A Week Later
June 7, 2005
“So you two have picked a date?”
“Yes; we’ve decided on the 30th,” Cameron says happily.
“This month?! Ms. Diaz, are you sure? We have less than a month to get everything together! Planning a wedding is already stressful enough; you don’t need an extra load of it!” Mary exclaims.
“I don’t think there’s a problem at all. We’ve already got some of it done. And we have Danielle with us so we should be fine.”
Mary sighs, “Well…as long as it is alright with her. Danielle…Danielle?”
My concentration switches from my pen to my boss and everyone else in the meeting room who’s staring at me.
“Would that be alright with you?” Mary asks with a look that could kill.
“Of course,” I say hesitantly. “It’s fine.”
“Then it’s settled. Well that should do it. I just have to talk to Ms. Morton outside for a minute and then I’ll be back to speak with you all.”
I sigh as I sneak a glance at Justin and walk out of the meeting room knowing I’m in trouble.
Yeah, yeah. I’m having ‘boy trouble’. I feel like I’m trapped in the middle between two men that I love. I haven’t seen Bryan in a couple days. I feel like he’s sneaking around something that he doesn’t want me to know about. Well…I guess I’m giving him a taste of his own medicine, too. But I don’t know what to do. Justin and I haven’t talked about that kiss even though we’ve seen each other a few times in the past week. A few times that included Cameron.
“Danielle? Is that you with Justin?”
I start to panic in my mind as she picks up a copy of US Weekly from a magazine stand in the mall and shows me the picture of Justin and I on the front page with a title saying, ‘New Love Interest?!’.
“Yes..” I stutter.
Cameron looks at me and starts laughing. What in the world could possibly be funny?!
“Oh my god, the media are so desperate to print out a story these days!”
You’ve gotta be kidding me.
“I mean, come on! You’re planning our wedding! You’re gonna have to be with just Justin sometimes to get this done! And plus you have a boyfriend! You don’t seem like the type of person that would cheat!”
I laugh nervously, “Yeah, that’s me alright.”
Cameron continues to laugh and looks for Justin until she spots him sitting down on a bench with Trace, “Baby, you have GOT to see this!”
Sometimes I think she truly is blonde. She must have a lot of trust for Justin to not jump to conclusions. If I was her, I’d be all over the girl who tried to take my man away.
“Danielle,” Mary comes out and closes the door to the meeting room, “would you like to explain to me what’s going on? You’ve been spacing out into your own little world for the past couple of days!”
I sigh, “I’m sorry, Mary. I’m just a little overwhelmed right now. I’ve got a lot of things on my mind and it’s kind of exploding in my head right now.”
“Boy trouble?”
I look at her with a shocked expression, “How did you do that?’
Mary laughs, “Lucky guess. But I’ve seen that look before and it’s always had to do with a man. Now, if you don’t mind me asking, is it Bryan?”
“He’s part of it. I think he’s changing and I don’t know if I like it or-”
“What do you mean ‘part of it’?”
Okay, do you need to know every little detail? “…I think I might have feelings for another guy.”
“I see. Is he handsome?” Mary teases.
“Oh, I would think you’d find him attractive,” I say as I think back to what Mary said when this fiasco started.
“Danielle, you should be lucky to plan this wedding! I didn’t think that Justin Timberlake was that handsome until he was actually standing right in front of me!”
“Is it the soon-to-be groom in that meeting room?” Mary asks all of a sudden.
I feel a panic attack coming on again, “Of course not! That’s ridiculous of you to ask! I know the rules”don’t fall in love with the groom!”
Mary raises an eyebrow, “Okay, calm down, Danielle! I was just joking with you!”
I laugh nervously, “A joke. Right.”
“Well…I don’t know the full story, Danielle, but you might want to start ignoring it while you’re at work. I know it’s hard”that’s what love is. Now how about you go back to your office, relax for a little, and get back to work?”
I nod my head, “All right. I’m sorry, Mary. I’ll keep on track.”
