Here's the prompt for today: "You bump into an ex-lover on Valentine's Day—the one whom you often call "The One That Got Away." What happens?"
Let's get to it, then.
Melisandre drove down the charcoal road, keeping her vehicle steady and her mossy eyes on the road. Her long, straight red hair flew ever so slightly in the wind, and her pointed nose was held high. It wasn't because she was that short. The proper term was vertically challenged, anyway. She had sworn she wasn't going to to out today, but the rumbling in her stomach and a laziness to cook the food she already had had taken over her. Thus, she found herself pulling into the grocery store parking lot, easily finding an open space near the entryway. She parked, pulled the E-brake on, and got out of her dusty truck.
She wasn't one for fanciness, and her vehicle reflected that to the maximum. It looked like it would collapse at any moment, yet it was one of the sturdiest things that she owned. The paint was long since chipped in several places, and touches of mud splattered across its body. Melisandre locked the door, putting her keys in her pocket.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMTcxyHcnld
As she stepped in the doors, a beautiful sensation swept over her. Air conditioning. It was a relief from the terrible heat outside, and it gave her enough sense to head to the frozen aisle without wandering for twenty minutes. She scanned the products for a few minutes, ultimately settling on something familiar rather than risky - a pizza. But not just any pizza. Big Sal's Triple Deluxe pizza, with extra olives. It was no wonder Melisandre spent so much time alone.
She yawned as she headed to the cashier, glancing around at the other displays without much interest. One display showed a big, red heart with a happy face on it. It crept her out a bit. Below the freaky mascot was the phrase "Treat your lover to a Valentine's present! Heart lollipops only $2.99!" She had almost forgotten. It was that time of year again. The one where couples affectionately rubbed their faces together all day long, leaving awkward bulbs like her to sit in the chair three feet away with nothing but a sorry ache in her heart and a juicebox that she sipped loudly. It didn't have much meaning to her, it was just more of an annoyance than anything.
Melisandre averted her eyes from the crude heart-man. Reminding herself of it wouldn't change things. Besides, she had a deluxe pizza to look forward to. She waited in line patiently, staring at a magazine. She didn't care for them either, but the fact that most of them had ridiculous titles amused her to a degree.
"That'll be $10.75," she heard the cashier say.
"On debit," another voice said. The slight smirk faded from Melisandre's face. She knew that voice. Without moving her head, her eyes flicked to the person beside her. Oh, no. It was her ex. She watched her as she punched in her passcode with terrified eyes. Melisandre was extraordinarily lucky not to have been noticed by this point. Or, she already had noticed and decided not to say anything. It would be better if she stayed quiet. Starting anything here would be rude to the other people around and cruel to herself. Melisandre kept her eyes on the cover of a comic book instead, praying that she would leave soon.
"Have a good day," the cashier said.
"Thanks," she said, grabbing her bag. She turned around and started to walk away. Melisandre relaxed a bit, the shock of the moment fading. She reached into her wallet and pulled out a ten dollar bill, her mind moving on.
"You never were one to start a conversation, Mel." The woman had stopped, looking back at her. Melisandre gasped, nearly dropping the money, and had to take a moment to reclaim herself.
"I didn't think you saw me," she said. Melisandre kept her eyes rooted to the cashier's hands, her fingers fiddling with her wallet.
"With the way you were fidgeting? I saw you a mile away." She laughed. "What are you doing here, anyway?" It was odd that she was making conversation.
"Dinner," Melisandre said quietly. The woman eyed the box in the bag. "Big Sal's Triple Deluxe pizza, extra olives?" Melisandre nodded bitterly. She laughed again. "I'm glad to see you still haven't given up on pizza. I haven't either, as you can see." She held up a bag with a similar box inside. Melisandre didn't have to read it to know that it was Cheezy Chett's Cheddar & Parmesan pizza, complete with a special sauce unique to the Cheezy Chett brand.
"Look, Kat - Katrina," she stopped herself from using the nickname she had always used. "It's great to see you and all, but..." She bit her lip.
"You don't want to see me anymore, I know." Melisandre said nothing, pocketing her change and grabbing her bag. She thanked the cashier, who gave a subtle smile, and continued on her way. Katrina followed. Her fond, ivory eyes lingered on Melisandre for another moment. "You know," she said. "Why don't we hang out again?"
"We're not-"
"Not like that. We may never date again but that doesn't mean I want to lose you as a friend. I can handle the friendzone, Mel." Melisandre and Katrina stopped at Melisandre's truck. Melisandre sighed, running a hand through her hair. "You have a pizza, I have a pizza. Let's watch Deadpool or something. My treat." She insisted.
"Fine," Melisandre gave in. "But only if we make popcorn too." Katrina broke into a grin. "Awesome! I'll meet you at my place, if that's alright." Katrina nodded and went to track down her own Jeep when Melisandre gave a weak nod. What was she doing? she thought as she climbed into her truck. She put the pizza on the passenger's seat, starting up the engine. She had already agreed. She still didn't know why. Why did she agree? Weren't they over? Melisandre pulled out of the parking spot and headed for 1404 Kingsley Street.
The pizza was good, as usual, and the movie was alright. Katrina's popcorn was always tasty; she loved to load it with butter. As the credits rolled and the last popcorn kernels were devoured, Melisandre sat back in the old couch. Her stomach hurt from laughing at all the jokes - Deadpool still managed to make her laugh with the same stuff every time.
"I haven't seen you smile like that in a while," Katrina commented, leaning back and leisuring herself.
"It's been a while since I watched this movie," Melisandre said.
"Nah, maybe you just don't want to admit that you had a good time with me." she giggled.
"I suppose it was nice to catch up." A distant look crossed over her face. Katrina's smile fell.
"Hey, don't think like that," she said. "It's not like I hold anything against you. It was your choice to break up - it was a tough time."
"But it was stupid of me to put someone like you through that!" Melisandre spat bitterly. "I didn't know what I thought back then and I still don't know now." She gritted her teeth together.
"Mel, stop it. Do I look traumatized to you?"
"But-"
"Do I?" she insisted. There was a moment of silence, and after Melisandre took a breath, she responded with a quieter "No."
"I'm not saying we have to get back together, but I can't stand to see you beating yourself up about it." She paused for a moment, finding the words. "Swear to me that you won't let this eat you up forever. No matter what, I still love you as platonically as I can." Melisandre breathed a laugh.
"You really aren't hurt or anything?"
"Coming out is hella difficult. Of course I'm not. Can we agree to be friends still?"
"Sure, Kat, why not?" Melisandre grinned, her chest feeling light and free. She was glad that she came over, glad that she didn't run away from her best friend. She was glad that she gave her friendship another chance.
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