Elephant in the Room [Part 3]

Lola must face her ex-bestfriend, Nikita, for the first time since their falling out at a mutual friends wedding. But Nikita's date is also from Lola's past.....

Lola stares at the two of them for at least twenty seconds before Jordan whisks her to the dancefloor. He’s still unaware of the eerie tension.

Lola and Jordan begin to slow dance. She lays her head on his chest, and Jordan is eating this [moment] up. He’s been trying to talk to her through DM’s, text messages, and random Facetime calls for months, none of which she responded to. But he feels like after all that hard work, he’s finally made it to the end zone.

On the other hand, Lola is reminiscing about Jaden. They broke up over two years ago, but seeing him now, for the first time since the breakup, with her ex-best friend is a hybrid feeling between humbling and humiliating.

Jaden was Lola’s first and deepest love. They met in the library at college. Lola had gone there to borrow a finance book. She asked the librarian if they had any more copies, and they did. It was in Jaden’s hands, who happened to be standing directly behind her in line.

“I have the last copy, but you can check it out if you want,” Jaden said.

Lola stared at him—she’d never seen him before. “Are you sure?” She asked.

“Yeah, of course, I’ve read it three times now. I should probably purchase a copy,” Jaden says with a chuckle.

After she checked out the book, they went to the dining hall, where they talked for four hours.

Lola loved the person Jaden was. He was the oldest with three younger sisters, so he understood women on a level many men she interacted with didn’t. He was emotionally intelligent, communicative, reliable, and thoughtful.

Jaden loved that Lola was expressive, emotionally regulated, goal-oriented, and a little rebellious. She was the youngest of three, which gave her a carefree soul, something he could only dream of being the protector of three sisters.

They complimented each other in ways they didn’t know they could—and they learned that quickly. Within two months of meeting in the library, they were in a real relationship, the kind where they were planning whose parents’ house to visit for Thanksgiving.

For the first four years of their relationship, they were solid. They worked hard to communicate properly, considered each other and chose to build a life together brick-by-brick.

During the fifth year of their relationship, Jaden’s job sent him to work in the Los Angeles sector of the company, and Lola decided to stay back because her career in New York was starting to pick up. They thought they’d be able to get through anything, so they didn’t hesitate to take their relationship long distance.

The first year was an adjustment, but still, a storm they thought they could weather. A few months into the second year, things started to get rocky. Lola and Jaden were working 50+ hour weeks, the 3-hour time difference was aiding the divide, and they didn’t make as much time to visit each other. Small fights about not feeling cared for quickly turned to going days without speaking because they lost their communicative touch.

A year and eight months into being long-distance, four months without seeing each other, Jaden bit the bullet and flew to New York to discuss the state of their relationship. He loved Lola, what they had, and his life in California. In a perfect world, he would have all three, and he intended to devise a plan with Lola to make that happen.

Lola missed Jaden more than she thought. Every day that passed, she felt she was slipping out of his mind. When Jaden brought up flying out to New York, she knew they needed to end things. She felt like they were holding each other back. She knew Jaden was happy in L.A., working the job of his dreams and planting real roots on the opposite side of the country. Lola was doing the same. She started getting bigger writing gigs, was growing as a woman, and built a strong community. They knew they were on two different paths, but Lola was too scared and Jaden was too delusional to let go.

When Jaden got to New York, he and Lola picked up where they left off. The banter was unmatched. They ate at their favorite restaurants, cuddled for hours, watched movies, and truly enjoyed each other’s company for the first time in months.

The morning of Jaden’s flight back to California, they walked the Chelsea Pier, one of their favorite pastimes when Jaden lived in the city. That walk was the first time they weren’t giggling, talking, or kissing since his arrival. They knew they had to face reality but didn’t realize their visions looked different.

“I know I haven’t been the best these past few months, but it’s because I miss you,” Jaden said.

Lola immediately felt a pit in her throat.

“I miss you so much,” Lola said. Jaden grabs Lola’s hand and kisses it.

“I feel like I’m holding you back from your new life,” she said.

Jaden is taken aback, “Never. I want you in all parts of my life.”

There’s another pause.

“Do you feel like I’m holding you back?” He asked.

“Never,” Lola said as a single tear dropped.

They stopped walking to stare face-to-face.

“What’s wrong, Lo?” He asked, but Lola could feel he knew the answer.

“I don’t think we’re supposed to be together anymore,” she said.

“I—disagree,” he said.

“We’re building separate lives on opposite coasts,” she said.

“Well, I can apply to come back to New York in 18 months.”

“Why do you want to come back to New York?”

“For you. For us. Because it feels like home here. Because I know it’s hard to do what we’re doing, but I’d rather figure this out than give up.”

“I don’t think we’re giving up. I think you were a treat. I still think you are. I just don’t want the treat to spoil because I held on to it for too long.”

There’s another pause. They both know she’s right, but Jaden isn’t the type to give up.

“It’ll never spoil if we refrigerate it,” he said.

They laughed at how corny his response was. He did mean it from the heart, though. After going back and forth about breaking up or not, they settled on taking a two-month break.

They stuck to the plan and didn’t call, text, or check each other’s social media. The distance made their hearts grow fonder, but by the time the two months had passed, Lola got a job as a staff writer on SNL, and Jaden was offered a software developing opportunity at Google that he couldn’t pass up. They were over the moon for each other, but this was the confirmation they needed to part ways.

As Lola danced with her head on Jordan’s chest a single tear dropped at the memory of her last conversation with Jaden.

“I’m going to run to the bathroom,” she said to Jordan without making eye contact.

She lied. She didn’t run to the bathroom. She ran to the very vacant backyard, sat in a white, wooden lawn chair, and bawled.

Lola compartmentalized her relationship with Jaden because it was too tough to face. She poured her attention into writing jobs and friends. This was the first time she’d thought about Jaden since a few weeks after the relationship ended. In the backyard of the reception dinner, she realizes she never stopped missing him.

“Lola..”

Lola turns around and sees Jaden six feet behind her. She quickly faces forward to hide her teary eyes, but he already sees her face. He sits down in the lawn chair next to her and faces forward too.

After a few minutes of sitting in silence, he says, “What’s wrong, Lo?” But they both knew he already knew the answer.