Mary grins, “That’s what I like to hear.”
She turns to head back into the meeting room, but stops, “Oh and Danielle?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t worry about it”I’m sure everything will work for the best.”
“Thank you,” I say and head back to my office.
I go to my stereo, put on my Evanescence CD, and sit at my desk as I rest my head and listen to the song currently playing.
I lie awake and try so hard not to think of you
“Why is this happening?” I say to myself. “He’s not supposed to be doing this to me again!”
I look in the mirror and see your face if I look deep enough
So many things inside that are just like you are taking over
I hit my fists on the desk until something hits me. None of this would be happening if he had not come back into my life.
“That’s it..” I say slowly. “That’s it.”
Yes, this is it. I have to do something that I don’t want to, but it must be done. He wants me back, but he has another girl who wants him. Mixed feelings rush through me everyday on this topic. I love him, but I love another man, too. I can’t go through this heartache anymore.
Have you forgotten all I know and all we had?
I have to forget Justin. The only way I’ll be seeing him is wedding plans. Yes, this wedding will go on. And if it doesn’t, it won’t be because of me. Because I’ll be disconnected from him. I must not see him privately or hang out with him anymore. I can’t keep doing this. I have Bryan who trusts me. I can’t keep doing this to him, to Justin, to Cameron, to me.
Sure, I may put on a show and lie to Justin. But it’s what I have to do to truly move on.
I’m finally heading home. It’s been a long day at work and finally 5:00 hit. I walk out of the building fast and head to my car.
“Hot date?”
I jump and turn around to see the person I don’t think I can look at without crying right now.
I swallow, “No…I just want to go home that’s all. Goodnight, Justin.”
“Dani, what’s wrong?” Justin grabs my arm. “You haven’t been like yourself in that past couple of days.”
“I haven’t been myself in quite a while now, Justin.”
“Are you okay? Please, you can talk to me.”
Tears are threatening to fall, “No, I can’t, Justin. I have to go-”
“No, wait,” he turns me around again as a tear escapes from me. “What’s happening? What’s wrong?”
You saw me mourning my love for you
I sigh. I have to tell him sooner or later. “Justin…I don’t think…we should be around each other anymore.”
He stares at me, “What are you talking about?”
“…I just…I don’t think we should be sneaking around anymore.”
“Danielle, what-”
“Just listen to me. You have a fiancée, I have a boyfriend. This is never going to work out. I tried to tell you this in the beginning so this wouldn’t be so hard. But you keep pulling me in. Justin, we can’t do this anymore. The only time I wish to see you is when it has to do with wedding details and such. Otherwise, this is goodbye.”
“So this is it? You’re just gonna give up?” Justin asks as he tries to hold back the anger and hurt inside.
“Yes. I’m sorry, Justin. Goodbye,” I say as I’m freed from his grip, head to the car, leave, and head to where a person deserves to know the truth.
Bryan.
I pull into the driveway, wipe away some of my tears, and enter the code to Bryan’s house.
I enter the house and head to the living room. There are pillows and blankets scattered everywhere. He always was a pig. But then I notice a purse sitting on the kitchen counter.
A purse that’s not mine.
‘He wouldn’t…’ I thought to myself.
I slowly head to the stairs and walk down the hallway to his bedroom quietly. I can faintly hear voices.
“Oh..wow,” I hear.
Fear starts to enter me as I’m only a step away from the bedroom door.
‘Bryan would never..’ I thought.
“That’s right,” I hear from the other side of the door.
I’ve had enough. I grab the handle and immediately open it to hear shocks come from the two exposed people on the bed as I’ve stepped into a nightmare.
“Oh my god,” Bryan says as he looks at me as I stand in shock.
As shocking as it is to find that my boyfriend’s now cheated on me, it’s not as shocking as who he has lying on the bed underneath him and the mystery blonde from the restaurant clicks together with the woman that’s staring right back at me with wide eyes.
Miss Cameron Diaz.
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Song credit: Taking Over Me”Evanescence
Number of reviews: 44
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