Omera

Seeing him brought back emotions I didn't even know I had. Sadness, hurt, anger, confusion, all of it. There was one feeling that tops all of it, hate.

I hate him.

I remember all the hardships I went through just to be with him and how he just threw me away in the end. I look into his eyes which look way to familiar, I suddenly hate the color brown.

"Omera..." he notices the pain in my face and my teary eyes. I have a lump in my throat and I can't even come up with a response. I can't stand the thought of crying in front of him and letting him see how much he's really ruined my life.

He reaches down to pick up my phone and I take this as an opportunity to run away. I feel like a leaking mess of tears and incredibly weak for even getting this emotional.

He calls after me but I ignore his calls and hope that he doesn't try to chase after me.

"Ms. Williams?" I hear a voice call from the front desk, I don't care enough about that right now I just need to get home. However, I hear footsteps follow me and the same voice call out again.

"Just leave me alone," I warn as I turn to face the person.

"It's just me, what's wrong?" She asks.

I stare at her but quickly look away because of her brown eyes. I don't want to be too mean to her, she's just a teenage girl working at the front desk. She and I are the youngest workers here, we've only ever had a few conversations.

"Emma I'm just not in the mood for a quick chat," I explain without taking my emotions out on her.

"Did Mr. Adams do something?" She questions curiously, I shake my head and let a small smile come onto my face. I somehow managed to calm myself down without realizing it.

"No," I reassure her and quickly change the subject, "I'm just so emotional because of the engagement. Which reminds me, what are you doing next weekend?"

Her eyes widen a bit at my words, "Are you inviting me to the engagement party?"

"Of course, you're the only friend I made here," I tell her, she isn't really a friend I would consider her an acquaintance. However, at this point anyone I don't hate is my friend.

"That's crazy, Omera. Everyone here likes you," she points out.

I chuckle, "I don't like them."

She smiles and nods, "I'd love to come."

"Then I'd better see you there," I respond with a smile.

—

"I've been texting and calling you all day," Maci informs me as she enters my apartment. I don't really live with Ryan, the last time I lived with someone I had to awkwardly live with their roommate for a year. Speaking of which, I wonder how Phil is doing, I should pay him a visit. We really did become really good friends after Dan took off.

"Hey Maci, something weird happened today," I say, I don't really think I should have brought it up because she'll just freak out.

"Really? What?" She questions as she begins pulling different ingredients from my fridge. She was probably going to cook me something, she usually always does.

I decide against my judgment and tell her, "I saw Dan today,"

She pauses, "Are you serious? What happened?"

"Nothing, I dropped my phone and- oh my god he has my phone." I slap my forehead as I realize, the thought sort of escaped me.

"He has your phone? Did he take it?" Maci questions, she pretty much dropped what she was doing in the kitchen to come sit and talk to me on my couch.

"No, I bumped into him in the staircase and I dropped my phone which was the weirdest thing because that exactly how we met. What if I just dreamed up the whole thing?" I panic but shake my head at the thought, "anyways, seeing him made all my feelings bubble up inside me and I couldn't help but tear up so I ran away."

"What was he even doing there?" She interrogates.

"I don't know, maybe he was visiting a girlfriend or something," I wave it off.

"That's impossible he's with-" she immediately stops herself and heads back in the kitchen, "What do you want to eat?"

"What were you going to say? He's with who?" I press.

She sighs, "It's really not important, you don't need to know."

"You know something? Just tell me, Maci." I walk straight up to her, she looks a bit conflicted.

"It will give me some peace knowing he's with someone else so I don't think he's there just to pester me" I try convincing her, she sighs again and bites her lip.

"He's with Euri." She admits to me.

Euri? The woman he has a child with? I remember how pretty she was when I first met her, she didn't seem like she wanted to be with Dan. Was it her plan to get with him all along? Their cute child, Tree, would be more than happy that he has a father to spend time with. It's been four years, he must be so much older now.

"How do you know?" I question her, I don't know how she got access to this information especially since Euri moved away from Maci's neighborhood.

"Euri still talks to my mother, she came to visit one day and I kinda found out." She admits to me with a plain expression. It seems like she doesn't enjoy the topic at all so I decide to drop it.

"Oh...well that's nice I guess," I shrug a bit, I don't know why I don't like the thought of that, maybe I feel a bit betrayed that Euri was just trying to get Dan behind my back. Then again we weren't friends, I just met her briefly when I babysat her kid with Maci. Then again when she came to visit Dan, which is when he became distant. Was she the reason?

"You know, you deserve better than him...you deserve better than Ryan too. There are people who can treat you so much better than them." Maci breaks me from my thoughts.

"Like who?" I challenge her, I don't feel I can find better and I feel like Maci knows it too.

She looks like she's about to say something but stops herself, she looks conflicted and decides to just not reply to my question at all.

"What do you want to eat?" She changes the subject.

—