Beautifully Unbroken by D.M. Brittle

just be weird.” I shuddered. “You are, however, the best-looking friend I have, but that’s as far as it goes I’m afraid. So” – I smiled – “when can I say thank you by buying you dinner?”
    Copper smiled widely at me. “I’m free tonight.”
    I thought for a moment before replying, “Then tonight I will buy you your thank-you dinner.”
    “It’s a date,” he said before briefly stretching his legs and arms and heading off in the direction he had just come from.
    “It’s not a date!” I yelled back, laughing.
    Cooper turned and started running backwards. “I’ll call you!”
    For a brief moment, I had forgotten about Blake and Sara as I realized that I could have a life here, without Blake being a part of it. As much as that pained me, that would be how my future was destined to go.
    The smell of bacon hit me instantly as I walked back into the apartment.
    Casey was busy in the kitchen, cooking for what looked like an army.
    “We have guests coming?” I asked before grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge and emptying the entire contents.
    “Nope,” She shook her head. “It’s just you and me and the truth about what’s going on between you and Blake.” She placed the bacon onto two plates before turning to grab some scrambled eggs.
    I rolled my eyes and sat at the breakfast bar. “There is and never was anything going on between Blake and I.”
    “Bullshit!” she yelled. “I saw the way you both were last night; that was not ‘nothing’,” she said, emphasizing the last word with her fingers. “Something has happened between you two, and I want to know what – and how the hell I knew nothing about it.”
    Casey placed my plate in front of me, and as good as it smelled, I wasn’t hungry at all.
    “Eat,” she demanded.
    “You know I don’t do breakfast.”
    “Well, technically you’re still on London time, so this is lunch. Now eat and talk.”
    She placed her plate next to mine and sat waiting patiently.
    I placed a forkful of egg into my mouth. “Mmm, this is good,” I said appreciatively.
    “Have you slept with Blake?” she said, straight to the point.
    I coughed as I almost choked on the egg. “No. I haven’t.” I replied.
    “But you want to,” she stated matter-of-factly.
    “Yes. Yes I do.” I turned to look at her, her mouth wide open. “I’ve fallen in love with him,” I said sadly.
    “Oh, Jo, why didn’t you say something?” she asked concernedly.
    I shrugged. “I was scared, you know, after everything with Michael and the fact that I can’t ever hold on to a man because I have some sort of repellent that tells them they are allowed to sleep with other people behind my back.”
    “Blake isn’t like that, Jo; you know that.”
    “He slept with Sara,” I said sadly.
    “But the two of you weren’t seeing each other, were you?” she asked, confused.
    “No,” I sighed, “but he knew how I felt. We had spoken at the party; he asked me out to dinner. But then he got called away, and I found you and Sara just as I got the call. I couldn’t wait and find him, Casey; I needed to get home as soon as possible. I caught Sara on the way out and asked her to tell you. So you can imagine that when I heard about him and Sara last night, it was just—”
    “Wait a minute,” Casey interrupted, putting her hand up to stop me. “You asked Sara to tell me what?”
    “About my dad,” I confirmed, confused. “I told her to tell you about the call and that I had to go.”
    Casey sighed and sat back on her stool.
    “What?” I asked, feeling more and more concerned as the conversation continued.
    “She didn’t tell me.” Casey let out a big breath. “When I got back from the bathroom, Blake was standing next to Sara. He seemed distracted, angry even. I asked had they seen you, and Sara said they had seen you in Cooper’s arms before leaving the party.” Casey shook her head in disgust. “Blake saw you leave with Cooper, but Sara obviously hadn’t