It was a sunny Friday, and Sade made plans to finally end things with Theo. She made her way to the café where they both agreed to meet. It was the day she would finally confront him and put an end to their toxic entanglement once and for all. She had spent countless hours reflecting on her choices, and with Eva's support, she felt ready to take this step.
As she entered the café, the scent of the coffee and pastries hit her, but it did very little to ease her nerves. She spotted Theo at a corner table, with his back turned to her, totally engrossed in his phone and oblivious to her presence. He eventually looked up just as she approached him, with a smirk on his face.
"Hey there, Sade." he greeted casually, as if they were just two friends catching up. "You look cute today."
Sade forced a smile, but it was too obvious a fake…even to a blind man.
"Thanks, Theo. We need to talk."
"Talk? Sounds serious." He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms nonchalantly and that only fueled her determination.
"Yeah, that's because it is serious." She said, taking a seat opposite him. "I can't keep doing this. I can't keep pretending everything is fine between us when it's not."
Theo raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise.
"What do you mean? We've been having fun together. Isn't that all that matters?"
Sade shook her head in disagreement.
"No, it's not just about fun anymore. You're with someone else now. Someone you clearly left me for…and I must admit that she is the one who deserves your full attention. I can't be a part of this mess."
"So you're just going to throw away what we have because of some girl you barely know? That's weak, Sade." He became defensive.
"Don't you dare call me weak!" She snapped, "You were the one who suddenly broke things off between us out of the blue to go be with someone "I barely know", without telling me what the fuck it was I did to deserve such humiliation!" Her voice drew the attention of some customers in the café, but she didn't care about them. "This isn't about her, it's about us and how messed up this whole situation is."
Theo leaned forward toward her, his eyes piercing into hers…
"Don't think you can just walk away from me. I know you still love me and you can't help seeing her with me, just fucking admit it, Sade. You'll never find someone who understands you like I do."
"Maybe I did love you at some point…even after you betrayed my heart, but I don't love you anymore! I'm tired of being your secret and your backup plan. It's time for me to put myself first and move on from you."
He laughed hysterically at her, shaking his head as if she were a child throwing a tantrum.
"You think you're so much better without me now? You'll never have anything close to what I have with my new girlfriend. She's everything you're not— stable, loyal… real."
The words hit her like a slap in the face, but she refused to let them get to her.
"You're wrong, Theo. I'm not competing with anyone, and I know for sure now, more than ever, that I deserve better than being treated like an option. Besides, if she's everything I'm not as you claim, why do you keep coming back to me, huh?"
His eyes widened with rage as he slammed his fist on the table, causing others to glance over in surprise.
"Because you're so easy to play with when I'm bored. I know that I can have you whenever I want." He blurted out disrespectfully. "You're nothing without me!"
Sade felt tears forming at the corners of her eyes.
"I'm not easy and I am everything without you! I let you hold me back for too long, and I'm done being your emotional crutch…"
…
Just then, the door swung open, and Eva walked in with Dunsin, laughing wildly at his jokes, oblivious of her environment. Instantly, she noticed Sade and Theo locked in a heated confrontation. She quickly assessed the tension in the room and instinctively moved closer.
Excusing herself from Dunsin, she decided to intervene…
"What's going on here?" Eva asked as she approached their table.
Theo turned his attention to Eva with a smirk.
"Just having a little chat about how Sade is making one of the biggest mistakes of her life."
Pfft bastard! You're the biggest mistake she ever made, if you ask me.
"And what mistake would that be?"
"Breaking things off with me." He replied dismissively as if it were obvious.
Eva narrowed her eyes at him, and Sade could see the fire igniting within her friend.
"She's not making a mistake, Theo. She's finally standing up for herself against someone who treats her like garbage."
Theo scoffed and leaned back in his chair as if he were above their confrontation.
"Oh please, Eva! Like you have any room to talk about relationships? Weren't you just stringing along two guys at once?" Noticing the surprise look on Eva's face, he continued, "Why do you seem so surprised? Yeah, Sade tells me everything. What a friend you have here!" He mocked.
Sade felt angry on behalf of Eva, but she also knew that that wasn't the time for distractions or side arguments.
"Don't you dare bring Eva into this!" She shouted, slamming her palm on the table as she stood up abruptly.
Theo smirked again, he was enjoying it far too much for Sade's liking.
"What are you going to do? Cry? Because that's all you've ever done when things get tough."
"I'm not crying anymore." She said boldly, feeling empowered by her bestie's presence beside her.
"You think belittling women makes you feel powerful? It just shows how much of an asshole you are. You're nothing but a pathetic, weak, arrogant little boy!" Eva ate him up, leaving no crumbs behind.
His expression rapidly turned into anger, feeling defeated, but still unyielding…he glared at Eva.
"You think you can speak ill of me? Look at your own life before judging mine."
"Unlike you," Eva shot back without hesitation, "I own my mistakes instead of hiding behind them like a coward!"
The café turned silent around them as each person present turned their attention to the escalating confrontation.
"Let's go." Eva turned away from him and grabbed Sade's hand tightly.
But Theo wasn't finished yet, he reached out and grabbed Sade's arm roughly before she could escape.
"Don't walk away from me!" He growled.
"Back off!" Eva shouted fiercely.
Immediately, two onlookers stepped in to free her from his grip, confronting him and threatening to involve the police. The café manager eventually asked him to leave because he was causing great discomfort to customers.
"You think this will change anything?" he spat, "You'll always be my second choice, just remember that when you're alone at night wishing things were different!" He cried out loud as he was being escorted out of the premises.
A few minutes later, they finally walked out together into the sunlight with no memories too painful to hold onto any longer. She glanced sideways at Eva who smiled reassuringly back at her…