"Hello? Didn't we just say that all the good guys are either taken or gay?"
"I know a guy from work who I think you might like."
"What are you gonna do? Set us up? Blind date style?"
"One date, Vee. Just one date," she insisted.
"If he's such a good guy, why don't you go out with him?"
"We work together. I don't shit where I eat," she said smirking. "So?"
"I appreciate the help, but it's still a pass," I said.
"Tell me, what is Sean doing right now?" she asked.
"I don't know. I didn't ask him."
"Does he know what you're doing?"
"No. Where are you going with this?"
"Did he even reschedule? Act interested in making it up to you some other time?"
"I ignored his phone calls," I admitted.
"Then that means you feel it, too. Just let me set you up. Most guys who are worth anything won't leave you hanging after making you wait for them."
I sighed. Things with Sean were... They weren't good, but they weren't really that bad, either. Tiffany was right. If I could let his phone calls go unanswered, that meant I wasn't as into him as I was trying to convince her or myself that I was.
"Who is this guy from your work?" I asked.
"Don't worry, you'll love him," she said.
"Can you at least tell me what he looks like?"
"Trust me, Vee. I think I know you well enough to know what you're into."
"Just don't set me up with a married guy," I said, giving in. What was the worst that could happen? I thought. I wasn't cheating on Sean by seeing other people and even if this guy Tiffany knew was a piece of trash, I didn't have to see him for more than the one date I had agreed to go on. If he wasn't, hey, at least I'd get to feel what it was like to make plans with a guy for a date and have him actually show up the way he said he would. A couple hours passed before Tiffany had to leave.
It was barely nightfall, but I didn't have plans to go out again. I went to my room to take my make-up off. I'd probably whip something up for dinner, lose a few hours to HGTV, then call it a night. My purse hadn't made it all the way back to my room after the botched date with Sean. I sat it on my nightstand, opening it up to see whether I had any loose receipts, then I saw
it.
The pink was muted but still beautiful and clear. It was rose quartz; I found that out after showing it to Tiffany for the first time. That was also when I found out she hadn't helped him pick it out. The chain was still shiny and new, probably because I didn't wear it that much anymore. Or at all – I didn't wear it at all anymore. The gold chain and pink stone caught the light and shone up at me from the open space of the nightstand drawer that I had forgotten to close.
It had almost been a casualty when I was clearing all Roman's stuff out practically a year ago. I had a lot of his clothes, he had a toothbrush here, and there was this mug that he always used when he would come over. I wanted to burn all of it, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I had ended up donating the clothes, throwing out the toothbrush, giving away the mug, and burying the necklace in a forgotten drawer.
I recovered it when I was moving into this place and again, didn't have the heart to throw it out. I had gotten over the relationship, but it hadn't been long enough for me to stop seeing it as a piece of jewelry Roman had given me because we had been in love.
The way it had ended made it easy for me to be bitter. Hearing him tell me I didn't have a place in his life anymore was sometimes enough to poison every kind, loving thing he had said to me since we had started going out.
The necklace was objectively beautiful, with or without its backstory. I could think of it independently of him. One day, I'd even be able to wear it again. I closed the drawer and went back into the kitchen to make something for dinner.
Chapter Seven
Roman
I wasn't sure what time it was, but if I had to guess, maybe some time after five but before six. My body just didn't know how to sleep in anymore.