Page 6 of Love By a Landslide

In their bedroom—correction: what was their bedroom until just a minute ago—Lucy stood dumbfounded.What just happened?They’d spent four years together, and though she never could picture herself marrying Brodan, she hadn’t been ready for it to end quite yet.

The notion of going after him flitted through her mind but didn’t linger. Lowering slowly, she sat on the edge of the bed and dropped her head into her hands. She attempted a sob, squeezing her eyes shut, trying to wring water out of a dry washcloth. She had every intention of crying, but couldn’t seem to make the tears fall.

Chapter three

Later that morning: Lucy

Lucy had been unable to sleep since Brodan left. She stayed in bed for a while, staring at the side table clock, watching the minutes flip by along with a montage of her life over the past four years.What a waste.After the passing of another hour, she said, “Fuck it,” and abandoned the futile pursuit in favor of packing while the rest of the city lay quiet. She showered and started collecting her things in a pile on the bed to take stock of how many boxes she would need. Two short hours later, everything Lucy owned sat atop the duvet, folded and organized into a few neat stacks.

“Huh.” Lucy puffed out a breath and glanced around the room, mumbling to herself, “That can’t be all of it.” She looked up where to find the nearest twenty-four-hour grocery store. Maybe a clerk or stocker would take pity on her so she could weasel a few boxes before they broke them down for recycling.

By six a.m., with a cup of coffee perched haphazardly on top of the large stack of boxes, Lucy lumbered back to the apartment. She set the wobbling game of cardboard Jenga next to the entryway and fished her keys from her purse. As the tower toppled, she snatched the twenty-ounce red eye from the top, saving the blessed caffeine from splattering across the recently recarpeted hallway. With a sigh of relief, she tested a sip.Ouch. Still too hot.

She propped open the door with one of Brodan’s largeboots and unceremoniously heaved and kicked the boxes through the threshold. The corner of one clipped a picture frame sitting on the entryway table, knocking it to the floor. She knelt to pick up the photo. It was a panned-out shot of her and Brodan’s first date. Above their heads, the iconic Pike Place Market sign glowed a jarring shade of red against the darkening sky. Four-years-ago-Lucy stood on tip-toes, planting a kiss on a grinning Brodan’s cheek while he wrapped an arm around her waist. She traced the cracked glass with her finger, wincing when a sharp edge drew blood. A burst of anger filled her chest and she flung the frame across the room. It shattered against the brick accent wall, shards flying in all directions.

“Shit.” Despite being dumped on her birthday and told to move out immediately, Lucy wasn’t keen on trashing the place. As she swept up the mess, her mother’s voice played in her head like a recording:Look on the bright side, peanut.

And what would that be, Mom?

No response.

That’s what I thought.

Grabbing a box and her finally-cool-enough-to-drink coffee, Lucy went back into the bedroom to resume packing. When she eyed the stacks again, they seemed even smaller than before. Lucy turned to do another lap through the cabinets and drawers, but paused when her phone buzzed on the side table.

Brodan?

Her heart fluttered. With hope? No, it felt more like acid reflux.

Lucy hesitated a moment, considered leaving the phone right where it was, but changed her mind and picked it up. She let out a relieved sigh and smiled weakly.

Todd:

Thinking of you, beautiful! Thank you so much for coming out and supporting this broke queen! Love, love, love you!

Lucy:

You were fabulous as usual!

I can’t believe you’re up already, though! I’m impressed...

Todd:

Oh, honey! I haven’t even MADE it to bed yet! LOL. Just headed home in the cab now.

Why are you up at this ungodly hour?

Lucy:

Couldn’t sleep. Brodan and I broke up.

Three dots popped up on her screen then disappeared. Lucy waited for a minute, chewing on her bottom lip, then put her phone down to get back to work.

Thirty minutes and two more sweeps later, the only things Lucy found to add to her pile were an old quilt in the back of the linen closet and a shoebox full of novelty magnets from every national park she had ever visited. The realization that all her belongings boiled down to a few measly boxes was jarring. She hadn’t expected to make such a small footprint in her own apartment.His apartment. Had she really never demanded more than this?

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. Lucy hurriedover to the entryway, peeked through the peephole and threw open the door. “Do my eyes deceive me, or has the infamous Dirty O’Feelya shown up on my doorstep?”

Todd stood on the welcome mat, eight-inch heels and duffel bag in one hand and a bottle of champagne in the other. “Dirty O’Feelya called it a night the second she got your text.” He sauntered by, planting a light kiss on his friend’s forehead. “How are you doin’, sweet pea?” he asked, barely able to contain his grin.

---