Page 2 of Sweet Dreams

Kelly: "Hey girl, how'd the surprise go? Did Keith love the early Christmas present?"

A bitter laugh escaped Beth's lips. Oh, he'd gotten an early Christmas present, alright-just not from her.

With shaking fingers, Beth typed out a reply:

Beth :"Can you come over? I need you."

Kelly's response was immediate:"On my way. What's wrong?"

Beth couldn't bring herself to type out the words. Instead, she sent back a single broken heart emoji.

Upstairs, a door slammed. Beth flinched, then straightened her spine. She wouldn't let them see her cry. Not now.

Footsteps thundered down the stairs. Keith appeared in the kitchen doorway, hastily dressed, with a duffel bag slung over his shoulder. Gina trailed behind him, mascara streaking her cheeks.

"Beth," Keith started, his voice pleading. "Can we please talk about this?"

Beth fixed him with an icy stare. "I think you've done enough."

"It didn't mean anything," he tried again. "It was a mistake."

"A mistake?" Beth's voice was quiet, dangerous. "A mistake is burning cookies or forgetting to set your alarm. This?" She gestured between him and Gina. "This is a choice. You made your choice, Keith. Now live with it."

Gina stepped forward, wringing her hands. "Beth, I'm so sorry. I never meant for this to happen. Please, I need this job..."

"Should have thought of that before you fucked my boyfriend," Beth snapped. "Get out. Both of you."

Keith opened his mouth to argue, but something in Beth's expression made him think better of it. He nodded once, defeated, and headed for the door. Gina followed, her head bowed.

As Keith reached for the doorknob, Beth called out, "Oh, and Keith?" He turned, hope flickering in his eyes. Beth smiled, cold and hard. "Merry Christmas."

The door closed behind them with a final click. Beth stood in the sudden silence, her heart pounding in her ears. Then, as if her strings had been cut, she crumpled to the floor.

Sobs wracked her body, ugly and raw. All the pain and betrayal she'd been holding back came pouring out. She curled into herself, hugging her knees to her chest as she cried.

This wasn't how it was supposed to go. She'd come home early to surprise Keith and celebrate the success of her new holiday menu at her bakery, Sweet Dreams. Now, her relationship was in tatters, and her bakery was short-staffed right before the Christmas rush.

A key turned in the lock, followed by hurried footsteps. "Beth? Honey, where are you?"

Her best friend, Kelly’s voice, was like a lifeline. Beth choked out a strangled "Here" between sobs.

Kelly appeared in the kitchen doorway, her blonde hair windswept and her cheeks flushed from the cold. Her blue eyes widened at the sight of Beth on the floor. In an instant, she was by Beth's side, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Oh, sweetie," Kelly murmured, stroking Beth's hair. "What happened?"

Beth buried her face in Kelly's shoulder, her words muffled. "Keith... Gina... They were..."

Understanding dawned on Kelly's face. "That son of a bitch," she hissed. "I'll kill him."

Despite everything, Beth let out a watery chuckle. "Get in line."

Kelly pulled back, cupping Beth's tear-stained face in her hands. "Okay, here's what we're going to do. I'm going to pour us some wine, grab that pint of emergency ice cream I know you have hidden in the freezer, and we're going to talk about what an asshole Keith is. Sound good?"

Beth nodded, sniffling. "Can we add burning his clothes to that list?"

"Honey, we can set his entire wardrobe on fire if that's what you want," Kelly said, helping Beth to her feet. "But first, wine."

As Kelly busied herself in the kitchen, Beth sank onto the couch, feeling drained. She stared at the Christmas tree in the corner, its cheerful lights now seeming to mock her. She and Keith had decorated it together just last week, laughing and stealing kisses as they hung ornaments. Had he been thinking of Gina even then?

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