The Next Best Thing

Chapter 42

Songs of the chapter: Give Me Love - Ed Sheeran

"Oh, they left early this morning." Min explained when I inquired on the whereabouts of my seemingly soon to be ex-boyfriend and his friends.

"Didn't I tell you they have to go to Milan during our trip?" she asked from inside her shower.

"No, you forgot to tell me that," I said, resigned.

Mitchell had left for Italy without even saying goodbye. I couldn't cry because none of my friends knew about us which sucked; I couldn't exactly tell them now when I didn't know if he still wanted us to be together.

The icing on the cake was that the next day was my birthday - this would be my first birthday we would spend together as a couple. I remember calling him on his birthday and him asking me to officially be his girlfriend. I had hoped my day would be the day the whole world found out about us.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Zoe," Min said, coming out of the bathroom. "We'll have a party when we get back home. I thought it would be nice if we spent your birthday as just us girls."

"Don't apologise. It's fine," I lied, mastering my fake smile. "Thanks for remembering my birthday."

I went back to my room on the verge of tears. I had to cry if I was going to feel better. I had to cry to clear my head and try to get my boyfriend back. He wanted me to be his forever but one lie had split us right down the middle. Who wouldn't cry?

I stood in the shower, my heart heavy with regret and hatred towards Nicolas who was literally ruining my life.

I cried because Mitchell had trusted me with his heart but I hadn't trusted him with mine. I couldn't after what Nicolas did to me which wasn't really fair to Mitchell.  He did nothing but love me and show me that I could love too. Unfortunately, I couldn't do the same. Not with my everything, no matter how hard I tried.

I cried shamelessly until I had no tears left, only water trickling down my face from the shower head. I grabbed my phone, calling him for the fifteenth time that day. I left another voicemail and sent him another message. His phone will crash if he doesn't reply me, I kept reassuring myself. He can't live without his phone.

But he can always get a new one, an evil voice in the back of my head spat. It's not like he can't afford to.

I left my room two hours later, afraid of the girls finding me an emotional mess in the shower and finding out about my secret boyfriend.

Xavier took us to a market where we bought ingredients for Rosette for dinner and learnt how to cook some of the island specialties. He told us about his friends who happened to be really great artists who had offered to paint portraits or take artsy photographs of us.

They were really sweet boys, giving out compliments and making us laugh. They helped take my mind off Mitchell although I constantly checked my phone just in case he'd decided to reach out to me.

Armed with portraits, groceries and shopping, we went back home. Rosette gave us a crash course on traditional Spanish foods and the recipes, allowing us to sample every dish. She gave us many tips on all things Spanish as well, teaching us a few dance moves and many lullabies which would come in handy when we had children of our own.

Rae insisted she didn't need to know them though, refusing to be a mother of a real baby. "I have friends who will have beautiful kids. I'd rather be an aunt," she said.

All the talk about children made me think about the night I'd spent with Mitchell, a memory that had been on repeat for the past two days. I wept internally, suffering on my own without the aid of my loving friends.

I never wanted them to see me weak and feel sorry for me. I'd find a way through this on my own and get Mitchell back. I had faith, faith in myself. Faith in our relationship.