Situationship [Complete]

16 | Fine

"Are you coming home before the party?" I ask Jeremy over the phone. There's a sink full of dishes and a pile of clothes visible through the cracked door of his bedroom. I don't necessarily want him home all the time. It is nice to have the place to myself, especially when trying to schedule some self-care, as we'll call it. But it's no fun when he only comes home to eat, sleep, and leave a mess for me to clean up after.

"No, all my stuff is in Chet's closet. We'll leave from here."

I sigh. As if I don't have enough on my plate already. My anchor is slipping away into the depths of relationship ocean and leaving me high and dry with less support and more chores. "Well, when you come home next, can you clean up after yourself? I'm tired of—"

"Oh my God, Teagan, don't start with me. You're so anal about everything, even when I do clean, you go behind me and re-clean everything any—"

"I'm not anal, you're just a mess!"

"You're fucking insane!"

I want to yell back, but the phone shuffles around. "Hey, Teagan," Chet's soft voice mollifies me.

"Hey, Chet."

"The dishes are my fault. I rushed us out to get to Barney's before they closed. I still don't know what black tie optional is."

"Same." I'm still annoyed, but Chet is too nice a person to take it out on him. "Please tell my roommate to clean up after himself."

"We will clean up next time we're there, I promise."

"I'll see you there, I guess."

"See you there!" 

He ends the call and the silence seeps in. Alone again, on my way to a party, I feel as empty as our apartment.

. . .

I don't want to be here.

Engagement party number two. It started less than an hour ago and I'm already ready for it to be over.

The ballroom is full of peonies, streamers, and balloons, all in shades of pale pink and white. It looks like Barbie's wet dream, but the bride gets what the bride wants.

For a beach wedding, nude and pink make sense, I suppose. The dress I have to wear for the ceremony could be much less flattering than it is. I shouldn't complain, but it's so goddamn hard not to.

The room is full of people I don't know. Mary's family consists of a million unidentifiable aunts, uncles, cousins, and who knows who else. Ryan's parents brought all of the business associates they pretend are friends. The guest list they gave me turned into an open invite and almost 300 RSVPs. But that's what they get for planning a wedding in Ibiza.

Destination weddings limit the number of people who can go. It's an expensive flight, and it's impossible to find affordable accommodations during peak season. Family members who can't swing the cost get their feelings hurt and beg for another way to celebrate with them. As such, this root canal of a party was born.