Simply Complicated

01| C e l l

Cell
/sɛl/
Noun| The smallest structural and functional unit of an organism

Athena:

Jordan was my first love. We shared many of our firsts--first date, first kiss, first time making love-- but this certainly did not make him my last. Don't get me wrong; I still had a profound attachment to him somewhere deep in my heart. I loved him-- at least I used to. But that was a different time before he left and took a piece of my heart with him.

"What about Xavier?" Liv questioned, mid-way through setting me up with one of the guys that lived with Alex, her boyfriend.

My interactions with the guy in question were less than noteworthy. I vaguely remember spotting him on campus a time or two. Yet, he'd never captured my attention.

"Wasn't he the one who ditched his date with Haven to go to that party? I thought she found him in bed with what's-her-name?" I retaliated in response, snapping my fingers together in a feeble attempt to conjure up her face in my mind.

This kind of banter often happened between us. It typically went like this: Liv would introduce me to a potential romantic interest, and I would dodge the matchmaking process by bringing up some stupid thing they'd done in the past.

"Her name was April. To be fair, I don't think she knew-"

Interrupting her with a sharp look, I met her eyes intently- silently conveying that I wasn't the least bit interested in knowing the personal details of the girl who was responsible for tearing open my best friend's heart.

"Will you ever get over Jordan?" She asked but continued before I had a chance to reply, "It's been how many years now, and you still won't let anyone in-- not even us. I physically can't stand to watch you devour another pint of raspberry ripple ice cream on a Friday night when Haven and I go out. It hurts us to see you this way," she said.

"It's been nearly four years," I began. Before she could interject, I added, "and I am 100% over him. Trust me."

She knew I was lying. Even Haven, who had been sitting on the couch with her eyes glued to the switch throughout the whole conversation, looked up and made a face. Neither of them uttered a word, but the expression on their faces said it all.

Liv diverted her attention back to the television, where Friends played repetitively, and I was left to rummage through my mind.

The three of us- myself, Olivia, and Haven, had become close friends after neighboring each other in freshman year. They knew all about Jordan--because his sudden departure left a gaping void in my life that made room for horrific nightmares. With walls as thin as they were, I'd woken them up many times in the twilight hours with my cries.

Our friendship was odd, to say the least. I was pre-med, Liv studied Psychology, and Haven was an English literature major with a minor in creative writing. Despite our pronounced differences, we clicked almost instantly. Over the course of a year, our friendship flourished- spending nights bonding over the smallest details could do that to you. As we grew closer, the nightmares which plagued me faded away.

We went on to get an apartment together the following year. Now, in our final semester of college, we were practically inseparable.

I spent the most time with Haven. We'd go to the bookshop where she worked, and I'd spend hours on end talking to her or losing myself in a good.

Whenever she'd start a classic in her English literature class, she would always ask me if I had a copy of it before getting her own, as she knew growing up I collected as many books as I could.