I don't know where this came from, but I was thinking about what would happen if Nick moved on, with someone else in the lab.
Second Best?
He said her name again tonight; I tried to pass it off, as I did every night. I am usually a very strong person who would not normally put up with this, but not now. Does this make me pathetic?
I always knew there was a special bond between the two of them, but I told myself that they were just friends; I mean they have been the best of friends for about seven years, way before I ever came to work at the lab.
I thought that when we found out that she was dating our supervisor that it would be over for the two of them, and there would be a chance for the two of us. And then it happened, he asked me out for breakfast after shift. We had so much in common, and we could laugh easily. He got my strange sense of humor, and not many did.
We have been quietly dating for a couple of months; it is not like we are trying to keep it a secret, and everybody knew about us. We have chosen to keep our personal lives out of the workplace.
A few people have said that we are a cute couple, and that we are good for each other. And I feel it too, except sometimes, when I catch him staring at her from across the room, a look of longing in his eyes. God, I wish he looked at me like that.
I know that he cares about me, and maybe some day, he will love me like I do him. But right now as I lay next to him watching him sleep restlessly and listening to him breathe, I wonder, should I just walk away and find someone who loves me for me, or should I stay and be the replacement for the one who got away. Sadly, I rolled away from him.
Feeling me move, he snuggled into my back. "Mmmm, Sara," he said softly.
"My name is Wendy, Nick, not Sara." I said, but not out loud.