Page 1 of Kissing My Grumpy Ex Boyfriend

CHAPTER1

Bellamy

Sitting alone on the bench outside of the train station in my hometown, I feel like I did when I was eighteen and leaving for college.

At the time, my parents were too wrapped up in their own academic lives to stop what they were doing and bring me to school. A part of me wondered then if their parental abandonment was because I chose to go to a university where they weren’t tenured professors. Instead, I took my own path to higher education. It was still the direction they wanted me to go in but on a different road. I guess I’ve always tried to be defiant in my own way—then and now.

It’s been years since I’ve been back home. There’s a whole lot of history and heartbreak in this town that I haven’t been ready to face. I’m still not ready to face it, but sometimes life throws you into the deep end of life and forces you to sink or swim.

When my mother called me and told me that my grandparents were renewing their vows on their sixtieth wedding anniversary this year, my long overdue return was finally going to happen. And despite my wishing it to be so, it’s not like they can bring the party to me. Besides, I’m happy to be home now that I’m here, even though my heart is heavy with memories of my ex-boyfriend, Aiden Langley.

Even with the years away, it’s hard not to notice how the buildings are older and yet still look the same. The same cookie-cutter streets hold that Mayberry appeal so many small towns seem to possess. I’m lucky to be from a place that tries to keep that charm alive. I’m sad to see that the ice cream shop on the corner is no longer there. That’s where Aiden took me on our first date, if you can really call it a date. His mom and dad drove us and sat a few booths away from us, pretending like they weren’t watching our every move.

Several honks of a car horn pull me out of my walk down memory lane. I blink and look around to see my best friend Tegan pull up in her aging VW bug. She slams on her brakes, and I wince as they squeal, but she manages to stop before hitting any of the other cars waiting to pick someone up. Her door creeks as she launches herself out of the vehicle and around the car to greet me.

“You’re here!” She yells. “You’re here. You’re finally here.”

I stand and walk over to the curb to greet her. “It’s been too long.”

She holds out her arms and pulls me tight into a hug. I laugh as she squeezes me a little too tight. “Breathe. Need to breathe.”

“Oh, sorry.” Tegan laughs and releases me. She steps back to look me up and down.

We talk on the phone all the time, but this is the first time we are seeing each other since she came out to visit me last year. Looking at the two of us, you wouldn’t think that we were best friends. My look leans more preppy with shirts, tights, and a matching cardigan sweater set. While Tegan’s artistic flair shines out in her long flowy dresses, chunky jewelry, and long wavy blonde hair.

“You must have had all the professors wanting to give you extra credit,” she teases as she bends over and grabs my bag.

“Eww,” I groan, following her to the front of her car. “You do remember my parents are professors, right?”

“Not at your school,” she says as she opens the trunk. Or at least tries to open it. The latch is stuck. “Not again.”

“When are you finally going to retire this piece of junk?”

Tegan makes a face like she’s utterly scandalized by what I’ve just said.

“How can you say that about my baby?” She runs her hand over the hood of the car and leans down to whisper, “Don’t listen to that mean woman. She’s just grumpy since she hasn’t been laid in—”

“Okay, okay! I’m sorry!” I shake my head.

“Don’t say it to me.” She glances at the car. “Say it to him.”

“You are certifiable. You know that, right?”

“So, I’ve been told.” Tegan grunts as she tries to pull the hood open. Then she gives it a solid kick, and it pops up. “He just needs a little tough love sometimes.”

“Somethings never change.”

She smiles, tosses my bag in the trunk, and slams the lid closed. “Okay, let’s go!”

I grin and shake my head. Tegan has always been an outgoing, lively one of the two of us. She knew how to fill the silence when my shy self wasn’t able to keep up with my part of the conversation. My head was always down in my books, and Tegan helped me look up and see that life was passing me by.

Growing up with goal-minded parents, I didn’t have much time for silliness. They thought of children as a societal requirement, not because they felt a calling to grow their family and open their hearts. They treated me like an adult, forcing me to grow up too soon and miss out on all the fun kids get to have. But Tegan showed me what I was missing then and now. She’s the reason I’ve decided to change the course I’m currently on, although she doesn’t know it. I didn’t really know myself until I knew I was coming back. I’m ready for a change, whatever it may be.

We get in the car, and she gives me the nickel tour as we catch up.

It’s funny how you think that when you leave a place, it doesn’t just sit there waiting for your return— it moves on. I’m grateful for the distraction since I need a bit more time before seeing my parents. They will want to jump in and discuss my plans, but I’m not ready.

“So, there’s this open audition in the city for a play in a few weeks,” Tegan explains as we turn down Main Street in town. “I’m thinking of going out for the lead.”

---