“What’s wrong with Ally?” Kevin asked Nick the next morning. “Why isn’t she sitting with us?”
“We broke up yesterday,” Nick said flatly.
Kevin nodded, but then what his friend said actually sunk in. “WHAT? You broke up?”
“Kelli came to my room yesterday while Ally was at breakfast. She insisted that we were meant to be, and I argued with her about it. Finally, she said that if I kissed her and then said there was nothing there, she would leave me alone for good. I did it, and Ally walked in while I was kissing her,” Nick explained emotionlessly.
“Ooh, ouch. Does she know what actually happened?” Kevin asked.
“She ran off, and I caught her. She let me tell part of the story, but she cut me off before I got to the point where I said there was nothing in the kiss. It doesn’t matter. That would have been a lie anyways. To tell you the truth, there were sparks, but it was nothing like I feel when I kiss Ally. She ran off again, and Brian told her about mine and Kelli’s past. Then he said that he came to our room yesterday to tell me that Kelli was here, but I was stupid, and I had told her that Brian came to talk to me about something you said. I didn’t want to worry her, and I had never mentioned Kelli before, so I was afraid she’d get mad at me.”
“And she was mad because you lied to her about that?” Kevin said incredulously.
“Well, the day before yesterday, I promised her that I wouldn’t keep her in the dark about anything anymore. We got into a fight a few days ago because I didn’t tell her something that involved her directly.”
“Oh, I get it. Do you think you’re going to get back together?” Kevin asked.
“I wish we would, but it’s probably not going to happen. She’s the best thing that ever happened to me, Kev. I love her more than anything,” Nick said sadly. “Life without being able to have her, especially when she’s right in front of me all the time, would be impossible.”
“I wish I could offer you some words of wisdom, bro, but I don’t know what to say. All I can offer is I know how you feel,” Kevin said empathetically. “And it had to have happened for a reason.”
“It doesn’t seem like it right now,” Nick muttered. “But you’re probably right. Things will straighten themselves out eventually, and in the long run, it’s probably for the better.”
Ally didn’t notice that Shannon had sat down next to her until a hand waved in front of her eyes, blocking her view of Nick. She looked up, startled. “Oh, hi,” she said.
“Hey. What’s wrong? Why are you staring at Nick instead of sitting with him?” Shannon asked.
“He was making out with another girl yesterday,” Ally muttered. “I went to get breakfast, and when I came back upstairs, he was kissing a gorgeous blonde.” She left out the rest of the story, not wanting to get into it at the moment.
“What an asshole!” Shannon exclaimed. “So what did you do? Did you break up with him?”
“Of course I did! He was upset about it, but he’s better off. She’s prettier than I am anyways.”
“Oh, Ally, don’t say that. It probably isn’t true, and even if it were, it doesn’t matter. It’s the personality that matters, and you’re a wonderful person,” Shannon insisted. “He’s an idiot. Do you want to be my roommate again?”
“I’d love to. I don’t think I could spend another second around him. I’ll move my stuff in later.” She sighed and stood up. “I’m going to go swimming. I’ll be back later. Thanks, Shannon.”
“One more thing, Ally,” Shannon called after her. Ally turned. “We’re going out Friday night, all the girls. Do you want to come?”
“I’m underage.”
“No problem. The legal drinking age is younger in Europe,” Shannon said, giving her a mischievous grin.
“Man, why was I just informed of this now that we’re leaving? That sounds great. Thanks.”
Ally opened the door as quietly as she could. Hopefully, she’d be lucky, and Nick would be napping. She didn’t feel like facing him right then. Success! He was laying on the bed, his face buried in the pillow. A soft snore filled the room. She allowed her eyes to linger on him for a moment. “Oh, Nick, is this hurting you as much as it’s hurting me?” she wondered in a whisper. Her hand covered her mouth as he stirred. He wasn’t supposed to hear that. Luckily, he settled back into the pillow and continued to snore.
She ignored the tear rolling down her cheek and began to gather her things, still trying to be quiet. However, she tripped over Nick’s shoe and fell, banging her hand on the table. “Ow! Shit!” she cried.
Nick shot up. “Are you okay?”
“I’d be a hell of a lot better if you didn’t leave your damn shoes in the middle of the floor,” she muttered, rubbing her hand.
“Oh, sorry.” He paused. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m getting my stuff and taking it to Shannon’s room. I’m rooming with her again now,” she replied emotionlessly. A bitter laugh almost escaped her lips when she saw the disappointed expression on his face. “Did you think I was going to continue rooming with you for the rest of the tour?”
“No, I just…didn’t expect this to be over, I guess,” he said honestly. “I thought maybe you’d at least give it a chance.”
“Nick, I watched you passionately kiss another girl. You completely destroyed my trust in you,” she stated. He looked away, tears gathering in his eyes, making her soften. “Look, I don’t want this any more than you do, but I don’t want to be in a relationship where I can’t trust the other person. How would you feel if you walked in on me making out with Craig?”
“I’ve walked in on you and Craig doing worse,” he grumbled.
Ally raised her voice. “That’s totally different. You and I were not together. I wasn’t cheating on you.”
“I wasn’t cheating on you, either!” Nick protested.
“Then what’s your definition of cheating, Nick? I always thought kissing another girl when you were in a relationship was considered cheating, but what do you think?”
“I explained that to you, Ally! I told you, I just wanted to get her to leave me alone! It meant nothing!”
She picked up her suitcase and opened the door. “It looked pretty damn meaningful to me.” With that, she stepped out and slammed the door.