soulmate [joe burrow]

two

September 20, 2023
Los Angeles, CA

This morning, Selena and Taylor invited me to brunch. We were at this gorgeous spot downtown. I felt the girls wanted to bring up Joe. After all, that's all anybody could talk about right now. Joe and I were the topic of every social media post, including articles.

I wish nobody had brought me up to Joe in the first place. Everything would've been fine. I've been getting teased by many, including Travis Kelce, a good friend of mine. I should tell Taylor about his crush on her if he teases me about Joe.

"So Rosi, Me, and Sel were thinking about having a girls' trip," Taylor says. I look up from my food and smile. I could use a girls' trip. I thought to myself.

"Really? That sounds fun. Any specific place in mind?"I ask

"We were thinking Cincinnati? That'd be fun." Selena jumps in. I look at them both with annoyance, knowing what they're referring to.

"Guys, Seriously?" I ask

"Look, Rosalia, I hate meddling, but I truly feel like you and Joe are soulmates. Maybe the right person, but the wrong timing? I don't know. You guys were young when it happened. What if he's changed?" Taylor tries to convince me, but I don't give in

"Soulmates? No. A soulmate doesn't break your heart. Yes, he's changed, but it's a little too late. His walking out on me proved that he didn't care. Was he trying to protect his feelings? what about mine's Tay?" I say, leaving her in silence.

"We're not telling you that you're wrong. You're right. Soulmates don't hurt each other! You say you're okay, but you're not. He left you traumatized- Look- we're not telling you to go makeup with him. We're simply encouraging you to try to get closure. You can't even bring him up without wanting a glass of wine. It still hurts you, and closure could help with that. We love you, and we want you to be okay." Selena says and smiles at me. I know these girls love me entirely and want the best for me mentally and physically. I just couldn't be sure if I were ready or not to talk to him or even see him.

"Fine! But you guys are responsible for the entire planning. I'm just there for closure, as you guys put it." I give in, and they smile and give me a thumbs up.

We finally get back to eating our meals and talking about the album I'm working on, films I got offers on, etc. Times like these I would never take for granted. I love being with my loved ones. This entire scenery of spending quality time brought me back to Joe. All this talking about him reminds me of how close he and I were, best friends with benefits sometimes.

But he was my person. There's a part of me that wishes I would've had a different approach back in that dorm three and a half years ago. Maybe, just maybe, we'd still be together. Perhaps even married, God, I loved that man.

Growing up in a famous industry and having attention constantly wherever I went wasn't ideal. I remained in public schools but got treated so differently because of who I was. When I met Joe, he reassured me that he knew who I was, but he wouldn't treat me any differently. He would always humble me here and then, and looking back at that, I appreciated it.

I developed a crush on him a month after knowing each other, and I never said anything sooner due to fear of rejection. Every day, a part of me wishes to return to that day to fix everything. Hopefully, my trip to Cincinnati will be worth it.