I guess I’m the romantic one in my friend group. You know the girl who’s just in love with love.
After my ex and I broke up, I was just kind of vulnerable. He was totally a narcissist, but I still loved him.
Which is probably why I fell for Phil so fast when he came winking over to me at the dog park. Phil was just so sweet. So gentle! I’m talking like he just looked at me and whispered, “Wow, you’re beautiful.” WHO EVEN SAYS THAT ANYMORE!
Our first date was straight out of a rom-com. Like, literally! He took me to Fenway Park, just like in Fever Pitch. He told me he wouldn’t kiss me until Thursday, which yeah sure, I thought was weird but then on Thursday he showed up at my door with flowers! And not just red roses like everyone else (blah, boring) he showed up with O R C H I D S. My favorite. How did he even know?! And it was raining, and he grabbed me and pulled me in close and we kissed so hard it was like oh my god I don’t even know. It was like, again, something straight out of a movie.
Phil loved movies. Especially rom-coms. He’d watch them with so much intensity, it was like he was studying them.
I moved in almost immediately. Every day when I went to work he’d kiss me goodbye. He’s a professional voice over artist, so he works from home recording…recording…recording. One day I came home early and overheard him rehearsing lines. “Becca, I’ll go to the supermarket. Becca, our love only grows.” Becca is my name…weird, but probably just a coincidence, right?
STUPID.
On our 6-month anniversary, I came home to our FiDi apartment, and it was a MESS. Clothes on the floor, football game blaring, and Phil in his underwear, drinking a Natty Light. Who was this? Phil always wore a matching silk pajama set to sleep and he never even drank beer, let alone Natty Light! Carbs, growss.
“What’s this?” I asked, looking around in surprise and horror.
“Oh, I didn’t get the part.”
I was confused. Part, what part?
“Part, what part?”
He turned his head slowly, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. I’ll never forget the beer dripping down his face onto our new sectional.
“The rom-com. C’mon babe, I’ve been in character for like months now.”
A team made a touchdown, and he jumped up, JUMPED and cheered. Who was this man? Did I love him, or just character he was method acting?
And now here I am. With this decision to make. I couuuullld leave him. Or I could just find him another rom-com to audition for. Maybe one where he’s super-fit. Like 8-pack fit. An 8-pack would be kind of nice.
Besides everyone’s like totally expecting a proposal…