I wiped my tears and unblocked Jason’s
number. I had acted rashly. We needed to talk. I
typed out the words I never thought I’d write:
“Jason, we’re breaking up.”
Jason found me three hours later. “Real mature,
Amy. Blocking my number.” He reached for me.
“Don’t touch me!” I jerked away.
<
(
41
“Amy, there’s a limit to these tantrums,” he said, his voice low. “You were wrong to make a
scene at the wrap party.”
“I told you to apologize. Was I wrong? This
could have all been avoided if you’d just apologized.”
I laughed humorlessly. “Did it hurt you? Did it cost you anything?”
He was silent. Of course, it hadn’t hurt him. This was free publicity, getting the show trending before it even aired. That was why my hashtags were still up there, untouched. It was laughable. I was laughable.
I I stood up, swaying slightly, and pushed him away. “Jason, I’m serious. We’re breaking up.
Stay away from me.”
“You’re drunk.” He frowned.
<
“I mean every word.”
He stared at me for a moment, sighed, and
softened his tone. “Babe, let’s not do this,
okay? Let’s go home.”
“Go away. Rhonda’s coming to get me.”
He ignored me, pulling me into his arms. “Don’t
be difficult, okay? Come home with me. I’ll
pretend I didn’t hear any of this ‘breakup‘ talk.
Don’t ever say that again, understand?” He
leaned down to kiss me.
Honestly, this used to work on me. He’d used
this tactic to smooth things over after every
Sarah–related fight. But now, the thought of
him with Sarah made me sick.
“Jason!” I struggled against him, turning my
head away. “Are you deaf? I’m breaking up with
you!”
<
I saw Rhonda standing by the rooftop door,
eyes wide. She must have just arrived. I pulled
away from Jason and rushed towards her.
“Amy!” Jason’s voice, laced with anger,
followed us. “Repeat what you just said.”
I took a deep breath, turned back to him, and
said, slowly and clearly, “I. Am. Breaking. Up.
With. You.”
“Fine. Fine. Just fine.” He laughed coldly.
“Breaking up, are we? Fine, I agree. Don’t come
crawling back.”
I stayed at Rhonda’s for a week. Jason didn’t
contact me once. Then, on the weekend, the casting results for the movie I’d auditioned for
came out. Rhonda looked at me, hesitant.
“What is it? Did I not get it?” I asked, already expecting the worst.
<
“Not exactly. They said the female lead is still
undecided. It’s between you and Sarah. The
male lead gets the final say…”
“Male lead?”
“It’s Jason…”
Oh.
“Amy,” Rhonda said, wringing her hands.
“You’re his girlfriend! He made you give up the
lead role in the last show to Sarah. He has pull
in the industry now… We should talk to him…”
“Rhonda,” I shook my head. “Jason and I broke
up.”
Rhonda’s eyes widened. “Really? For real?”
“You were there, weren’t you?”
“I thought you were just fighting…”
<
“But Amy,” Rhonda said, her voice full of
concern. “Are you sure? Can you really let him
go? It’s Jason…”
Could I? I’d asked myself that question a thousand times. More than four years of love, companionship, shared moments. Even now, I could still remember the first time he nervously approached me, the way he’d stayed by my side for three days straight when I was sick, his red–rimmed eyes never leaving me, the time he drove five hundred miles just to catch a glimpse.
of me on set. But even the most vibrant
paintings fade with time.
“Maybe you should go talk to him…”
Go back? I smiled. “I am going back.” To get my things.
Jason was actually at the apartment we shared,
which was rare these days. He was in his
pajamas, clutching his phone, looking like her
<
was waiting for a text. He seemed startled
when he heard the door. Then his expression
hardened. “Changed your mind? Decided to
come back?”
I nodded. “I have.”
I walked straight to the bedroom and opened.
the closet, trying to decide what to take. Jason
followed me.
“I’m not even mad anymore. Just don’t be so
impulsive next time, okay? I got those hashtags
about you taken down. Just apologize to Sarah
publicly, and the lead role in the new movie is
yours. It’s just a movie role. Was it really worth
all this drama?”
I pulled out a suitcase and opened it.
“Do you have a job lined up?” he asked,
surprised.
“I terminated my contract.” I didn’t look up.
“What?!” His voice rose. “You didn’t even
discuss this with me?”
I sighed. “Why would I discuss it with you? Wel
broke up, Jason.”
“Break up, what…” He trailed off, then
crouched beside me. “Amy, are you done with
this now? It’s not that big of a deal. You know I
have a contract to pretend I’m dating Sarah.
We’ve been doing this for years! You get upset about this every few months. It’s exhausting. And why would we kiss in public anyway? You wanted to kiss me in front of everyone? You enjoy having your private life on display? Amy, can you think about me for once before you
throw a fit?”
I looked at him steadily. “Jason, do you know why I agreed to play the second lead in that
show?”
He hesitated.
“Because I missed you.” So even though it was
the role of the villain, I had taken it. I just
wanted to be near him.
“Because of that? I had a contract, Amy! You
knew that! And you know…,” he paused, “they
said you left the set because you had
something to do.”
I shook my head sadly. “Jason, I loved you, so I
was willing to put up with a lot. But sometimes,
just once, I wish my boyfriend had been there
for me when things got tough. Do you know I
was deliberately given a hard time on set? I had
to film the falling–in–the–water scene ten times while I was on my period. I ended up with a fever so high I almost got pneumonia.”
He froze.
“You don’t know, do you? Because you weren’t
–
L
on set those days. You were sightseeing with Sarah.”
“But…you said you had something to do…” he stammered.
I smiled bitterly. “Jason, I texted you that I was sick. You replied five hours later. Do you remember what you said?”
When Jason’s text finally arrived, Rhonda had
already rushed me, delirious with fever, to the hospital.
“You said…drink plenty of fluids.”
He stared at me, stunned.
“Amy, I…”
