"Pick up, pick up, pick up." I chanted under my breath. I paced nervously back and forth the dressing room, my hands restlessly picking and moving things. A sigh of frustration leaves my lips when I hear the call go straight to voicemail. "Fucker." I muttered angrily.
"Gabi...is everything okay?" Sundai and Eve stand at the foot of the door, concerned looks on their faces. Sundai notices my cell phone tighten in my grip and she frowns. "He didn't pick up, did he?"
My bottom lip trembles and I take a staggered breath. "No, he didn't, but he's probably still getting ready. Maybe he's taking a shower." I say, trying to convince myself, but Sundai and Eve look at each other with validation. "Don't you dare say what I think you're going to say." I point a finger at them accusingly.
After 'he who shall not be named' and I called it quits, Sundai quickly introduced me to hookup culture in attempts to help me move on. Although I had repeatedly told her that I was not someone who went out and hooked up with every guy I saw in order to get over a breakup, she still pushed and forced me to go to another party with her. For the majority of the time, I sat at the bar sipping on some water while Sundai tried desperately to recruit as many boy toys as she could, to which I rejected all of them.
Rome wasn't one of the guys, but he courageously walked up to me, despite after witnessing all the rejections that happened, and started a conversation. At first I wasn't into it, at least I tried not to look interested, but he was smart, attractive, funny, and didn't seem like a total jackass that only wanted to get into my pants. I gave him a chance and once Sundai noticed, her recruitment of men stopped showing up. I became so engulfed with Rome, that I didn't realize that it was approaching one in the morning. We exchanged numbers and that was that. I remember his dazzling smile, it was all I could think about the next day.
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That same morning came a text from him asking to see me again. Two years later, and here we were...well here I was, trying to get a hold of him.
He was supposed to be my date to Sumi's wedding and he made a promise that he would show up on time. Low and behold, he didn't show up. I didn't want to assume anything bad like Sundai and Eve were thinking, but I was starting to look stupid.
"Maybe we should just get ready instead." Eve suggested cautiously.
Things between Eve and I were still a little rocky, especially after she found out what had happened between Anthony and I. So much guilt took over that I couldn't even have a normal conversation with her, without her breaking down and saying how sorry she was. I told her many times after and even now that it wasn't her fault; my situation wasn't as bad as most girls. Yes, he touched me in places that I would've preferred him not to, but it could've been much worse.
We've tried our hardest to rekindle our friendship by being there for one another. She stood by me and my mother's side at my father's funeral. I was there for her, trying to be a supportive friend as she also got into another relationship; this one I approve of very much. And she's done her hardest not to bring up the past or ask about what had happened as much as I knew how badly she wanted to ask.
