Day 86: Tales Of Sympathetic Expressions And Marriage Dates
Day 86 Of How To Move On From A Man — 1LD
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I’m Andie and my ex, Douglas, dumped me. This is my break-up, so to speak. Douglas is a power player in Melbourne, worth more than I could ever comprehend.
I have no idea why we broke up.
I work and live at 1 Lovelock Drive. There, my best friend James and I are building Highway, our unisex clothing line. Our two other best friends, GG and Sophia, are investors.
GG is dating Douglas’ brother. Awkward.
My friends have been acting strange since the breakup. Since things have changed, I’ve found papers in James’ briefcase outlining plans for an expensive office space for our business.
“So why aren’t you married?”
There was this part of me who wanted to tell Alex that he couldn’t ask a woman my age why she wasn’t married or didn’t have kids, or wasn’t something she “should” be.
But this wasn’t some stranger asking me.
He knew the younger me who talked about the day I would get married and have kids and live in the big house like a modern-day Cinderella.
I said those things when I could walk up to a man, flash a little skin and they would fall into bed with me.
Now, the moment they realise I have the slightest hint of grey hair underneath my bleached tressels, they assume I’ll only drop my panties in exchange for a wedding ring.
At least that’s what I assume.
It’s one of many theories I have for why Douglas went running away with such haste. And surprise, too. It would make sense. It’s a reason that could let me sleep at night.
At this moment, though, I had a man not too dissimilar to my ex. If Alex thought the same thing, I might be onto something.
“How honest do you want me to be?”
Alex tilted his head with a knowing smile. “Come on sugar. Honest-honest.”
He leaned over the table and filled up my wine glass. I was enjoying his makeshift home restaurant, but the honesty part I wasn’t prepared for.
“I’ve never been looking for a husband. I don’t think marriage is something you achieve, a milestone in life to tick off. You either have someone you want to marry or you don’t.”
I could feel Alex’s eyes open wider. And as I picked up my wine glass and brought the sweet liquid to my lips, I said;
“I’ve never had someone who has wanted to marry me.”
“What about someone you’ve wanted to marry?”
I finished the content of the glass. “Well now, that’s a different story.”
There was no way I could bring myself to even think yet admit I could have seen myself marrying Douglas.
Admitting I thought once or twice I thought about being Mrs. Andie Gallo, no, I couldn’t do that.
We never got to that part.
We weren’t even in love, says the record books.
Marriage was a stretch, I keep telling myself.
Alex stared at me with a sympathetic expression.
Pity. Sadness.
“I liked being your fake husband.” I don’t know if that was any sort of consolation.
I didn’t think to ask why Alex wasn’t married either. Probably because he had the same answer as me.
Or, more than likely, because I couldn’t stand talking about what could have been any longer.
You’re reading The Andie Chronicles, the 2023 romance-fiction series from the 1 Lovelock Drive (1LD) universe.
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