Misconstrue

TWELVE months, yeah?

The conversation between the two sisters on the TV screen resonate heavily with me and I grow intrigued as listen to them. Love vs attraction. Can there be one without the other? Can you be in love with someone without being attracted to them? Can you be attracted to someone and not love them?

Hell. What do I know?

The men who I thought were attracted to me - aren't. And there's not a soul out there who really loves me for the way I am. Well, except for Ben, Alex, and my dad. I guess I could count my grandmother as well, but she did tell my dad that I'm crazy.

Hater.

The bag beside me ruffles as I grab a handful of sweet and salty kettle corn. The love vs attraction debate is now forgotten as the women are now at a party. The conversations pull me in, because let's be honest, other people's drama is much more entertaining than my own. And by drama, I mean the dead end that I've arrived at now my dating life has been put on pause. 

Homura hasn't contacted me since that disaster of a breakfast date. David is MIA as usual and I'm beginning to think that I should reach out, constantly be on his ass, but is it even my place? Christopher has been blowing up my phone, but I don't need him to make me feel insecure - I can do that on my own, thank you very much. 

Surprisingly Emilio and I have been in constant contact with each other. I find him both friendly and annoying, a combination that I'm somehow tolerating. Now, I haven't seen him since he came to my rescue at Christopher's since our schedules haven't aligned. I'm pretty sure he's somewhere in Asia, or is he on his way back from Asia?

After Googling Emilio's net worth, it became apparent that he's definitely not ordinary and I can kinda see why Christopher was carrying such a hard-on for him. Emilio and I live in different worlds, and I'm still a little confused as to why he wants to be friends with me.

But despite all of that, he makes me feel comfortable.

The jingling sound of Ben's keys catches my attention and I sigh contently at his arrival. The door creaks as he steps inside, I hear a loud sigh and his sneakers hitting the floor as the door slams shut behind him. 

"Ermenjarta." I roll my eyes at the sound of my first name. "I stopped by your dad's and picked up some jerk chicken." I flash him a thumbs up from the couch. "Alex says you should reply to his texts or else he'll show up here unannounced."

Ben's voice grows closer and I feel a hand on my shoulder as he joins me on the couch. "Peppa Pig blanket, popcorn, and The Real Housewives of Atlanta. Are you in a slump?"

"Yeah." I say softly. "A dating one." Ben sighs then sits beside me. "The dating pool for our age group is absolute shit." I look over at Ben who's sporting a small smile. "Yeah, you wouldn't know anything about that."

"Are you trying to make me feel bad for having a girlfriend?" I nod with a hum. "Yikes, Balei." We chuckle in unison. "Are you up for going out?"

"No." I respond immediately and Ben chucks a popcorn at me. 

"We got invited to DeeEl's album launch party." I make a face as I don't recognize the name. "That Haitian DJ you were obsessed with will be there."

I sit up in a flash. "What?" Ben stifles a laugh. "We're going."

He lets the laugh out. "I thought you were in a slump?"

"I'm not that awkward undergrad anymore." I flash my curls over my shoulder. "I can get any man." Ben's look of uncertainty doesn't go unnoticed. "You're an ass."

I head to the kitchen counter where a Sainsbury's bag rests comfortably. I do a happy dance as I can smell the delicacy even though it's in a container. "Emilio will be there."