Broken But Yours

4. Shattered, completely!

Amber's P.O.V.:

The first semester came to an end, and our break began. I returned to Windsor for Christmas with my family and helped out at my parents' busy restaurant. Elsa spent her Christmas break vacationing in Montreal, Canada, with her parents and younger brother.

During the rest of the semester, I never crossed paths with Chris again, and I made no effort to confront him about the kiss. I tried to put it behind me, unsure whether to consider it a good or bad dream. I kept the incident to myself, never sharing it with anyone. Sharing it with Elsa would only lead to her excitement over the supposed romance of the moment. Even with my parents, who usually know every detail of my life, I refrained from mentioning it. They're eager for me to find love, just as they did as high school sweethearts, but I don't feel as lucky in that department.

I had a great time with my parents and Jasper during the summer break, but I started feeling a bit empty. The break felt too long, and I wanted to go back to school. I was curious about what Chris was doing and had a bunch of questions for him. Why did he get bothered when he saw me with someone else? Why was he always unfriendly to me? Why did he help me with the report? And, most importantly, why did he kiss me that night? All these thoughts kept swirling in my head, and I couldn't stop thinking about them. Something inside me was changing.

I came back for the spring semester after my break. After all the stress and restless nights during the summer break, I felt mentally and emotionally drained. My main hope for this semester was not to bump into Chris, even for a second. I wanted everything to go smoothly, and once this semester was over, Chris would graduate and hopefully be out of my life forever. It's better that way.

*****

"Dude, I missed you so much!" Elsa exclaimed as she pulled me into a tight hug."I missed you too, Elsa," I replied with a smile.

"We should celebrate our reunion. I'll treat you to your favorite, chicken sausages and mac-n-cheese," she suggested excitedly.

"It's the best day of my life!" I exaggerated with a dramatic tone.

She rolled her eyes and chuckled.

We headed to the cafeteria.

"Okay, now spill the beans. I know this treat isn't just for our reunion," I said while enjoying my food.

"I can never hide anything from you. You always catch me," she admitted.

"I'm waiting," I prompted.

"Okay, so the thing is...remember I went to Montreal for vacation? Well, coincidentally, Oliver and his family were also there for their vacation. So, basically, we spent the vacation together.

We had a great time, and then, on Christmas Eve, Oliver proposed to me to be his girlfriend..." she explained, blushing.

"And...?" I asked, surprised and eager to hear more.

"And...and I said yes!" she exclaimed, blushing even more.

"Oh my god! I'm so happy for you," I squealed with excitement and hugged her.

****

"Hey, Amber. How did your break go?" Mark asked as we met in the college corridor.

"Oh, don't even ask. It was really busy. I was helping my parents in their restaurant. This time of year, it gets a ton of customers. We were working around the clock. But I must say, I enjoyed it. It felt good to spend some quality time with my parents," I replied with a smile.

"That's great! I hope to visit your restaurant someday," Mark said.

"Sure, you'll always be welcome there," I replied, smiling.