The Accidental Wife (Emily and Julian)

I'm trying to accept my new reality, but it's hard to do so. Rosie called me twenty days ago, before we started college, to tell me that she couldn't do it anymore. She told me that she wasn't able to remember anything about us and needed to officially end everything with me. It's not like we were dating. I don't think I can name whatever we were doing, but whatever it was, it made me believe that I still had a chance. Now, this chance has been snatched away from me.

She said that it hurt her to see me holding onto the remains of our relationship and needed me to move on because she couldn't stand seeing me in pain like that. I don't know what made her think that moving on would be easy. How am I supposed to forget about her like that? I have spent years dreaming of being with her and all I got were six months that I am incredibly thankful for I cannot force her to do something she doesn't want. Yes, I want her to be with me, but out of love, not out of pity. What hurts the most is that she told me she wanted us to keep our distance because she thought that it would be the best for the two of us. I agreed because what else was I supposed to do? I need to adapt to my new reality. I need to get used to my life without Rosie. I once had her as a friend, then she became my girlfriend, and now, I don't have her at all. I regret moving to her apartment complex and I'm genuinely thinking about moving to a new place because I won't be able to see her daily. I haven't done anything that bad to deserve this kind of punishment. "Good afternoon, everyone. Happy new season and congratulations to Silas on being the Captain," the coach says. I'm officially a senior and the team captain. I should be over the moon, but I'm numb. I remember the way Rosie congratulated me when I told her last year that I became the co-captain, but I shake this memory away. "Thanks, coach," I say and fake a smile.

"This year, we have something new," the coach announces. "The university has decided that we needed to be present on social media, that's why we have Maisie with us." He points to the curly-haired brunette beside him. I have just noticed her now. I guess I'm half here half somewhere else.

"She's going to spend a lot of time with us to capture moments of our practice and the games too," he fills us in. "She's also going to hold one-to-one interviews with you, so you better not give her a hard time." I don't like this. I'm not here to be filmed and have interviews with anybody. "Silas, I expect you to help her out since you're now the captain. Once we appoint a new co-captain, you can divide the responsibilities between the two of you." This is the last thing I need. "Coach, can somebody else take care of this, please?" I ask. I take a look at the girl's face and the smile on her face doesn't falter. She is so cheerful. I envy her. I miss being happy.

"Are you running away from your responsibilities as a captain on your first day?" The coach's tone is stern, and I instantly understand that the topic isn't up for discussion. "No, coach. I will do it," I say, looking away.

"Excellent. We're going to start working out now and Maisie is going to take a few shots," he announces clapping his hands.

"She looks so... bright. Is she a freshman? They're usually this cheerful," Knox wonders and I shrug. Cheerful or not. She's my responsibility and I have to deal with it.

I glance at her and something tells me that she isn't a freshman, she is so focused on her camera and although none of us seem excited about her presence, she doesn't seem to mind. I want whatever kind of inner peace she has.

"Let's just start our practice," I mutter as we all start running in labs as a warm-up.

Something in me is broken and it is beyond getting fixed. I don't like the way I am now and I don't know how to get back to the way I used to be. I want to be the happy guy who knows how to easily socialize and get to know new people. After we finish practice, I find Maisie waiting for me. "Can we talk?" she asks, looking at me.

For a moment, I think about telling her that I'm not in the mood to talk because that's the truth, but when I look at her face, something about her makes me stop myself from being an asshole. Maisie is shorter than me, but she is taller than Rosie. Her eyes are bright, wide and hazel and her skin is bronze.

"Sure, but make it quick," I tell her, drying the sweat on my face with the towel I have over my right shoulder.

"I know you're not excited about the whole social media presence and you're probably thinking that this is some sort of game, but I promise, it's more than that. We want to highlight the talent of this team to bring more opportunities to the players," she explains, attempting to make me see the good side of her presence. I feel bad for making her feel unwelcome, but I'm not the same anymore.This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

"Listen, Maisie. I can't say I look forward to your presence with us, but I can assure you that nobody is going to stand in your way. I'm going to help you out as much as I can and my team will cooperate. Is that enough?" I impatiently ask.

"At least for now," she says, giving me a wide smile. "I will see you later!" She walks away and I wonder if her presence is going to make things harder than they already are for me.