4 - Too much of a coincidence

"Are you ok?" 

Was she?

Again, with that question.

"No!" Of course not!

How could she be ok?

It has been a week since she caught Collin cheating. But honestly, it felt like it had happened just yesterday. The pain of betrayal and loss still haunted her. 

"But I will be." She reassured her friend. But the expression on her friend's face told her that she was doubtful.

But she could not blame her when she barely believed what she had just said either. She guessed it was not that easy to let go of her past.

Frankly, she could not believe her luck when a handsome, successful, and wealthy man took notice of her, more so when he started taking their relationship more seriously.

"I love you, Charlene." He told her after three months of dating. 

Of course, she did not believe him immediately as she waited for the other shoe to drop. The idea that someone like him would love her was just too unthinkable.

Honestly, she had never dared dream of finding someone who would want her. After years of bouncing from one foster family to another, she had given up on love.

"I love you, too, Collin." However, as months went by, she eventually fell for his charm. She finally let herself fall in love with him. 

Then, one day, he popped the question.

"Will you marry me?" He asked unexpectedly, leaving her stunned and speechless.

Out of the blue, he knelt on his knees and presented her with an expensive ring. Then, he proclaimed how much he loved her and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. 

"Yes, I will." She answered breathlessly, totally surprised, not anticipating his proposal.

But, of course, she did not need to think twice about her answer. She felt she could finally have someone to love and love her back.

At that moment, she saw herself building a family with this man. For the first time, she finally allowed herself to believe in the fantasy that she had when she was young.

"You just made me the luckiest man. I promise I will love and cherish you for the rest of our lives." Collin pushed the ring on her finger.

Of course, she believed him. She foolishly trusted him with her heart as she started building a future around him. But sadly, he ended up breaking her heart.

However, she believed she could not get over him in just a snap of her fingers. After all, two years together was still a long time. 

Despite the awful thing he had done, she did love him. Besides, she could not ignore that he had been good to her. 

"You know he doesn't deserve you, Charlie. So, stop torturing yourself. You have to move on." Her friend's advice sounded reasonable, but she would have done it by now if that had been that easy.

But it was not that simple, as the ache still lingered in her heart, reminding her of the love and trust she had lost. She thought he was her forever, but now, she had to start over again.

"You can do this." Her friend gave her a sweet smile of encouragement, shoving a drink in her hand while taking up the chair beside her as they sat at their favorite bar on their girls' night out.

"I know, Anna." It was easier said than done. Nevertheless, she had to find a way to move on.

Then she found herself thinking about the roses that filled her trash can back at home. It was freshly delivered that morning. Of course, it came from the man who broke her heart.

The card said.

CHARLENE

PLEASE FORGIVE ME. 

GIVE ME ANOTHER CHANCE.

I LOVE YOU.

COLLIN

How could she forgive someone who broke her trust?

No! 

No way!

She knew she could never go back to what they used to be. She could never be able to put her faith in him. Moreover, she would never love a cheater like him. 

"You know what. You're right." She truly wanted to agree with her friend, so she genuinely smiled, raising her glass for a toast.

"Of course I am." Anna confidently said as she turned to her, stopping her from dwelling further on her unwanted thoughts. "So, tonight, we are going to celebrate your freedom."

Anna moved closer, faced her, and stared into her eyes. Then, her friend grabbed her by the hand and forced her to look at her.

"Come on, Charlie. I need you to snap out of this." Her friend waved her hand as she attempted to cheer her up.

"Promise! I'll do my best." She rubbed her face with her fingers and stared at her friend. Then, she pulled herself together. "We'll party all night." She grabbed another shot of the tequila and downed it in one gulp.

"That's my girl." Her friend cheered with her.

"Damn! Whoa! That was strong." But she picked another one on the counter and toasted her friend as they drank her woes away.

"That's better, but I have a better idea." Anna winked at her, looking like she also had her fill, before she dragged her away from the bar, forcing her on her feet before pushing her toward the dancefloor.

"Where are we going?" She asked, but not without protest as she struggled to keep up with her friend's long stride.

Usually, she would not have any problem with her foot coordination, but not at that moment, as her vision became blurry and her world spun uncontrollably around her.

"Oh my! I think I'm drunk." She thought as her body swerved left and right while her feet clumsily balanced to remain upright.

"Damn! My boss would kill me." She muttered as she thought of the headache and the hangover the following morning. 

Although it was the weekend, she still had to go to work the next day. A modeling job was not precisely an eight-to-five profession like her previous jobs.

"Stop thinking about tomorrow. Just live for the moment." Her friend suggested. 

Rationally, she would never agree with her friend's twisted philosophy. But she was not acting sensibly. Besides her emotional turmoil, the alcohol in her system had already created havoc in her decision-making.

"Dance with me. It is the perfect night to let loose, Charlie." Her friend stopped in the middle of the rowdy crowd, urging her to sway with her to the blaring music and throbbing lights.

"It is time that you have some fun again, girl." Her friend insisted, reminding her she barely had time for her friend since she always prioritized her fiancé over everything else.

Yeah! She could not deny that she had neglected her friend since her relationship with Collin. For the past two years, her world had only revolved around him.

"And you need to look at the bigger picture." Her friend spread her arms for her to see. "Collin is not the man for you. He never was."

She had always known that Anna never liked Collin for her, even though her friend could see that he had always been kind and attentive to her.

"I never saw the spark between the two of you." That was her friend, with her insights. "And kindness doesn't equate passionate love." 

Suddenly, her friend's words made her think. Did she like Collin because he was kind to her? Did she misinterpret love with gratitude?

"Now, let's see if we can find the man of your dreams. The man who could make you forget your problems and even your name." Her friend teasingly said as she let her eyes wander, scanning the dimly lit room.

"I don't think I can look at another man ever again." She had had enough of the opposite sex. She believed she could never entrust her heart again.

"I'll never love again." She made a sweeping declaration, shaking her head at her friend as she swayed her body in time with the music. At least she tried her best.

"Who said anything about love?" Her friend raised her eyebrows at her. "I'm talking about mind-blowing sex that would make you forget about that asshole of an ex."

She should have expected that from her dearest friend. Unlike her, her friend was not precisely hurrying to find true love. Her motto had always been to live for the moment.

"What about him?" Anna immediately asked, pointing to a man sitting with a group of men not far from them. "He seemed interested." She whispered, or shouted in her ears, over the noise.

Soon, she was adjusting her eyes to the slightly dim light of the club as she tried to look at the person her friend referred to.

"Him?" She confusedly asked, scrunching her forehead in the middle of her eyebrows.

Was she drunk?

Or was this too much of a coincidence?