Page 74 of Accidental Roommates

“The airport. I’m waiting for a flight. I know it’s loud, but it’s the only time I had to talk.”

She’s been traveling nonstop for her job and working seven days a week. She texts me all the time, but I haven’t talked to her since the first week of classes.

“Sorry it took me so long to call. I like the job, but the hours are insane. I never get a break.”

“Don’t worry about it. I know you’re busy. I am too. The professors here assign a lot more work than my old school.”

“But are you liking it?”

“I love it. The college is great.”

“I’m really sorry I haven’t called. You needed a friend after the whole Liam thing and I haven’t been there for you. I feel terrible.”

“It’s fine. I understand. And your texts have helped.”

Every day, she sends me inspirational texts about moving on, staying strong, the joys of being single. I don’t know where she gets all these inspirational quotes. Some are lame, but some are actually good, like the one about how a relationship should bring you peace, not stress.

Being with Liam was stressful, yet I didn’t realize it when I was dating him. I assumed the anxious feeling I’d get when I was around him was love. But the rapid heartbeat? The nervous feeling in my stomach? Never feeling relaxed? Those weren’t signs of love. They were signs of stress.

I was always trying to do things to make Liam happy, but it never worked because he’s just not a happy person. Tori saw that, but I didn’t. She kept telling me to stop trying so hard with Liam. To stop doing so much for him. She could see all my efforts to please him were stressing me out, but I couldn’t.

Being with Jace is never stressful. I can relax around him, and when I’m stressed from my classes, he calms me down. Even if we’re not talking, just being near him relaxes me.

That’s how I should’ve felt when I was with Liam. He was my boyfriend, the guy I loved. Being with him should’ve made me feel good, which I thought it did, but I always had this underlying anxiety around him.

“You sound so much better,” Tori says. “I know you don’t believe this, but you were a mess when you were with Liam. The guy was making you miserable and you couldn’t even see it.”

“I do now. Liam wasn’t right for me. I’m not sure he’s right for anyone until he figures out why he’s so unhappy.”

“Finally! You’re finally getting it!”

“What?”

“You’re finally getting that Liam is just one of those people who can’t be happy no matter what. He’ll never be satisfied with what he has. It’ll never be good enough. That’s why he’ll cheat on every girl he dates.”

“You knew he’d cheat on me?”

“I was hoping he wouldn’t, but honestly?” She sighs. “When you told me, I wasn’t that surprised.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that when I was dating him?”

“Because you wouldn’t have believed me. And then you would’ve been mad at me for saying it. You thought Liam was the one. You talked about marrying him. Nothing I said would’ve changed your mind. You thought the guy was perfect.”

“Not perfect, but I did think he was the one. How could I be so stupid?”

“You aren’t stupid. You just wanted something so badly that you overlooked all his faults. But now look at you. It’s only been what… a month since you two broke up? And you’re doing great. I thought you’d still be blaming yourself, but you’re actually seeing Liam for the person he really is. Maybe my inspirational texts actually worked.” She laughs.

“They did, but it’s also Jace. He’s helped me see Liam for the guy he really is, instead of the guy I wanted him to be.”

“Have you and Jace been talking a lot?”

“Yeah, but not about Liam. It’s just being around Jace has made me realize a relationship shouldn’t be as difficult or as stressful as it was with Liam.”

“But you’re not dating Jace.”

“Yeah, but if we were dating, I don’t think anything would change. I wouldn’t be constantly trying to make Jace happy because he’s already a happy person. He doesn’t look for the bad in everything the way Liam did. Even after Jace broke up with his ex, he wasn’t acting like the world was going to end. He was trying to get past it, learn from it, and find a way to move on.”

“Have you two been hanging out a lot?”

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