EMMA DAMIAN 15

E M M A

"You really just...left?" " Hannah was completely taken aback. I was rather pleased with how I'd conducted myself.

"I just left," I responded with a shrug. "As in, told him to Fuck off and walked out the door? ”

"Well, to put it that way. When I was on the plane, I sent him a text telling him to screw off. I know that seems cowardly, but the last thing I wanted to do was give him the opportunity to persuade me to change my mind. He's a jerk, but when he wants to be, he's a smooth operator."

Hannah sighed, as if she was still absorbing what I'd said in the previous 10 minutes.

"I'm not sure, Emma."

"You are not sure of what? ”

"I'm not sure I agree with you dumping him. That appears to be a poor manner of leaving things unfinished."

"No, it's the exact opposite," I said as I sat on my balcony, the small space heater next to me emitting nice, comforting heat. My feet were in slippers, and I was relieved to be back at home.

"The exact opposite? What do you think? ”

"I needed to get things done between us. And what better way to do it than to text him and tell him we're never going to see one other again? ” She grumbled, as if she didn't believe it would be so straightforward.

"I'm not sure. I can't imagine a guy like Damian receiving such a text and thinking, ‘Sure, guess I'll never talk to the love of my life again.’ “

I chuckled. "I am the love of his life? Come on. He broke my heart when we were in high school, and now he wanted the ego boost of hooking up with an old flame years later. It's not a big deal.

“If you say so," Hannah said.

She has an uncanny ability to see right through nonsense. And I sensed she was getting the notion I was putting up a massive wall of it. But I wasn't in the mood to explain myself. Only I knew the ins and outs of my connection with Damian, so I felt secure in claiming that I was the only one who could end it.

"I know you think I'm being childish or something, but you'll have to trust me on this. “

"Until he comes knocking at your door," she says. I shuffled in my seat, suddenly unwilling to discuss the subject.

I opened my MacBook and clicked on the spreadsheet for our company's next weeks.

"Anyway," I stated emphatically, essentially putting an end to the conversation. We've got some gatherings coming up where the finer details need to be worked out."

Hannah chuckled, and I could tell she realized she'd made a half-decent point that I didn't want to deal with at all. She said, "Right, right. So, the Santillan anniversary party is approaching."

"Yes, that's correct. How's that coming along? ”

"It appears to be some easy money job for us. It's the sixty-year anniversary, so we don't have to worry about things getting out of hand. There will be no tables of gorgeous physicians and firefighters to get the female guests all worked up."

Of course, that brought up the image of Damian in his too-tight scrubs again. And it brought back the memory of him standing across from me in the bedroom where we'd screwed, his enormous cock hanging between his legs, wearing nothing but a smug grin on his face.

“Hey, E – you there?” I shook my head, trying as hard as I could to erase Damian from my consciousness as completely as I'd erased him from my life.

“I'm here. I was just thinking about the anniversary celebration."

"Isn't it incredible? While you were in Bora yesterday, I spoke with the Santillans, and they are the cutest freaking couple you've ever seen. Isn't it amazing that they've been together for sixty years? Nowadays, couples are lucky if they can stay together for sixty days."

I forced a blasé tone into my voice and responded, "Yeah, very cute, I guess. But, you know, they're from another era. People had to stick together back then. They couldn't possibly get divorced if they didn't get along."

“Well… Not to mention," I added, standing up and cutting her off with a finger in the air. "Back then, many people married right after high school, which is the worst decision you can possibly make."

Damian and Marian's stupid adolescent marriage sprang to me as I spoke. "And then you're stuck after you're married. I seriously doubt that many of these couples were in love. ”

"I'm not certain about that; when I met with the Santillans to discuss their plans for the celebration, they were all over each other, and I joked that I'd have to get a hose if they didn't stop necking; they joked, but I was serious."

"Perhaps they were still physically attracted to each other or something, but I doubt it. True love simply does not exist." Hannah frowned as she pondered my sad observation.

"That is a rather gloomy declaration."

"It's true. Love is a made-up concept used to sell chocolates, flowers, and stupid greeting cards. And I'm not wasting any more time pretending it isn't."

As I spoke, it occurred to me that recent events were undoubtedly influencing my thoughts on the matter, something Hannah was well aware of. But it's not like I was completely smitten by Damian. It was more of a reminder that whatever had happened between us, whatever strong sentiments I had for him at the time, had all been rubbish. I hadn't fallen head over heels for him. It had been beneficial to see him again. It'd allowed me to see him for what he was: an immature knucklehead who wasn't worth the tears I'd shed for him all those years ago.

“Anyway,” I said, wanting to get back on track. “How’s the planning for the Santillans coming along?”

“All good in the hood. It’s just a little Italian dinner, a cocktail party beforehand, and that’s it. Should be some of the easiest money we’ve made.” The thought made me smile. After what felt like a big personal setback, a career victory and some extra cash were exactly what the doctor ordered. The expression caused a cringe on my face. Any mention of doctors made me think of Dr. Douchebag.

"Oh! " Hannah explained. "I can't believe I neglected to tell you about this."

"What is it? "

"Did you look at your email? ” I realized I'd been so engrossed in Damian's nonsense that I hadn't even bothered to check my mailbox. Another reason to avoid having a love life was that it was an unneeded distraction from my work.

"No," I said, switching to my business Gmail account in my Safari window.

