Love for Dessert (Contemporary Romance) (2 page)

**

Anastasia woke up in the morning to an empty apartment. She sighed as the reality hit her, that Aaron wasn’t loving towards her, she felt completely alone, and that she felt like their relationship had an expiration date. But still, she had an appearance to keep up. One of a happy relationship, a perfect home.

So she ran a comb through her hair, brushed her teeth, put her makeup on. In the mirror, she looked bright and happy, nothing like what she felt. She plodded with her fuzzy slippers to the kitchen, where she found a note on the table.

Anastasia—

We need to talk. I’ll be home at two.

Her hands began to shake as she clutched the small sheet of paper. Those initial four words... They meant so much though they were but simple ones. Her mouth grew dry as she licked her suddenly dry lips. “This can’t be happening…” she moaned quietly as she looked at the kitchen clock. One forty-five. It wasn’t enough time for her to mentally prepare. And now she realized with a pang that she was preparing for the worst.

Anastasia made herself a warm cup of tea as she sat down at the kitchen table, and waited for Aaron to come home. Time ticked by slowly like mud as she waited. The key turned in the door at two fifteen, and Anastasia’s heart began to beat like mad. She didn’t turn her head to look at him, but she heard him come in and drop his keys into the bowl. She heard the telltale sound of his bag falling to the floor. “Hi,” he said in his familiar voice and for a heartbeat, she believed everything was normal.

“Hi…” she breathed out.

“Did you get my note?”

She nodded timidly.

He dragged a chair dragged across the floor loudly and took a seat. “Anastasia… I can’t do this anymore. I’ve been lying to you.”

“About what?” Anastasia’s voice was quiet. If it wasn’t too bad a thing, she would forgive him. It’s what people in relationships did. They forgave and they moved on. That’s what she believed.

“I’m not in love with you anymore,” he mumbled so softly as drops of water gathered at the corner of his eye. It was painful seeing the look on her face, and he still loved her, though he no longer wanted to be romantically involved with her for the rest of his life.

Anastasia couldn’t even cry, she just sat there, frozen. It would have been better if he had just stabbed her in the heart. She felt stunned, and unable to even say anything.

“I’m sorry, Anastasia. We’re too different.” He raised a hand and wiped away a tear. “Please. Say something.”

“I… I can change.” Her voice quivered and sounded so completely weak as she spoke. “Please, Aaron, don’t leave me.” Anastasia’s greatest fear was being alone. And now, it was staring her in the face, all too real, all too fast. “I’ll do anything.”

“I’m sorry, Anastasia, I’ve already made up my mind.” Aaron shook his head, defeated, as he closed his eyes and tried to blink back his tears. This was breaking his heart, but nearly not as much as he was breaking hers.

Anastasia felt the all too familiar sting in her nose as tears began to well up. She wasn’t sure what to say. She wanted to yell at him, to call him an asshole, to scream other profanities in his face but there was no use. She was going to be alone. “Aaron… Did I mean nothing to you? Don’t you love me?” She was completely aware of how pathetic she must have looked and sounded, but she didn’t care. If it would make him stay, it would be worth every shred of her pride that she shed.

“I… I’ll be out by the end of the week.” Aaron slid his chair back and stood up. His face was emotionless as he turned his eyes away from her. She looked so broken, sitting there, her face in her hands. He didn’t want to cry in front of her. It would only make things harder.

She waited until she heard the slamming of the bedroom door before allowing herself to succumb to the tears. Her body was wracked with sobs as she felt the weight of the world crash onto her shoulders. All these years, she had worked so hard to please Aaron, to make sure that he was happy, but it seemed like nothing she did helped. She cried as she poured herself a glass of wine, determined to drown out her thoughts.

She drank glass after glass until she decided that it was useless to keep pouring herself new ones for she was eventually going to drink the entire thing anyway. Anastasia fell asleep with the bottle in her arms, her makeup running down her face in disarray.

**

Pain.

That was all Anastasia could feel, mentally and physically. Her head pounded as she regretted drinking so much the night before. But she wasn’t cold, there was a blanket wrapped around her. Aaron was the only person who could have put it on her, and it hurt to realize that he still cared about her. She would rather have him hate her, that way it would be much less painful.

The warm comforter still smelled like him and she pulled it in towards her nose, breathing in his familiar smell. It comforted her, yet brought on a fresh wave of tears as she realized that within a couple of weeks, she would never be able to feel this delicious scent fill her nose again.

“I miss you,” she murmured out quietly, to no one at all. She knew he couldn’t hear her, and was probably already out. She forced herself to get up, to check the bedroom, and just as she thought, he wasn’t there. Her eyes scanned across the now somewhat empty room, and realized that Aaron had already taken most of his clothes. He had been planning this for weeks. And she had missed every sign.

He had left a couple winter jackets in the closet, and she brushed her nose across them; the scent made her feel like he was still there, holding her in his arms. She collapsed onto the bed, and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

**

Anastasia woke up to the familiar sound of her ringtone echoing loudly throughout the small apartment. It was darker outside, and Anastasia guessed it to be around four in the afternoon. It was her mother.
Damn it.
“Hello?” she answered quietly, praying that her mother couldn’t detect what a state she was in.

But Erica Emmott was no fool. “What’s wrong? You sound depressed.” She knew her daughter well. “C’mon, spill.”

Anastasia knew there was no point in lying. “Aaron left me,” she mumbled as the weight of it all hit her, and tears crept from her eyes. She felt like a child, sobbing on the phone to her mother.

“Oh, Ana, honey…” Erica’s voice immediately slipped into a motherly tone as she worried about her daughter. “Do you want me to come over?” Erica sighed as she listened to Anastasia cry. “I’m coming over.”

