Photo credit: Free Grunge Textures – www.freestock.ca / Foter / CC BY
This is the third part in a series, so if you have not already done so, you might want to read Part I and Part II before continuing.
Hindsight is 20/20.
The day Charlie found Lindsey crying into her pillow now took on a whole new meaning.
Lindsey had tried to pull herself together when Charlie opened the door, wiping her eyes and blowing her nose, but that proved useless as soon as Charlie started asking what had happened. Lindsey had sobbed out the whole story of how Dan had broken up with her. After an hour or so, Lindsey had fled their room saying she just wanted to be alone.
Charlie had worried about her, but she had let her go.
Breakups are always hard, but life moves on. Except Lindsey’s seemed to have come to a grinding halt. Charlie made sure Lindsey still got up for class, but she would come home to find Lindsey listening to music or watching movies more often than she was doing homework. Charlie told herself she wasn’t Lindsey’s mother, but she couldn’t help feeling somewhat responsible. She was Lindsey’s roommate. She was supposed to look out for her.
Charlie had told Isaac he probably shouldn’t come around for a while. Lindsey liked Isaac, but Charlie knew seeing him would only remind Lindsey of what she had just lost.
“It’s only temporary. I promise. Just until she gets over this.”
“Yeah, I get it.”
“You do?”
“Of course. You’ll still come here right?”
“Right. Maybe not as often, but I’ll do my best. I really need to be there for her right now.”
“Sure. Just let me know when you’re ready and I’ll get rid of all my other girlfriends.”
Charlie had punched him playfully on the shoulder. He had responded with that mischievous grin she loved so much, then he took her in his arms and kissed her. When he did that, it always made it very difficult for her to leave.
“I guess I could stay a little longer,” she had said.
“Excellent,” he had said as he maneuvered them to his bed.
Charlie had been afraid that would be their last time for a while, but sneaking off to see Isaac had turned out to be easier than she had thought it would be. Lindsey had taken to going for long walks at night and Charlie would come home to find the room empty as often as she found Lindsey lying listlessly on her bed. Even when Lindsey was there, she wasn’t really there. Charlie would try to start up a conversation: ask Lindsey about her classes or tell Lindsey about her day, but Lindsey was unresponsive. Charlie could only get monosyllabic answers out of her and she was lucky if they were whole words rather than just grunts.
Charlie usually did some homework for a while before sneaking off to be with Isaac. Sometimes she made up an excuse, saying she was going to the library or to see another friend, but Lindsey never responded one way or another, so Charlie gave up. She would stick around long enough to get some work done and make sure Lindsey was still eating, then she would sneak off to be with Isaac.
To be continued …
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