"What is—" I didn't even have to complete the sentence. A subject heading headed "Re: Second Chance Charity Bid Proposal" appeared a few emails down in the inbox. Second Chance was one of the most promising nonprofits in the state and its neighboring states. It was started by a former Manila police commissioner who wanted to provide foster homes for children who had been victims of human trafficking so that they may recover from their trauma and return to society. I was completely convinced of their aim and wanted nothing more than to assist an organization dedicated to such a fantastic and noble goal.

But so did every other Metro Manila event planner. Larger organizations than mine had been vying for my services to handle their next event, and in order to stand out, I'd offered my services at a 25% discount. I hadn't heard back from them, so I sent them an email before the Bora trip, gently reminding their events coordinator how excited I was to design their next fundraiser. Nothing made me happier than working for charity, especially those that helped children. It was a way for me to do what I enjoyed for a good cause.

"What exactly does it say? “ I inquired, eagerly dragging the mouse to the subject heading. "I didn't check because I thought you should be the first to hear the news, good or bad."

I took a deep breath and clicked once the cursor was over the subject. And as soon as I read the body, my heart sunk.

"What does it say? " Hannah's voice was brimming with anticipation. My grin faded. I swallowed my saliva and started reading.

'Hello, Ms. Ramos. We appreciate your interest in collaborating with Second Chance Charities. Your organization is being considered for forthcoming events, and we'll contact you if we're interested in using your services. I appreciate it and Thank you. In other words, there is no answer."

"It's the same wait and see as before, but I assume this time it's official." Hannah laughed. "Well, it's better than being turned down."

"You're right," I murmured, the gravity of the day, combined with the tension I'd been dealing with for the previous few minutes, finally taking its toll. "Anyway, tonight I should try to get some rest. Let's talk tomorrow and plan out the rest of the week."

“Perfect. And please don't blame yourself for what occurred. ”

"I'll give it my all." She went after we said our goodbyes. My gaze was drawn to the sea, which was bathed in the last rays of sunlight.

“Wine. I'm in need of some wine."

I went into the kitchen and picked a bottle of halfway-decent cab off the wire wine rack over my fridge after turning on some Maroon 5. As I opened the bottle and poured a glass, my gaze was drawn to the sunset beyond the balcony, the events of the weekend flashing by in my mind's movie theater. What in the world was I thinking? Was I really under the notion that I'd be able to spend a weekend in Bora with Damian Aquino and not fall back under his spell? I had been far too trusting. But at the very least, I'd learned something: some people never change.

On the other side of my door, Damian stood. He was the picture of cool as he leaned against the wall, appearing as gorgeous as ever, despite the intensity of his knocking. What the hell is he doing in my place? That notion was pushed out of my mind because I knew it didn't matter. What mattered was what I did after that. I contemplated, my heart thudding in my chest, that I could pretend I wasn't here. He was going to go eventually. Damian would return if he has come before. There was also music playing.

Furthermore, saying I wasn't at home would be completely cowardly, a method to evade whatever was going on. Damian was the only one there. And, as serious as I was about not wanting to see him again, I didn't think I'd be able to send him a text and be done with it. He'd always been obstinate, and his current actions were no exception. My heart thudded in my chest as I considered whether I could pretend I wasn't here. He was going to leave at some point. If Damian had previously visited, he would return. Music was also being played.

"What were you thinking about earlier? " he inquired, his hand sweeping in the general direction of the city, the bat forgotten.

"You just walked away without saying anything! ”

I straightened up, "I spoke lots of damn words. I said I was taking a different flight."

"However, you didn't stay to tell me anything about it. I couldn't tell if you were serious or not. Do you have any clue how worried I was, Emma? ” My rage dissipated when I realized he was beating on the door because he was worried something had happened to me, not because I had offended him. His anxiety, however, had little effect on the facts.

"It's not my fault you didn't listen to what I said. But here I am, and everything is good. Furthermore, I am not required to respond to you. If you don't mind..." I started closing the door. Damian's hand went out with startling speed and he gripped it, holding it open. I tried to shove, but he was just too powerful.

"What are you doing here? " I asked.

"You're being a jerk, Emma. You simply got up and walked away. What kind of a manner to treat someone is that? ” He was enraged, but I was as well. And his self-righteousness fortified my rage by keeping the door open and prevented me from locking him out. All I wanted to do was slam him.

"You're a talker, jackass! " I remarked, my words tinged with fury.

"I know you have selective memory, but you're the one who has previously left me without a word, and you're the one who ripped out my heart and stomped on it by marrying that insane bully Marian. And now you have the guts to come here and yell at me because, what, I didn't leave you a card or anything when I left Bora? ” I was fine with letting my wrath flow freely through me. Damian's expression of surprise revealed that he hadn't expected this.

"What do you think? I honestly believed there was a chance we could become friends. What was I thinking? I was so foolish to believe you'd changed. But I'm not going to repeat the same error. We're done for good since you fucked me over. It may take some time to penetrate your thick, stubborn skull, but I'm confident you'll figure it out." I was fine with letting my wrath flow freely through me. Damian's expression of surprise revealed that he hadn't expected this.

I wasn't heartbroken in the least.

My tears were caused by my frustration with myself.

I was frustrated that I'd welcomed him back into my life only to have him ruin everything again.

Never, ever again. Damian and I had finished.

This time it's for real.