Hey, so I'm pretty new at this. This is my first story. I am think of writing as a "hobby-that-could-make-me-money," so I would appreciate kind and constructive feedback. If you want to bash, do it somewhere else.
This is inspired/ based on Taylor Swift's song "We Are Never Getting Back Together." I thought it related to Morelli and Stephanie's relationship. (I actually do want them to break up, so Steph can be with Ranger, but that's beside the point.)
There is no copyright infringement on Taylor Swift or Janet Evanovich intended.
I had been lying in my thinking position for the past few hours, flat on my back, staring at my bedroom ceiling. And I had been crying. Not great racking sobs; I had stopped sobbing three doughnuts ago.
Morelli and I had finally broken up, for good. I knew it was for the best, especially because Ranger would now likely make a move (a prospect definitely NOT unappealing.) Still, I had loved Joe, even if I didn't want to marry him, and the end of our relationship stung.
Then, I heard the locks on my front door tumble. That meant only one thing: Ranger. I came out of the bedroom to find Ranger standing in the living room.
"Ranger," I said, leaning against the doorframe.
"Babe," he replied.
"You brought pizza," I said, noticing the flat box in his hands.
Ranger only nodded as he slid the box onto the counter.
"Why?"I asked, suddenly suspicious. Ranger didn't normally bring me pizza.
Ranger shrugged. "Thought you could use some cheering up. Heard about you and Morelli."
A few tears worked their way into my eyes.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Ranger asked gently.
I was all set to harshly demand why it was such a big deal that I cried when I realized what Ranger had said. I stood there with my mouth hanging open.
"What did you say?"
"I asked if you wanted to talk about it," Ranger repeated. "It's fine if you don't."
"You mean it doesn't freak you out when I cry?"
"No. Should it?"
"No," I affirmed. Then I sank down on the couch. "Morelli always hated it when I cried."
Ranger sat down next to me. "Why don't you start at the beginning, Babe?"
"Well, remember how Joe and I were on-and-off for so long?"
Ranger nodded.
"The first time we broke up he'd been undercover for a month and we hadn't seen each other. And when he got back, do you know what he said?"
Ranger just raised an eyebrow.
"He said he needed space. Space! When we'd been apart for a month! I got angry and he got angry too and we ended up yelling at each other and we broke up.
"A few days after that, he showed up at my apartment. He said he was sorry and that the undercover stuff was done, so he wouldn't have to leave again. I took him back.
"And then we started co-habitating. That was just awful. He started in on marriage and kids. I just couldn't deal with it. We fought all the time. And whenever we did, he would run out. He said he was meeting up with guys from work, but I'm pretty sure he was cheating.
"I don't know why I went back to him so many times! Every time we broke up, everybody seemed to know within minutes. And then he would brag about how he was going to make me a 'Burg housewife if it killed him. I guess I thought he was the only one who would want me, but he didn't want 'me' me, he wanted the me that he could make me be."
At that moment, my phone rang. I checked the number. It was Morelli.
"What do you want, Morelli?" I asked wearily.
"I want you to reconsider, Cupcake. Please, Stephanie. We can fix this, us. I love you."
At one point, the 'I love you' would have gotten me. It didn't this time. "I'm sorry, Joe. We've been on and off for years. I'm exhausted. I can't do this anymore. We're over."
"I thought you loved me?"
"I do, but I'm not in love with you. And let's face it, you're not in love with me either. You're in love with what you think you can make me, a housewife. I'm not cut out to be a housewife and I likely never will be. I don't want to get married. I don't want to have kids. There's no future for us."
Morelli's voice suddenly hardened. "Manoso's not there with you, is he?"
"As a matter of fact, he is. Ranger brought me a pizza to cheer me up."
"I can't believe you're cheating on me with him," I could practically see Joe knocking back Maalox as he talked.
"I'm not cheating on you, Morelli. We broke up. And we are never getting back together," I pulled a Ranger and hung up without saying good-bye..
I turned back to see Ranger grinning at me. "Proud of you, Babe."