"Cathy?" I heard a voice call from behind me as I walked through Central Park after my dreadful audition at the open call. Let's just say the director doesn't usually have his coffee spilt on him when someone goes to shake his hand. I turned and saw someone who looked familiar, but I couldn't place a name.

"Yes?" I said cautiously.

"It's me, Ethan. We had a relationship, god, must have been about 7 or 8 years ago. We went out for a little under a year, don't you remember?" Ethan said and suddenly I knew who it was. This was the guy who left me for "his work" right before I met Jamie.

"Now I remember you Ethan, hi. What's been going on with you recently?" I asked him. "How's your work?"

"I guess I deserve that," Ethan said chuckling. "How about we catch up over a cup of coffee?"

"Oh, I can't really," I heard myself saying to Ethan.

"I get it, you're in a relationship…" Ethan said

"No, I'm not, I just- I actually just got out of a really long relationship…" I said trailing off.

"Longer than ours was?" Ethan asked.

"About 6 or 7 years longer," I said, thinking about what a fool I sounded like.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Ethan said.

"I mean, it wasn't straight through, actually. It was off and on- mostly on- for about 6 or 7 years," I explained.

"Wait, is this Jamie something?" Ethan said trying to think.

"Yes, how do you know?" I asked.

"I picked up one of his books a few years back and it was dedicated to his wife-you- and I noticed. Did you get divorced?" he asked.

"If you really want the whole story, we should sit down." I said jokingly.

"Coffee?" Ethan offered.

"Coffee," I said. Ethan put out his arm for me. I chuckled and took it. We went to a little coffee shop and I explained to him the divorce, and the getting back together, and breaking up, and getting back together, and breaking up again. It was so good to talk about it. Ethan laughed in all the right places and felt sad at the right places, too. "Now that you know all of my drama, what's been going on romantically for you?" I asked Ethan curiously.

"I haven't had that many stable relationships lately. I had a three- month relationship a year ago, but she got a new job and had to move away. Since then, nothing really," Ethan said. "I'm not afraid of the commitment. If anything, that's what I want, a committed relationship. I just haven't met the right person yet."

"I understand," I said. "I guess neither of us have had a good relationship in a while, have we?"

"Guess not," Ethan said chuckling. Then he looked meaningfully in my eyes. "What are you doing tomorrow night?"

"Are you asking me out for a Wednesday night?" I asked incredulously.

"My friends Finn and Colin are in an acapella group called Pure Sounds that's playing a little concert near Central Park. Do you want to go?" Ethan asked.

"I don't know, Ethan, wouldn't it be awkward?" I asked.

"Going as friends?" Ethan asked.

"Sure, as friends," I said. "I would love to go."

"Great, I'll pick you up at 7:30?" Ethan asked.

"Sounds perfect," I said smiling. "What time is it?"

"Now? It is 2:00 PM," Ethan said. "Why, do you have to be somewhere?" he looked so worried that I might leave him, it was almost funny.

"No," I said, "In fact, I could stay here talking to you forever." Ethan smiled in relief. So, I felt relieved, too. This was a good guy, a truly good guy. My knight in shining armor? Probably not, but that's overrated.

"It's getting kind of crowded in here," Ethan said, looking at the long line of people at the counter. "We should probably go. Want to go to my place?" Ethan suddenly blushed deeply. "I'm sorry, that probably sounded really too…forward. I mean, I don't mean it like that at all, I really don't. I'm sorry."

"Ethan, it's okay. I'm not in tenth grade or anything. I can tell when a guy wants me to go to his place to talk or to do other things. Don't worry," I said. Ethan smiled and we walked out of the crowded little coffee shop.

"We have to walk across the park to get to my place, do you mind?" Ethan asked.

"Of course not," I said. "It's a beautiful day." Ethan and I walked around the park and gossiped about old classmates. It was the best day I had since Jamie left me, mostly because I wasn't thinking about Jamie. Not until Ethan and I turned a corner and literally bumped into Jamie with a gorgeous woman with a notepad.

"Cathy, hi," Jamie said.

"Hi Jamie," I said. "Uh, you remember Ethan, don't you?"

"Yeah, the workaholic, right?" Jamie said, referring to the nickname I gave Ethan after we broke up.

"Post break-up nickname, sorry," I told Ethan.

"It's okay," Ethan said.

"And you are…?" I asked the woman, since Jamie obviously wasn't going to introduce her.

"I'm Nora, I'm interviewing Jamie for the New York Times," Nora said.

"And you decided to take a scenic tour in the park?" I asked a little too harshly.

"Yes, to see the tree under which Jamie slept after he broke up with you to stop you from getting hurt again," Nora said.