Anastasia heard the phone click and she was too depressed to protest. She was just grateful her mother had not said “I told you so.” That seemed to be Erica’s favorite phrase, and Anastasia hated it. Erica had always told her that men were trouble, but it always seemed so hypocritical because Erica herself had been married so many times.

Erica had her own key to Anastasia’s apartment, and was there a quick half an hour later, for she had screamed at the taxi driver to drive as quickly as possible. She had brought a tub of ice cream, Anastasia’s favorite flavor, green tea. She opened the door to the quiet apartment. All the lights were off, and Erica couldn’t hear a single sound. “Ana? Darling?” There was no answer. Erica pushed open the door to the bedroom and discovered a lump underneath the bed covers. She realized that the closet door was slightly ajar, and she could see that it was mostly empty.
Ah, Aaron’s gone already…
Erica sighed.

“Mom?” Anastasia’s voice sounded feeble and unlike her.

“Hi, honey.” Erica moved closer and took a seat on Anastasia’s bed. Her normally beautiful daughter looked disheveled and tired.

Anastasia sat up as she took in her mother’s appearance. Erica wore a flashy red dress that was ten years too young for her, and her makeup was outrageous. Erica always dressed to impress the next poor sucker who would marry her and Anastasia knew this well. “You look well, mom,” she muttered. “Is that ice cream?”

“Yes, and I brought spoons. But really, I’ve always told you, that boy was trouble.” Erica wasted no time in telling Anastasia what she had done wrong. “Eat this. Oh lord, you smell terrible. When was the last time you showered? And your breath!”

Anastasia glared at her mother. “Mom, I’ve been really upset.”

“That’s no excuse, Ana.” Erica gave Anastasia a stern look as she set the tub of ice cream aside and pulled her daughter in for a warm hug. “It’ll be alright. Don’t worry.”

Anastasia sunk into her mother’s hug as tears filled her eyes once more. “I never thought he’d leave me…” she cried desperately. “We were supposed to be together… forever…” She mumbled as she tasted salt. “I love him so much…”

Erica’s heart broke along with Anastasia’s as she watched her daughter crumble in her arms. “Shh… It’ll be okay…” She mumbled comforting words as she pressed her lips together in a thin line. Truth be told, she had had quite a good feeling about Aaron, and was incredibly disappointed that it hadn’t worked out.

Anastasia cried for so long, by the time the clock turned five thirty, she felt like she was out of tears to cry. Her heart hurt, but her mother’s comforting embrace was something she had missed. “Thanks, Mom,” she murmured. “I should clean up.”

“Good girl.” Erica smiled. “Now, are you going to be alright, or should we go for dinner together?”

“I’ll be fine… I’ll just get some takeout. You can go home.”  Anastasia smiled. She was determined to be strong. She had a life outside of Aaron after all.

Erica thought about it. “Alright, I should be heading back soon anyway, I think George wanted to see me tonight.” Anastasia didn’t even bother to ask. George was probably her mother’s new beau and knowing Erica, he’d be tall, handsome and rich. Erica frowned. “Aren’t you even going to ask who he is?”

“Nope.” Anastasia laughed.

“It’s nice to see you smile, darling. I’ll see you soon, call me, okay?” Erica wrapped her stylish black trench coat around her dress, and walked out of the apartment into the hallway, her much too high heels clattering on the floor.

Anastasia heaved a sigh as she watched her mother walk away. She was alone again, but this time, she didn’t feel so lonely. She had to tell Ariana the bad news, but she couldn’t stand the pity. She hated people feeling sorry for her, for she was so prideful. She decided she would tell Ariana tomorrow. And it was Monday again, which meant work.

Anastasia fixed herself dinner, and then headed towards her bed, where she would stay for the rest of the night.

**

The alarm clock rang loudly in the morning; Anastasia grumbled as she hit snooze, getting up. It was a new day, and she felt refreshed. Life would go on. She headed to work, and sat in her cubicle, like she always did. The incessant chatter of her coworkers started. Usually, Anastasia didn’t pay attention, but this time, it was different.

“Hey, Anastasia, did you hear?” One of her coworkers, a gossip named Reina, leaned over from her own cubicle. “A bunch of workers are getting demoted or laid off. And the demoted ones… They earn practically nothing.”

“That’s terrible!” Anastasia looked shocked as she hoped she wasn’t one of them.

“Check your email. It’s important!” Reina went back to her own cubicle as Anastasia did what she was told, and opened her email.

There was an email from her boss sitting at the top of her unread messages, and the subject line read “important.” Uh-oh. That seemed ominous. Anastasia clicked it open, not sure what to expect. She scanned the email, and realized with a pang that she was one of those who were to be demoted. And it was like Reina had said, their salary was tiny.

Fueled with anger, Anastasia’s heart pounded in her ears as she glared angrily at her screen. She couldn’t believe this was happening. These past years, she had worked long and hard for this firm, and now they were demoting her to such a terrible position.

First Aaron, then this. Anastasia had had it with all the bad luck in her life and she was taking charge. Adrenaline coursed through her body as she stood up with determination and stalked towards her boss’ office. She knocked, loudly, then waited for his response. “Come in!” he called loudly.

“Hello…” she said as she pushed open the door and saw her boss, sitting behind his table. He was a big fellow.

“Ah, Anastasia, did you get my email?” Anastasia grumbled as she noted how annoying his face looked for the first time. Her boss grinned as if he didn’t know how mad she was. “What’s wrong?”

Anastasia summoned all of her strength as she uttered the next words: “I quit.”