“What does that mean?” I asked.
She sighed. “We broke up.”
“What?” I exclaimed. “When?”
“A week ago,” she sighed. “He started freaking out about stupid shit, and I just didn’t have the patience to deal with it. I’m so glad that we’re graduating soon and I won’t have to deal with immature college idiots anymore. I’m ready for a real relationship and a real man…like the one you’ve got.”
I smiled instantly at the mention of Chance. “He just called me.” He had been a little distant in the last few weeks but I hadn’t minded so much because I had to focus on my exams. Now that I was free, I was desperate to spend some time with him.
“Oh? And what did Prince Charming say?” Missy asked
“He wants to take me out to dinner tonight,” I said excitedly. “He did mention that he had something important he wanted to discuss with me.”
“Oh?” she said, as her eyebrows shot into the air.
“Yeah,” I nodded.
“Did he mention what he wanted to discuss?” she asked curiously.
“Not a word,” I said. “But he sounded kind of nervous on the phone.”
“Did he now?” she said contemplatively. “That’s definitely a sign.”
“How is it a sign?” I asked. “A sign of what?”
“Of what?” Missy repeated, and then she shook her head at me. “Of what, she asks.”
I paused for a moment, and I felt expectation rise inside me. “You don’t think he’s going to propose, do you?”
Missy clapped her hands together. “Oh my God! What if that’s exactly what he’s going to do?”
“No,” I said quickly. “No, that’s crazy.”
“Why?”
“Because we haven’t even been together that long.”
“It’s been almost a year,” she reminded me. “Plus, he’s taken you to Paris, plus you guys are practically living together, and oh yeah…he just happens to be in love with you.”
I smiled. “Well…”
“And consider the timing,” Missy continued on, cutting me off in her excitement. “You’ve just finished finals, and you’re graduating in less than a month.”
I thought about it, and as I thought about it, my mind started to take control. For a moment, I saw myself in a beautiful white silk dress, walking down the aisle towards Chance. I saw my parents watching me with tears in their eyes, I saw Missy cheering from the sidelines, and I saw flowers and music and a three-tiered cake that looked too beautiful to cut. I saw my wedding day so clearly that it shocked me how detailed my imagination got.
It was almost as though I had planned this day since I was seven. But the truth was, I hadn’t. I had dreamed about traveling. I had dreamed about exotic countries but never had I imagined my wedding. The dream was so real that I could taste the happiness on my tongue and it was suitably intoxicating.
I realized suddenly how much I wanted it to be true. I wanted to be with Chance for the rest of my life. We were just to right together, but a part of me was scared to get too invested in that hope. What if I am completely misreading the situation? What if all Chance wants to do is help me celebrate the end of finals?
“I don’t think he’s going to propose,” I told Missy because I didn’t want to buy into the fantasy. Now that I’d realized how important it was to me, I didn’t want to get my hopes up and set myself up for disappointment.
“There’s a chance, though.”
“There’s always a chance for anything,” I pointed out.
Missy turned away from me and opened up a new page on her computer screen. “What are you doing?” I asked, sitting beside her.