It was a beautiful airy evening but Ava was feeling hot,her heart felt as though a million soldier ants were biting on every side,"this cannot be happening" she reassuringly thought to herself as she watched the lips she once fantasized having all to herself utter the words that were her very own undoing.
Rufus Lane, her male best friend,the only man she had ever truly loved,was expressing his love for another woman grinning from ear to ear, on a date Ava had thought would be the beginning of their forever.
"This can't be happening, I thought he said I was the best thing to ever happen to him after sliced bread. He has told me he loved me countless times, and I thought he hadn't asked me out all these years because he was waiting for the perfect timing" Ava thought as beads of tears were beginning to form in her dreamy eyes.
"Ava" Rufus called to her as he gently laid his left hand on her hand,"are you okay?" he asked with a hint of concern in his voice. "My God! Ava you're tearing up, what's the matter?" He asked, this time moving his seat close to her.
"I...I... I'm...uhmmmm, they're tears of joy, Rufus, I've never seen you so happy" she said as she quickly dabbed her face with the napkin on their dinner table.
"Whew" Rufus let out a sigh of relief as a silly smile broke out on his face "for a second,I thought I had broken your heart with my news" he said grinning as he reached for the glass of water by his side.
"R..."Ava called Rufus with the name she was fund of calling him while trying to fake a smile as she tilted her head in a way that showed she was embarrassed "would you ever change?" She asked trying to feign a little laugh this time.
"What?"Rufus asked admist chuckles "was I the one that cried her eyes out when her celebrity crush got engaged?" he said visibly shaking with laughter.
"R,stop it" Ava said pretending to be offended as she tried to hide her shy blush. "How did you meet her and for how long have you both been seeing each other? What is she like? Is she pretty?" She asked quickly as she straightened her face.
"Calm down detective Ava" he said mockingly "I knew you'd bombard me with questions, that's why I didn't tell you till I was sure I'm going to marry her" he said lifting his eyebrows showing a bit of satisfaction with his facial expression.
"Marry her?" Ava said in a raised voice that startled Rufus, Ava hardly raised her voice "you've know her enough to marry her?" Ava asked, softening her tone this time, while judging the surprised look on her best friend.
"We've dated for a year now" he said awkwardly "and I feel like I've known her all my life, so why wait a donkey more years to say I do?" he asked his best friend who had gone quiet with no hint of emotion in her countenance,in a convincing manner.
"I'm happy as long as you're happy" she said dryly as she rubbed her hand by the side of her head,a gesture she made whenever she was beginning to have a headache.
"Ava,are you okay?" Rufus asked observing her countenance.
"I don't think so,R, I'm beginning to have a migraine" she said as she began to grab her car keys.
"Are you sure you can drive in this state?" Rufus asked, intercepting her as she tried to get up.
"I'll manage" she said getting up properly to reveal the shimmery black dress she had bought the day Rufus asked her to dinner saying he had something important to tell her. " Why did he have to ask me out to dinner to tell me he wanted to marry someone else" she thought angrily as she hugged him goodbye and began to walk briskly to her car, refusing him to see her off to the parking lot.
*****
Ava sat behind her steering wheel motionless as tears began to trickle down her oval face, the pain she felt stemed from a place of defeat and rejection. She thought about how she'd turned down romantic prospects in recent times hoping that he'd summon the courage to tell her he loved her as she had thought. She reminisced all the late night dates and gestures Rufus had shown her that gave her the notion he was into her.
"Arghhhhh"she groaned softly as she subconsciously turned on the ignition, her vision was blurred by tears as she reversed into the driveway. She drove until she got to the turn that led away from the diner, swerving the steering to make a turn, she was jolted into reality by loud screeching of wheels and a big hard bang. She had bye passed the traffic lights...