Duping Cupid (A Valentine's Day Short Story) by Ardito Gina

Author:Ardito, Gina [Ardito, Gina]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Victoria Ardito
Published: 2013-02-01T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 6

After her less than festive Christmas holiday, Vivi decided to spend New Year’s alone, at home with Beowulf. Sarah had invited her to a party, but she wasn’t in much of a celebratory mood. Too much family time and too many battle scars left her needing a chance to lick her wounds in private. Unfortunately, Sarah didn’t get that memo.

A little after nine on New Year’s Eve, her phone rang.

“Why are you still home?” Sarah demanded, her words a bit slurred. “The party started two hours ago.”

“I’m going to pass, Sarah,” she replied. “I told you yesterday I wasn’t feeling up to it.”

Sarah clucked her tongue like a disapproving nanny. “I knew it. I knew you’d have problems dealing with the holidays minus Bass. You guys have spent too much time together to not miss each other. But, hey! That’s all the more reason why you should come. To take your mind off the fact that he’s not with you tonight.”

She hadn’t confessed her suspicions to Sarah that Bass’s attachment to Ava wasn’t a temporary job. If she had, she would’ve had to explain seeing the photos on the Gossipmonger website, which would require explaining her obsession with SebAva and the Google Alerts on her laptop, which would incite a lecture from her receptionist that she did not want to sit through.

“I’m fine without him tonight. I’m fine without everyone tonight. I’m still recuperating from Christmas with the fam. Tonight, I just want to be alone. Okay?” No family lectures, no southern belles, no pregnant sisters. Just Vivi and her new best friend—who currently sat in the corner, licking his privates.

“You don’t have to lie to me,” Sarah pressed. “I know how miserable you are.”

Vivi forced a laugh. “Oh, come on, Sarah. It’s not like Bass and I are soul mates and one of us died.”

“No, it’s more like my parents giving each other permission to cheat.” She gave an exaggerated, “Eeeeewww!”

The sigh escaped before she could squelch it. “For the thousandth time, Bass and I are not a couple. We’re friends. That’s it.”

“Yeah, right. If you’re just friends, how come neither of you has ever dated anyone else?”

“Because we’ve both been on the crappy end of the romance stick.”

“So because of one bad experience each, you both gave up on love?”

“One horrific experience. Besides, there’s more to life than love, you know.”

“Yeah, sure. There’s breathing, too. But everybody breathes. Breathing doesn’t make your worst day better. It doesn’t give you a thousand reasons to smile. You and Bass have something really special, and you’ve spent the last eight years, hiding behind ‘we’re just friends.’ That’ssss sssstupid.” The slurring worsened as Sarah attempted to whisper, but only managed to smash her words together into incoherency. “Youshouldcometotheparty. Getoutofthehouseforawhile.”

“No, thanks. I’m not interested.”

“Come on! Don’t you know if you spend New Year’s alone, you’re doomed to spend the year alone?”

“I’ll take my chances. And Sarah?”

“Yessss?”

“Drink lots of water and pop a few Tylenols before you go to sleep tonight, or you’re doomed to the mother of all hangovers tomorrow.

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