How to Date an Asshole

Chapter 67

Chapter 67

A month has passed since I moved to California. My chest heaved as I placed the cap back on the marker after crossing off yet another date from the calendar. I stared at my masterpiece of red Xs and then focused on the last date without one. Thirty-first. It's the last day of the year.

I grabbed the tote bag off the counter and went out of my small apartment. This has been my routine for the past four weeks: going out every single day to buy groceries. I know it's dumb not getting all the stuff you need in a single trip, but these walks have helped me take my head off of everything that has happened. Well, not everything. It would've been easier if that was the case. The truth is, I've never really stopped thinking about it, especially this holiday season.

I've been miserable, yes, but for every wave of sadness that hits me, I remind myself that keeping my distance from everyone was the best thing to do. 

After that disastrous Black Friday, I met with Katie. I called her and she agreed to meet me at a coffee shop. She made me wait twenty minutes at the scene like the proper diva she is. And when she arrived, she pulled up the chair in front of me and sat like she owned the place. She didn't say anything untoward, but she constantly looked down on me like I was inferior. I wanted to slap the smug look on her face. Of course, she'd act like that. She came out victorious. She drove me out of my job and out of New York. I'm sure she's also had a whiff of my situation with Axel and my family so, that's a bonus for her. She got the revenge she wanted and I'm paying for a debt I never owed.

We made a deal: I'll leave MGC and New York, and she'll retract the case. I thought about clearing my name at that time, with everything that had happened with her beloved Uncle Randall, but I figured there's no use in trying to change someone's point of view once they're set.

Before I left New York, I applied for a restraining order against Clark. I can only handle too much and I don't want a crazy ex-boyfriend on my pile of problems.

As for Dean, we haven't seen each other again. I've heard he's been plenty busy with brand ads and interviews. That music video with Katie really worked out for him. Just as he wanted.

The DNA results came in just a week after that night. 99.9% match. Noelle is Beth's long-lost daughter. 

According to Hailey, they spent Christmas at Noelle's. Everyone was there but me. They wanted to find me, of course, but I didn't want to be found. I changed my phone number so they couldn't contact me. I moved to a different state so that I'd be well far away from them. Only Hailey knows where I am. I call her from time to time just so I can assure them that I was safe and that they have nothing to worry about. I just needed space.

I'm not entirely sure what I wanted out of this seclusion, but as each day goes by, my problems feel smaller. Maybe it's because I'm coming to my senses that I only overreacted or maybe it's just a case of 'out of sight, out of mind'.

Now, I'm walking to the grocery store and the sound of my stomach grumbling caught me off-guard. One more thing to note is that I don't have the best relationship with food as of late. I sometimes forget meals, being too caught up in my head. And just like today, I forgot to eat breakfast. But I'm trying my best in listening to my body and feeding it whenever my stomach feels hungry. I looked around to find a cure for this and spotted a bakery just a few meters ahead.

"Good morning," a lady greeted me as I entered the store.

"Good morning," I replied and scanned their selection of pastries. "I'll have one croissant and one vanilla coffee in your biggest cup please."

She repeated my order and punched it in on the counter then asked, "Would that be everything?"

"Yeah, that'll be all."