Everyone except Emily had a few drinks by now, faces flushed and laughter getting louder with every round. It was only a matter of time before someone started ranting about their exes.
Some stories had everyone doubled over, some left a few girls dabbing at their eyes, and then there were the truly wild breakups that made Jenny snort so hard she nearly choked. She turned to Emily–the only one still nursing a glass of soda–and nudged her.
“Come on, Emily, spill. Got any ex drama?”
Emily blinked, caught off guard. For a second; a rush of old memories threatened to surface, but she swallowed them back. It had been long enough that even the name Damon didn’t sting anymore. Still, sitting here with these younger girls, all students, she didn’t know how to explain any of it. The table went quiet.
Sensing the shift, Jenny quickly changed the subject, saving Emily from having to answer. The mood bounced back, and the conversation moved on.
Later, after everyone headed home and Jenny was a bit more clear–headed, she hovered in the doorway, looking apologetic. “Sorry about earlier, Emily. I shouldn’t have put you on the spot. Too much wine, I guess.”
Emily just laughed, gave Jenny’s hair a playful ruffle, and told her to get some sleep.
Once the apartment was quiet, Emily cleaned up, got ready for bed, and curled up with her phone. She opened the new messaging app she’d set up before moving to Australia. Only her best friend knew about it–no one else back home even had her new number.
She stared at the dozens of notifications lighting up her screen, the little red dots still multiplying. She scrolled through the messages. Nearly all of them were about Damon.
“Is Damon for real? Wasn’t he all cozy with his ‘one true love‘? The minute you leave, he suddenly realizes what he lost? Please. Does he think he’s starring in some tragic romance where he can just win you back with a little regret?”
“He keeps bugging me, asking where you went. Don’t worry, I’d never tell him.”
“Oh, get this–about a month ago, Damon had a huge fight with his mom at some family dinner. I think he actually blamed her for making you leave.”
‘This guy is unbelievable. As if his mom is the problem. Isn’t it obvious? He couldn’t stay loyal, and he still tried to play you.”
‘He’s been drinking almost every night, too. I heard he got so wasted he landed in the ER with a stomach problem. The doctors warned him to quit or else. Honestly, he’s lucky. Why couldn’t he just drink himself out of our lives?”
And on and on–the group chat was basically a Damon roast session.
Reading it all, Emily felt nothing. Not anger, not sadness–just a strange sense of distance, like
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all those memories belonged to someone else.
She pulled back the curtains. The sky outside was a clear, endless blue, sunlight streaming in and warming her skin until every trace of the past felt like it had finally faded away.
“Emily, I’m off to class!” Jenny’s cheerful voice echoed from the hallway.
Emily smiled, calling back, “Take care, don’t rush!” She glanced at her phone, her voice lighter than it had felt in ages as she recorded a quick message: “No need to update me about Damon anymore. I’m done with that part of my life.”
And just like that, the last remnants of the past let go. She felt free, truly and completely, for the first time in ages.
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