Chapter 2

  One month after the breakup, Anna was still not over Alex. It seemed like she was even getting worse. Everyone noticed her depressed state, including her boss. He gave her the day off, possibly because he felt sorry for her.

  She couldn't let her mood affect her work because as the exhibit designer of one of the biggest galleries in New York, she worked closely with both clients and artists. So, she feigned happiness, even when she wasn't feeling it.

  She pulled off her black pumps, making herself comfortable on her couch. If she was taking the day off, she might as well enjoy herself. With the company of excellent wine and a decent book, she was ready to wind down.

  Over the past month, Alex had kept his distance, which she had truly despised. She kept on hoping that he would call and beg for her forgiveness, but he never did.

  The worst part of it was that she knew if he made any attempt to win her back, she would have gladly taken him back and she suspected he knew it too. But Alex was too proud to beg, she thought sadly.

Sometimes, she wondered why people made so much fuss about love when it usually resulted in heartbreak. But then, she would think about all the good parts of their relationship and an involuntary smile would light up her face. She took a sip of her wine, enjoying the fresh crispness of it.

Alex always did say she looked breathtaking when she smiled. He was good with words and knew exactly what to say to melt her. Perhaps it was one of the reasons she fell hard for him too fast. Her thoughts became gloomy.

She had always assumed she would be one of the lucky few that would find their one true love and then bam, marriage, and before you knew it, kids. That's why she had immediately thought of forever with Alex. She believed in happily ever afters- so sue her. Anna set her novel to the side, realizing that at this rate she would never finish reading her book.

Her phone rang, cutting through her line of thoughts, and for a moment she assumed it was him. Her heartbeat in anticipation as she deftly reached for her phone, but was disappointed and strangely relieved to see it was her best friend and not her ex calling.

She assumed Nicole was calling to find out if she had duly drowned herself in heartbreak. She hadn't, at least not yet. Although she had drowned her weight in several tubs of ice cream and wine. Lots and lots of those. Seeing as they were the only things she could stomach without feeling nauseous.

"I wouldn't bother asking you how you are, because we both know you're not fine. So I'm going to cut to the chase here, babe. I want you to pack a weekend bag and book your flight ASAP because you're mine for the weekend, baby," her friend said in a rush without saying hello.

"Wait, what?"

"Are you deaf? I said pack your bags you are flying down here for the weekend."

"And why exactly am I doing that?"

"I would have come to you, but work is crazy and I miss you."

"I miss you too, but I need a more solid reason to fly all the way to Chicago." She could visualize her friend's pout from her living room.

"Okay, we both know how heartbroken and depressed you are-"

"You don't need to point out the obvious," she said, cutting off her best friend with a scowl.

"Anyway, you need a break, and what better place to get the much-needed break than with your best friend and uncle Fred's been complaining about how you scarcely call him, so I'm sure he'd be happy if you visited him this weekend," she took a deep breath, "And you can't use the excuse that you're busy because I wouldn't fall for it, besides you would probably spend your whole weekend in front of your TV eating ice cream." She concluded, not giving Anna any chance to counter her.

Her friend truly needed a break, Nicole thought biting her lips anticipating her answer.

She knew that her friend wouldn't tell her no. Anna was a people pleaser and on a norm, she wouldn't have taken advantage of that, but she was worried about her friend and her hermit tendencies, especially now that she was brokenhearted.

She had mentally planned what they were going to do when Anna arrived. Although she had initially told Anna that the break was just the weekend, she would somehow persuade Anna to stay for the week.

It wasn't going to be easy, but they had been best friends since they were in diapers. So if anyone could convince her best friend to take a much-needed break, it was her. And she had a surprise in store for her, she thought with glee.

"I'll come on one condition," Anna said as she picked at her fading lilac nail polish.

"What is it?"

"No setting me up with any random guy."

"But-

"But nothing, Nicole, that's my only condition for this weekend getaway."

"Okay, okay, no setting you up, now go and pack. Make sure you pack some cute dresses because we are surely hitting the club this weekend." Her best friend almost screeched with excitement.

"I love you too, Nicky," Anna replied just as Nicole hung up. She was almost as excited as her best friend, but nobody could match up to Nicole's vibe. She was a special type of person. She shook her head at her best friend's almost child-like behavior.

Although she might act like her best friend was infuriating, the brunette was secretly thrilled that she was going away for the weekend and it had been months since they had last seen each other.

She had to call her boss to inform him that she would like to take an entire week off because knowing Nicole this would not just be a weekend thing. She had already started to search for available flights for the next day, which was Friday when her phone rang again. Putting down her laptop she blindly reached for the phone assuming it was Nicole.

"Nicole, what did you forget this time around?" There was a bit of shuffling in the background before a tired sigh broke through.

"I miss you," a deep voice rasped through the phone, a voice that she had been craving to hear, the same voice that had been plaguing her dreams for the past month. And then abruptly all the feelings she had been working hard to bury, rose to the surface. But before she could say anything, the line was dead.

Her thoughts were jumbled, but Anna knew she had to go. Suddenly the timing of Nicole's invitation seemed perfect to her. Because now she was barely holding onto herself control.

She practiced her breathing because it was the fastest way for her to let go of her anger as she picked up her phone. She considered calling him and giving him a piece of her mind but as usual, she picked the cowardly choice and changed her mind just as her fingers were about to hit the dial button.

Instead, she used the pent up energy to prepare for her trip. She booked her flight, called her boss, she shaved, packed her clothes, and then made sure everything was prepared for the weekend.

She felt that this weekend would bring more than entertainment for her. She didn't know that more than one surprise lay in store for her.