{{ Rachel }}
I decided to take a short walk after my meeting with Garfield. I liked walks because they gave me a chance to get some fresh air while think about things I needed to take care of, the most glaring problem in my life currently being Garfield. He didn't really give me much to work with, after all. Taking in the brisk air, I strolled along the park's lake and observed the ducks floating around. I wasn't too fond of animals but the ducks looked so peaceful I could almost sort of relate to Garfield's dedication to caring for them. Almost. I found myself unable to stop thinking about him, much to my disgust. I hadn't had a guy on my mind this much since Mal. I shuddered just hearing that name in my head.
Mal had been my ex-boyfriend. He was one of those good for nothing losers who desperately tried to impress my father. I remember my eighteen year old self absolutely pining for him. After all, he worked for my father and I knew he would absolutely loathe any sort of relationship between Mal and I. We'd ended up hooking up shortly after nineteenth birthday party, much to the disapproval of my father. I always hate to admit it but I absolutely loved the guy; he was charming, handsome and so attentive to my needs. Mal was basically everything I was looking for in a guy and for me, this was my first true love. But it wasn't Mal's. As it turned out I was just a pawn in Mal's stupid attempt to get closer to my father. I should have realized it sooner but hey, teenagers tend to be a little stupid when it comes to their first love. I only realized what a joke our relationship had been to him when my father got busted by the government. Shortly after losing my home, my father and my livelihood, I lost Mal. Apparently I had nothing to offer him if my father was in jail. It was probably the roughest time of my life but thank god I had Kori to help me get through it. It turned out that before dying my mother had saved some money for me and put it in a trust (something my father had failed to inform me of). I also got to keep the penthouse my father used to live in and at that point my life started to come together. I changed my last name to my mother's maiden name, got a job with the local newspaper and moved into my father's penthouse. Life was starting to look good.
My thoughts traced back to Garfield as I passed a pet shop on my way back to the penthouse. He was the complete opposite of Mal personality wise. Garfield was laid back and funny (at least, tries to be funny) while Mal was always serious and no nonsense. I guess in away I was attracted to that because Mal was essentially he Mal version of me. But hotter. I found myself wanting to know more about Garfield. Where did he come from? What was his story? Was he in a relationship? I blushed at the last question. It was almost embarrassing to say but I was actually kind of attracted to him. Gross, I know. He was probably the exact opposite of the type of guys I liked; y'know, dark hair, brooding and all that. I couldn't wait until this wedding was over with.
{{Garfield}}
"Let me get this straight: you agreed to be this girl's prostitute?!" Victor exclaimed. I rolled my eyes. I mean, he wasn't exactly wrong but when you put it like that..
"Hey! It's not super like that. I'm just gonna be her date for her friend's wedding." I said. I don't know why but I was weirdly compelled to defend Rachel. I'm not really the type of person for sappy stories but Rachel seemed like she had a lot of stuff going on in her life.
"Dude, don't you think that's weird? She's a grown woman and she has to blackmail someone just to get a date?" Vic replied.
"Okay, you're not WRONG but let's think of the pros: free drinks, a free meal and I don't have to pay for that stupid laptop." I pointed out. Vic gave a small smile.
"Alright, true enough, man. " he said, standing up from the couch.
"Are you going somewhere?"
"It's taco Tuesday man, remember? Karen and I are going out."
"Oh. Well have fun." I said, trying to hide the disappointment in my voice.
"Gotcha dude. Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone!" Vic said, smiling as he picked up his keys and left.
"No promises." I said as the door closed. I sighed. Vic had been spending a lot of time with Karen lately. It probably wouldn't be long before he popped the question and moved out. And to be fair, that was pretty much me when I was dating Tara.
Tara and I had met in undergrad. I was ten times more immature than I am now but she loved it. We were best friends, practically inseparable. Looking back now we were totally that obnoxious couple that shoved their love in everyone's faces but I definitely did not care. She was beautiful and smart and me but in girl form. I thought we were meant to be. And then she cheated on me. Multiple times. Granted she was drunk every time, but I was still devastated. She didn't even bother telling me! I had to find out from someone else! I mean, I'm glad she wasn't having an affair but goddammit she was the love of my life. I probably could have even forgiven her if she just owned up to it but she didn't and now we're here. The worst part is that she's not even a terrible person. She's just a friendly girl with a bit of drinking problem that ruined our almost ten year relationship.
It's actually sort of funny how different Rachel and Tara are. I'm pretty sure Tara would hate Rachel actually; she'd probably think she was too stuck up and needs to let loose. But Rachel's personality is kind of a breath of fresh air. Don't get me wrong I loved Tara more than anything in the world but she had a tendency to never take anything serious, probably why it was so easy for her to cheat on me. Rachel is so straight forward and focused and I sort of like it? Not to mention she's completely the opposite of Tara looks wise. Tara was tall, tanned and super skinny with beach blonde hair and a spattering of freckles across her face. Rachel on the other hand was short and curvy with extremely pale skin and dark violet hair.
I rose from my place on the couch and stretched my arms out. The apartment was pretty lonely without Vic. I yawned before checking my phone. I managed to get off work earlier than I expected so it was only 8. Maybe Rachel was free.