by the bookstore. He approached me with a charming smile, his nonchalant attitude, a present from my favourite jewellery store, and red roses.

"Forgive me, Bella, but not all of us have our jobs secured. Some of us actually have to work long hours sometimes and please the boss." I accepted the peace offering and gave him a quick kiss.

Looking back to that moment, I now know that Peter's insinuation about my job was not okay. I gag just at the thought of him using it against me. I realise our arguments were becoming more frequent, but he knew how to turn things around. He knew how to make me feel like I was the one to blame. When he couldn't put the blame on me, he knew me well enough to know how to apologize and move on without ever addressing the issue. And I was an enabler during our three years together. How could I be so stupid?

A year after, he proposed and a couple of months after that, he left. What was the purpose of all of this? What was even the purpose of our relationship?