Page 9 of I Love You Again
Chapter 3
Present Day….
Trina never got over Brad,she reflected withbitterness.
The days became more manageable as time went by but she'd never been able to mend that hole he left in her heart and that piece of her soul he'd ripped away when she realized he'd left her and wouldn't be coming back. He'd left her bereft and desolate, and withouthope.
She was eighteen when she last saw him. She'd just gotten accepted into Stanford and was so happy. The happiness she felt made up for any depression she may have suffered when Brad had gotten himself introuble.
He was happy for her too, and they talked about how they would arrange to see each other when she left. They loved each other so much that they didn't even concern themselves with the whole long distance problem most people worried about. She knew they'd always be together no matter where shewas.
But, she found out the hard way that all that belief was nonsense, and only a figment of her imagination. Brad never loved her. He was too selfish to love anyone besides himself and thought so little of her that he left her, just like that without sayinggoodbye.
She didn't find out until she went to meet him for the special date he'd planned at the new Italian restaurant that had opened up near his house.Ciao Bella,it was called. She remembered it now. She’d gotten so dressed up in a new dress she’d bought the day before and six inch heels. She’d had Elena –her best friend at the time –do her hair and make-up, and spray her all over with expensive perfume Elena’s mom had gotten fromParis.
Then of she ventured to meet Brad at the restaurant where she waited for him until theyclosed.
He never turnedup.
Deciding not to believe the obvious she'd gone to the police station to check if he'd been arrested again, but he hadn't. She looked for him everywhere, for days, for months and no one knew where he went. Even when she left for Stanford, she still continued to search for him. Posting on the net, checking with the police, filing a missing person’sreport.
Her life was made worse months later that year when her father died. She was home for the holidays, still hoping Brad would showup.
Her father saw Christmas Day, but died in his sleep the nextday.
After he died she found out he'd had a brain tumor he kept from her. He wrote her a letter with a lengthy apology, but it wasn't enough. Nothing was enough, and at the time she felt the only person who could have comforted her wasBrad.
She felt for sure Brad would come to her father's funeral, but he didn't. It was only then that she came to accept that he really had left her for good,left them, and true depression worked its way into her soul. She’d thought that he was truly despicable, after all her father did for him. Brad could have at the very least gone to pay his respects. But no, where ever he’d ventured to must have been more important and he was too selfish to even dothat.
She could have accepted and understood that he didn't love her, and he didn't want to be with her, but to disrespect her father likethat...
It told her everything, and that was when any love she felt for him turned tohate.
Tonight, her soul tore apart all over again as she saw him walking next to Neil. It was as if the past meant nothing tohim.
"Can I have another one of those please," she asked the very cute bartender with his sharp haircut and classic good looks. He gave her that concerned look again with his baby blues, like he did when she first came incrying.
Trina had ended up at this bar and had been here for the lasthour.
Or maybe she’d been here a little longer. She couldn't be certain. Her mind felt fuzzy and bruised as if someone had been rubbing it against a grater. She didn't recognize her surroundings at all but thought she'd eventually work her way back to herroom.
There was no way she was going back yet though. Her friends would be there with their questions. And maybe Brad would be theretoo.
She couldn't believe he thought he could explain anything to her. She wasn't interested in whatever it was he had tosay.
"Are you sure? This will be your fifth. Most people can only handle two or three." The bartender smiled revealing gorgeousdimples.
She didn't realize she'd had so many. Maybe she could handle it because she didn't drink. Trina never liked the taste of alcohol but knew it was the best remedy forshock.
"It tastes nice." She bit her lip and straightened up. "The way you do it makes it tastenice."
"Okay, since you like how I make it let me make you something else. Lessstrong."
She'd come in and asked for the strongest drink he had. He'd made it for her, and it was strong indeed with a super bitter taste, but he'd put lots of fruit and syrup init.
"Okay then," sheslurred.
With that, he winked at her and moved away to make it. As she pulled in a breath the room spun and she had to hold on to the edge of the bar counter to stop from falling off thestool.
