words of wisdom pt.2

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I don't even know where to start with the whole Ben thing; I just keep thinking about how stupid I've been

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I don't even know where to start with the whole Ben thing; I just keep thinking about how stupid I've been.

Why did I even answer the phone to him? Why did I agree to go out with him?

I suppose the best place to start is right after I came off the phone to him, he'd asked me out and me being stupid jumped at the chance, I thought maybe he was still in love with me despite the months that have passed since he dumped me.

So, I got myself dressed up in the dress that he'd asked me to wear, the one he supposedly liked. And I did my make-up, you couldn't even tell I had a massive spot by the time I'd finished; I shaved my legs as well.

"Where are you going?" Sam asked when he walked into the house just as I was leaving.

"Nowhere special," I lied.

"Dressed like that, yeah right!"

I think that almost classed as a compliment coming from Sam, "look just tell mum and dad I'll be home late, yeah?"

"You'll be home late? More like you won't be home at all. I've heard you creeping around in the morning.

That was a lie; I did sneak around the house in the morning, but that was because I'd got myself one of those exercise DVDs. "What's your problem? I haven't been out in ages." I shouted at him.

"My problem is you," Sam shouted back at me, which was unusual because as annoying as he is and as much as I hate him, he never raises his voice. "It doesn't take a genius to work out where you're going, dressed like that. Sleeping with some guy isn't going to make him fall madly in love with you, you know?"

Ugh! I hate him! He thinks he knows everything.

"It's all going to come back and smack you in the face," Sam had said shaking his head. "It's all going to end in tears."

"What are you even talking about? I'm just going out for a couple of drinks with an old friend. It's none of your business who I go out with or what I do. What do you think you are, my dad or something?"

"No Elsie, I'm just your brother."

"Bye Sam," I said without so much as a second glance over my shoulder.

"Whatever," I heard him say as he slammed the door behind me.

I'd asked Ben to pick me up at the end of our road because I didn't want anyone to see us together, my friends already hated him after what had happened.

"Hey, you look beautiful," Ben said as I opened the car door and climbed in.

I'd like to be able to say that I kept my cool, but I didn't; there was no hiding the smile.

"I missed you," he said, leaning over to kiss me.

His lips touched mine, and my stomach and heart did a little flip. I wanted to kiss him again, you know like we used to when we were together. I wanted things to be like they were before.

We pulled up outside this swanky restaurant in the next town, as soon as we walked in I was aware of someone calling his name. This was no romantic date for two; there would be no talking about what had happened. When I looked over his whole family were seated around the table, balloons and birthday banners gave away the real reason he'd asked me out.

"Elsie, love, come and sit next to me," Ben's grandmother, Nana June said, "I saved you a seat."

"How have you been love? I haven't seen you for ages," his mum said.

Of course, she hadn't seen me in ages, surely she wasn't that thick that she thought we were still together. I hadn't been around their house in months when I used to be there practically every day. As if she hasn't met the new girlfriend yet.

"I told you, mum, she's been busy. You know how busy she is in the summer with all the weddings and then December everyone getting themselves ready Christmas and New Year." Ben piped up while looking at me. "And you've spent half the year living it up in Benidorm."

I suppose that explained it. "Oh, yeah, yeah, it's been kind of busy," I went along with Ben's lie. "It's lovely to see you though."

"I thought maybe you'd seen some sense and dumped him," his uncle laughed from the other end of the table.

I just smiled because obviously, it was Ben who dumped me and not the other way around.

"Don't be stupid," Ben said leaning over to kiss me," she knows she's got it good with me," he ran his hand up the inside of my thigh.

"Wedding bells soon then love," Nana June said with a beaming smile.

Whatever it was that was happening was the complete opposite of what I'd been expecting. As if Ben hadn't told his family that we weren't even together anymore. None of them knew how he'd dumped me in McDonald's car park or that he'd left me so heartbroken that I'd ended up almost quitting the job that I loved so much.

I was married with three kids by the time I was your age," his Nana June said when I stood up to go to the toilet.

"Won't be long," his auntie said, and she poked me in the stomach as I walked passed.

Had I really put on that much weight? Clearly, the DVD wasn't working. I couldn't help myself, but I ran to the toilets and burst into tears as soon as I got through the door; it wasn't even the weight thing that made me cry.

Ben was waiting outside, "I'm sorry," he said pulling me in for a hug.

"Take me home, please?" I didn't care what excuse he gave them.

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