"Since when you break-up with someone, it never hurts," I said.

"Did you just happen to bump into Ethan, then?" Jamie asked.

"Excuse me?" I asked.

"You seem to be implying that Nora is doing more than interviewing me, and yet you just happen to be walking around with your ex-boyfriend?" Jamie said. "And you're the one who gets to be hurt?"

"Yes, actually, Ethan recognized me and we started talking. Today. If you remember correctly, I was the faithful one in our relationship," I said.

"Great only, what, five minutes into a conversation and you bring that up. Usually it only takes you five seconds to bring up the one mistake I made," Jamie said.

"Yeah, you made it over and over again for how long was it? Six months?" I said.

"You just can't get over the fact that- that…" Jamie said trailing off.

"That you cheated on me for 6 months, got back together with me, and then left me again for the same person?" I asked. "Yeah, I think I get to be a little bitter about this, Jamie. Nora, are you getting all this? It would be great for your 'article,' won't it?"

"I wasn't going to use it, but now I just might," Nora said.

"Gee, I wonder who you'll make look like the bad guy in this little 'article' of yours?" I said angrily.

"Cathy, why don't we just go?" Ethan said.

"Yeah, listen to your new boyfriend," Jamie said.

"We are not in a relationship," I said. "Though, I don't even want to know what kind of a 'relationship' you have with Nora."

"Cathy, cool down and think for a second," Jamie said. "Any relationship Nora and I have is only in your head! We only met today."

"Are you saying you don't find her attractive?" I asked, setting him up.

"No! I mean, yes, of course I do," Jamie said, "But that doesn't mean we're having sex."

"Excuse me?" Nora said.

"What, are we having sex and I wasn't aware of it?" Jamie asked Nora.

"No, it's just that in Cosi, you told me that you found my highly attractive, yet now you're gut reaction was to say no?" Nora said.

"Cathy, really, why don't we go?" Ethan asked, obviously uncomfortable.

"Not yet," I said.

"Fine, you stay, Cathy, but I'm leaving," Ethan said.

"What? Why?" I asked in shock.

"It's obviously too soon for you to be with someone else, and let's be honest, we both wanted this to go somewhere else. You still have feeling for Jamie, so there's no need for me here," Ethan said and he walked away.

"It's not that it was my gut reaction exactly…" Jamie said to Nora as I was having my conversation with Ethan.

"Except it was! It was the first thing out of your mouth. Listen, I'll do the article and I'll leave all of this out, but I've got to go now. You still have feelings for Cathy, and as attractive as I find you, I should leave before you hurt me as much as it seems you hurt Cathy," Nora said.

"No, wait!" Jamie and I yelled, me at Ethan and him at Nora. Neither of our potential partners stopped. We sat down on a bench and just sat there a while without saying anything.

"I'm sorry I got so suspicious when I saw you with Nora, even though we're not a couple anymore. I guess I'm not completely comfortable seeing you with other woman yet," I said, "But that isn't really an excuse for how I acted. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I acted like a jerk, too," Jamie said. "And I guess I pretty much ruined your chances with Ethan, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but I ruined yours for Nora," I pointed out.

"Yeah," Jamie said. "Well, maybe I'll call her later and explain it to her."

"How are you going to explain it?" I asked.

"I don't know, something like, 'I'm sorry I was such a jerk earlier today. I have some issues that I still have to work out, but I would love it if you were with me while I work them out.' I need to re-word it, but something like that," Jamie said.

"You really like her, don't you?" I asked Jamie without looking at him.

"As much as someone can for only meeting her today," Jamie responded. "Do you really like Ethan?"

"I don't know. I mean, I like him, but he's not my knight in shining armor," I said, "I mean, I don't need that now, though. I don't think I need that at all, actually. There is no perfect partner, is there?"

"Did you ever want a knight in shining armor?" Jamie asked.

"Well, sure, before…" I said, almost saying 'before the divorce,' but I stopped myself. "Well, before things got…complicated."

"Yeah, complicated," Jamie said. We sat for a while longer. "I'm not knight in shining armor," Jamie said, "But if you ever want to just talk, I'm here for you, Cathy."

"Thanks, and the same goes for you," I told Jamie. Jamie and I smiled, and I knew on some level I would always love Jamie. I just couldn't be with him, but I would always love him and care for him. "Well, I better get going. I mean, I have errands, and…" I said trailing off.

"What are you doing on Friday night?" Jamie asked me.

"No, Jamie. Let's not go down there again," I said. There was silence and there was nothing left to say. I got up and left. I would always love Jamie, but he could not pull me back in again.

(Thanks for your reviews! So much drama, what can happen next? Will Nora go out with Jamie? Will Ethan go out with Cathy? Please Review!)