Apparently, her parents were good at reading between the lines. Lindy nodded. It was that and so much more.
“I remember in July that you mentioned your relationship with Brian had changed. It was not long afterward that you decided to go your separate ways.”
Shortly after she returned to Seattle Lindy had learned the truth about Brian and Celeste, and it had devastated her.
“You cared for him. Right?”
“Yeah.” Lindy had. Deeply. Early in their relationship, she could see them marrying and building a life together, once she’d achieved her career goals. She enjoyed his company, but as time progressed, she could see Brian wasn’t ready for marriage, and, for that matter, neither was she. Marriage was a huge commitment.
“Are you sorry the two of you broke up?”
“Definitely not,” she said emphatically.
Her mother’s eyebrows rose close to her hairline. “Your reaction tells me there’s a whole lot more going on that you haven’t mentioned.”
Lindy’s shoulders slumped slightly. She hadn’t intended to get into this quite so soon. Now, with her mother probing for answers, Lindy felt like she didn’t have a choice. She might as well get it over with. Learning what Celeste, her onetime best friend, and Brian had done wasn’t something she relished telling her mother.
Her mother paused as she waited for Lindy to continue. Lindy knew her mother intended to give her time until she was comfortable enough to explain.
“When the lease on Celeste’s and my apartment was close to being up,” Lindy said, after several pain-filled moments, “we knew it was time for us each to get our own place.”
Lindy’s heart actually hurt as she relayed the events of the summer.
“Celeste was working in Edmonds. That meant she had nearly an hour commute through the heavy Seattle traffic. It made sense for her to look for an apartment closer to her job. Apartments in Seattle are at a premium, but I found one pretty easily.” It was in an older complex, and a friend who was moving had told her about it. Lindy quickly snapped it up. “Celeste wasn’t so lucky. It took us weeks to find a place she could afford. She saw one she liked that was out of her price range and went for it. I figured she was better at budgeting than I realized.”
Her mother continued to listen, not asking a lot of questions, which Lindy appreciated.
“We made plans to move, vowing to stay in touch no matter what.” They’d been roommates and best friends since their college days, and had met during their freshman year. It would be the first time they’d lived apart since they were eighteen.
In retrospect, Lindy should have known something was wrong.
“Celeste signed a lease on an apartment she couldn’t afford?”
Lindy nodded, avoiding eye contact.
“How did she manage that?”
“She got a roommate,” Lindy said.
“For a one-bedroom unit?”
Lindy glanced up. “She’d met a guy.”
“I didn’t know Celeste was in a serious relationship.”
“I didn’t, either.” That was the crux of it. Lindy had been oblivious to what was happening between her best friend and Brian.
Her mother frowned. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“Her roommate is Brian. The two of them had been going apartment hunting behind my back for weeks. I was stupidly blind, trusting them both.”
“No!” Her mother gasped. “Brian moved in with Celeste?”
Even though she’d learned the truth months ago, a sick feeling churned in Lindy’s stomach.
“Well, that weasel.”
“That’s not the worst of it. Earlier, when Celeste and I decided it was time for us to find our own spaces, Brian had suggested the two of us move in together. I turned him down. I wasn’t ready for that kind of commitment. Then, all of a sudden, he called and canceled several dates we’d made. I thought it was his passive-aggressive way of getting back at me for refusing to share the apartment.”
“He’s a jerk, Lindy. A real jerk.”
Her mother’s words were tame compared to how Lindy thought of her ex-boyfriend’s actions. “Shortly after we moved out of the apartment, I stopped off to see about helping Celeste unpack. I hadn’t heard from her since the move and knew she was working long hours and could probably use the help. I’d sent her a couple of text messages that she hadn’t responded to, and I was concerned. Imagine my surprise when I arrived and Brian answered the door.”