Chapter 11 - My Happy Ending

"Simon said he had something to tell you?" Connie asked Marie after she told her what he said. "And that it was important."

"Yeah. He didn't want to talk over the phone about it."

"How did he sound?"

Marie shrugged. "It was more like apprehension."

Connie nodded. "Ok… maybe he's being transferred to Michigan because he's been working on that store."

Marie nodded when she heard that theory. "And he's scared that I won't take the news very well."

"I'm sure it's nothing bad."

"Right," Marie said. She sighed and realized that the best thing to do is not panic. He loves you and is concerned about the move, that's all, she told herself. "I think I'll go over there early. We're going to the bar to talk. Is that a good sign?"

Connie replied, "It might be."

"Ok," Marie sighed. She got her jacket, her purse, and her keys. "Time to go." Marie kept sighing about the fact that she didn't know what he wanted to talk about. She kept telling herself that it's all right and she wasn't nervous, but when she got there and sat at a booth, she kept ripping napkins into pieces.

"Are you all right?" Lauren, a waitress she knew, asked when she put Marie's drink in front of her.

"Simon wants to talk to me. I'm not sure about what. Maybe it's about him having to transfer to Michigan to manage that store," Marie told her. "I don't know."

"I'm sure everything's fine," Lauren assured her. "Don't worry."

Marie smiled and took a sip of her coke. "Hi," she greeted Simon fifteen minutes later. "Is everything ok? Are you being transferred to Michigan?"

Simon sat down on the other side of the booth and faintly smiled. "We need to talk."

Marie took one of his hands and asked, "What about?"

Simon looked down at the table and sighed. "I should have done this at your apartment."

Marie's eyebrows knitted together in concern. "Why?"

"Marie… I didn't tell you the complete truth about Sara and me," he replied.

"What do you mean?" Marie asked quietly.

"We're engaged."

Marie let go of his hand like it burnt her. Simon closed his eyes because of the hurt, confused look on her face. "What?"

"We had gotten engaged on Valentine's day. When we met at the wedding, we were taking a break. She was the one who suggested that we should do it because she wasn't sure if she was ready. We've been together since high school and we never dated anyone else. We were… are… each other's firsts for everything. The break, I guess, was to see if we were happy. Turns out we are."

Marie felt like she was punched in the face. When she saw Jessica and Will together, she swore someone ripped her heart out. This wasn't the same pain, but it still really hurt. She was confused and pissed at the same time. Was this the truth? Were Sara and him together all this time and was he stringing her along? "What was I to you?" Marie quietly asked. "Some chick to keep you warm at night as you waited for Sara? Some secret affair?"

"No, absolutely not!" Simon exclaimed. "I never expected to meet someone like you. I do love you."

"Simon, when I said I loved you, I meant it!" Marie yelled.

"I did, too."

"No… I don't believe that! If you did you wouldn't be telling me any of this!"

"All I can say is I'm sorry," Simon said. "I thought you deserved the truth. I am only human."

Marie yelled, "BULLSHIT! I told you what happened with Will! I bet you weren't even sorry for me! I bet you laughed because you were doing the exact same thing to Sara!"

"We were on a break," Simon told her.

"When did you two talk and get back together?"

"Last week. I'm sorry to say this, but my feelings lie with Sara. They always have. I've thought about you so many times this week, but in truth I can't imagine us twenty years from now, married with kids."

"Was it me?"

"No. You are everything a guy wants. I just… my feelings are for Sara. I will never forget you. Please don't blame yourself and beat yourself up over this. It's me. I just have to go with my true feelings."

Marie stayed quiet for a few seconds. "You know that's funny. If I'm everything a guy wants, than how come I can't find the guy? A guy who appreciates me for me?"

"One day you will. Maybe you already have," he quietly said.

"I feel so dirty. I feel like you just used me," Marie stated. "I feel like a slut."

"You aren't."

"You could have just told me you were moving to Michigan because of the store! Then after a certain time we could have split because of the long distance!" she cried out.

"You deserved the truth, Marie."

"You know what? I never want to see or hear from you ever again! Why don't you go home to your fiancé and tell her how much of an asshole you are!" she screamed as she got up. She picked up her coke and in her rage, she splashed him with it.

Marie didn't see any of the customers shocked looks. Didn't stop when Jannie, Buzz, Bah, Jimmy, Ralph, Pav, Baker, and Jack called her name when she passed them at the front door. She was so angry that later she'll wonder how she got home safe. She parked the car, got out, stormed into her building, and slammed the apartment door so hard that the picture on the wall violently shook. Connie and Rob came out of the kitchen and were scared of the look on Marie's face. Marie threw her purse and keys across the room.

"Shit… what happened?" Rob asked.

"He went back to Sara. They're engaged!"

"What!" Connie asked shocked. "When did this happen?"

"Valentine's Day," Marie miffed.

"You mean he was cheating on Sara with you?" Rob asked. He turned to Connie. "I told you I didn't like him."

Connie put a hand in her hair and said, "Rob, you have my permission to go kick his ass."

Marie yelled. "No! He wasn't cheating on Sara. He said they took a break to see f they were happy!"

"That is even worse. He used you. He lied to you," Rob told her. "He played with your emotions."

After a minute Marie said, "I've decided I'm becoming a nun!"

"Why?"

"Maybe then all these assholes won't find me. I'm a magnet for assholes!"

"No you're not," Rob remarked.

"Oh yeah! Well, my first boyfriend dumped me because he was being an ass about me not sleeping with him! Justin was the one who played with my emotions and mentally abused me! Will cheats on me with Jessica! Simon…"

"Wait, Will and Jessica?" Rob asked confused. "How come I'm finding this out now?"

Connie gave him a look saying not now. "Marie… I want you to calm down."

Marie kept on swearing her head off and telling herself that she was an idiot. She kept pacing back and forth.

"Look if you don't calm down, I'm going to slap you!" Connie exclaimed.

Marie looked over at her best friend and gave her a look.

"You need to calm down. Breathe in slowly, breathe out slowly. Everything is going to be fine," Connie told her. "You'll get through this."

"Funny you should say that."

"Why?"

"My life is over. What am I going to do? Why do I always find these guys?"

"Maybe you have found the right ones. They just end up not realizing that they have the most beautiful, funny, good hearted woman in front of them," Connie replied.

"I'm going to my room," Marie replied.

Connie grabbed Marie's arm to stop her, but she only flinched when Marie pulled out and stormed off to her room. Connie put a hand over her mouth and turned to Rob. She saw in his eyes that he had the same fear and concern for their best friend.

"She'll be fine. She needs time to be by herself. Then she'll show Simon that he was an ass," Rob assured her. "She might go back to being a sarcastic, wise ass, but still she'll be fine."

Connie sighed. "What if she gets depressed like last time?"

"Why didn't you tell me about Will and Jessica?"

"What would you have done?"

"Killed him."

"And that is why I didn't tell you."

Rob meekly smiled. "Marie is a hard ass. If she moved on from that, she'll move on from this. Besides she had a team full of guys willing to do anything for her. They won't let her be depressed."

"I guess," Connie whispered.


Author's Note: You might have noticed that I didn't have Simon in the story a lot. Maybe one day I will. I just thought he really wasn't important.