I Choose You

JESSIE

After picking myself up off the floor, I immediately burned the sheets and crawled into bed afterward to let my misery take over.

I woke in the morning, my eyes swollen and red from crying through most of the night. My cheeks were sticky from my dried tears, and I sat up in bed before lying back down.

I was not about to get up today. My eyes snapped open when the doorbell rang. I groaned before crawling out of bed and opening the door.

“Liam, I swear if you think…” I paused to see my friend Avery smiling with two big cups of coffee. Her expression dropped when she took in the sight of me.

“Oh, wow…Jess, what happened?” Her face was now covered in concern for her friend.

I shook my head and walked to the living room, leaving Avery to walk in and close the door behind her.

“Jess, I don’t want to be mean, but girl, you look like crap. What’s going on?”

I let out a small chuckle before taking one of the coffees from my friend’s hand and taking a sip before giving an account of my worst day ever.

“That bastard!” Avery yelled as she listened to what Liam had done. I had told her everything. Losing my job, losing my boyfriend, probably losing my home.

“Jessie, all those people were blind to how amazing you are. You’re smart, educated, witty, and drop dead gorgeous. Mr. Garrison, Liam, all those guys are intimidated by how much of a boss you are!”

I laughed. Avery was a good friend, and I was glad she had shown up.

“What are you going to do now?”

I shrugged. “Find a new job, I guess. New job, new apartment…”

“New guy?” Avery winked.

“No! No guy. I’m done. I’m on a break.”

Avery laughed. “Good luck with that. Now that you’re single, they’ll be lining up.”

After Avery left, I went back to bed. I would figure things out tomorrow. Today I just wanted to be pitiful.

I spent the day in bed eating way too much chocolate ice cream and snacks that weren’t good for me at all.

I watched cheesy romantic movies that made me cry and read a bit of a book before finally being claimed by sleep for the rest of the night.

In the morning I sat up in bed, surrounded by empty wrappers and boxes. I jumped out of bed, determined to fix my situation.

I cleaned up my mess, showered, and dressed in some leggings and a tee before sitting on the couch. I sat back on the couch and looked around at my cold, quiet apartment. Suddenly I felt alone and unwanted.

“I need to get away from here…,” I muttered before sitting back on the couch, feeling a bit defeated.

I scrolled through my social media before seeing an ad for home rentals throughout the state, most in popular cities. I had to admit my interest was piqued, and I found myself going down the rabbit hole.

Before I knew it, I was reserving an extended stay at a cottage in the Redwoods. “What am I doing?” I asked myself as I walked to my room and began packing up all my things.

I threw all of my belongings into boxes and all of my clothes in my bags. I didn’t know what I was doing, I just knew I couldn’t stay here another day.

Avery had agreed to keep a few of my boxes stored in her apartment while I was gone. “Jess, this is the best idea you’ve had in a long time! Go relax! Get away!”

I smiled. “That’s the plan. Don’t forget, I told the super that we’re ending our lease, so tell Liam he has a week to get his crap or it’s gone.”

“I will, along with a punch in the nose! Hey, leave your red dress as part of the deal for me watching your stuff. I need it for a date next week.”

I laughed, and I left my boxes and red dress with my friend. I packed the rest of the boxes and all of my clothes in the back of the car and made the five-hour drive to my new home for the foreseeable future.

I drove through the small town, unimpressed by the quaint buildings and seemingly slow way of life.

It was quiet, and I knew that was what I had aimed for when I had made the reservation at this house rental, but it was definitely different from the bustle of the city that I loved.

My car wove through the two-lane roads until finally reaching my turn. I drove down the small driveway and pulled up to the cottage.

I stepped out of the car and placed my hands on my hips as I observed my cabin. It was a small, homey place.

White-painted wood paneling on the outside with large windows to let in the sunlight.

I typed in the code for the door that the owner gave me and made my way inside. It was surprisingly updated.

A warm cottage vibe with cool colors and up-to-date appliances. It had a small kitchen and dining table as well as a small table outside on a private deck. I made my way to the bedroom, setting my bags beside the bed.

The room was simple and clean with crisp, white bedding on the king-sized bed and homey accents.

I was surprised to see the bathroom had a large soaking tub and a large walk-in shower. I made my way to the back deck and sat in a chair looking out over the forest.

“This is perfect,” I smiled to myself, not thinking about the mess that was my life for the first time that day.