Zoe blew her nose loudly into the pillow and tossed it on the floor of her bedroom, which was already littered with ice cream bowls, sweet wrappers, and soggy tissue papers. She rolled around on her bed trying to locate her phone but ended up falling on the floor. “Oww,” she cried out in pain, rubbing her ankle. “This weekend couldn't get any worse.”
Zoe finally managed to pick herself up and hobbled around the room to switch on the light. She gasped in shock at the state of her room. Normally Zoe was a tidy person, but a dose of heartache and confusion had sent her into a wave of depression and untidiness. Her phone rang, which made her jump and clutch her chest.
“Where is the damn thing!” she thought to herself as she used her last strength to dig into all the bedspreads she'd scattered on the bed to find it. “Helloooo,” the voice on the other end sang out as soon as Zoe answered. “Hi, Macy,” Zoe whispered back groggily, feeling warmth envelop her at the sound of her best friend's voice.
“Have you been crying again? I've been out of town for just two days, and you're back to crying over him?” Macy said through the phone.
“Well, I was good after you left, but then I got a notification about his cousin's wedding that we were supposed to attend. I'd even forgotten I was in the group chat, and I just broke down…” Zoe said, blinking back tears.
Zoe didn't honestly understand how Macy expected her to move on just like that from her relationship of eight years. She and Dean had been together since the second year of college and were practically inseparable. Until two weeks ago, when he'd broken up with her for no tangible reason, on her birthday.
She thought she would finally be proposed to, only to end up with a broken heart and a ruined birthday dinner. All efforts to reach out to him hadn't been successful; he'd blocked her everywhere and forbade his family or friends from mentioning her name. The annoying part was that he wouldn't say what she had done wrong or why he’d ended the relationship.
“Listen, I'm about 20 minutes from your place. Freshen up and put on something nice. I'm taking you out for dinner,” Macy said through the phone and hung up quickly before Zoe could make any excuses.
Zoe quickly dragged herself into the bathroom, took a cold shower, and brushed her teeth. She stepped into her closet and sighed at the mess she'd made in there too when she was looking for sheets to bury herself in. She tiptoed around her messy bedroom and closet until she finally looked decent enough to face the world.
Zoe decided to wait outside her house for Macy. She needed the cool breeze to clear her head. A couple of minutes later, her best friend arrived and gave her a long hug before bundling her into the car amidst screams and laughter. They drove in silence until they arrived at their favorite restaurant.
Zoe was quiet all through dinner and listened to Macy talk about her visit to her family. “So what about you? Please tell me you didn't try to reach Dean again,” Macy said suddenly.
“Look, Mace, I'm heartbroken, and I just want to know what I did wrong!” Zoe replied indignantly.
“Well, he doesn't want to talk to you. You're too beautiful and smart for stuff like this. It's Dean's loss, my darling. Focus on yourself and move on,” Macy said, reaching out to pinch Zoe's cheeks.
“I hear you…” Zoe replied distractedly, “But I require closure. In fact…”
“I know that look. Zoe, what are you planning?” Macy asked.
“Nothing,” Zoe replied innocently, “just that I know he won't miss his cousin's wedding this weekend because he's the best man, and I might as well finally get to talk to him there.”
“No, Zoe, don't do it. What if he embarrasses you?” Macy asked.
“Well, at least it would be better than sitting here confused and overthinking myself to death. I didn't do anything to this man, and I want to know why he did what he did, okay? Would you accompany me?” Zoe replied.
“Actually, I would love to, but I might end up killing Dean for what he did to you. But promise me that you won't go there, Zoe. I'm serious,” Macy replied sternly.
After a lot of back and forth, Zoe agreed not to go to the wedding and to spend the weekend cleaning her house. Macy dropped her off at her house after the long dinner and drove off.
During the new week, Zoe engrossed herself with work. She tried really hard to put all thoughts of Dean out of her mind, but the urge to ambush him at the wedding was just too strong. She finally reached out to her younger sister, and they came up with a plan. By Friday night, Zoe was looking shocked at her reflection in the mirror. Her sister had done something to her hair with dyes and scissors, and Zoe was looking stunning already.
“Now imagine how you'll look with a dress and makeup!” her sister said excitedly.
Zoe couldn't sleep as she played different scenarios in her head. In one, Dean embarrasses her. In another, he takes a look at her and decides he'd been a fool to let her go, or maybe he's already moved on with someone else. By Saturday morning she was a mess and was considering backing out.
“You're going to that wedding. So get it together, freshen up, and come here. My makeup artist is on the way,” her sister said to her when she voiced out her fears.
By 4pm, Zoe was at the venue, wearing dark sunglasses and praying no one would recognize her. The hair made her look different, so she relaxed a little. Zoe walked into the hall, went to the bar, and asked for a glass of wine, which she sipped slowly. She didn't want to be tipsy when talking to Dean. She noticed that she had come right on time. People were dancing and socializing, and they were done with all the speeches and toasts.
She moved on to the next phase of the plan, which was to convince a waiter to pass a note to Dean asking him to meet her at the bar. As she hurriedly searched her purse for the note, cold fingers wrapped around her arm, and she felt goosebumps all over her body.
“What are you doing here?!” A deep voice whispered in shock behind her. Oops, Zoe thought to herself, so much for her being unrecognizable. Dean had apprehended her even before she'd spent twenty minutes at the wedding.
“Dean, please, I need to talk to you,” she said, turning around to look at him. He was still devastatingly handsome, and he was still looking at her in shock.
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Dean quickly grabbed her hand and walked her to the balcony of the hall, which was quieter and empty.
“You're not supposed to be here, Zoe. I thought you had moved on by now.” Dean asked.
“Moved on? You broke up with me for no reason on my birthday. We've been together for so long. I've never lied to you or cheated! You just dumped me without any reasonable explanation,” Zoe replied, shaking with anger.
Dean looked at her for a long time in disbelief. Then he whipped out his phone and showed her something on it. Zoe's face went white with shock as she scrolled through the chats. It was between her best friend Macy and Dean. Macy had sent him so many lies about Zoe and manipulated several situations to make Zoe look like she was cheating and a liar.
“Oh my God! Macy is behind this? All those times I lied about my location, it was because she made me swear not to tell anyone where we were going, which was to her sister's rehabilitation center.” Zoe cried out, “Why would she do this!”
Dean was shocked and didn't believe it until Zoe called Macy on the phone and stylishly asked questions about their visits to the rehabilitation center. He sat down on the floor and held his head in his hands, looking ashamed of himself.
“I'm deeply sorry, Zoe, please forgive me. I shouldn't have just believed without talking to you,” he finally said.
“Yes, you shouldn't have. Please, next time, try to talk to me before behaving rashly,” Zoe pleaded.
“I felt so hurt, baby, but I'm deeply sorry,” Dean said, finally standing up to hug Zoe, who was relieved to have her man back.
“Babe, I'm going over to Macy's house to have a word with her. Are you coming?” Zoe asked after a few minutes. Dean didn't need to be asked twice; he quickly ended the hug, kissed her, and walked alongside Zoe to her car.
