Amy’s POV

Vivian had been in a state of limbo for almost three weeks now.

Amy had watched quietly, her worry growing each day. But there had been nothing she could do.

Vivian had been determined to stay by Ryan Terrell’s side. Desperate to just have him show her a little bit of care and attention. The whole thing had been incredibly messed up and sad to watch.

Despite being only a bystander to the whole thing, Amy had known that Vivian could not keep up the act of being satisfied with the way things were. That her friend could not continue faking like she was alright, and that when she finally allowed herself to feel her pain over the situation, it would not be pretty.

Now it seemed that the day that Amy had been dreading had finally arrived.

It was the middle of the night and she had to go into work early the next day. But looking at the glassy eyed Vivian sitting on her couch, she knew that if she was not there for her friend in that moment, there was a huge chance that something awful might happen.

What that awful thing would be, Amy had no idea, and she did not wish to find out. So instead of crying over the sleep she was missing out on, she was focused on being a supportive friend. Placing a glass of warm milk that she’d gone to the kitchen to get, on the table in front of Vivian, she took a seat beside her.

Normally that would have gotten some sort of reaction. But there was nothing. Vivian did not say anything and she did not even turn to acknowledge Amy.

Her gut churning with unvoiced worry Amy did the only thing she could think to do in that moment. Which was to throw an arm around Vivian and pull her closer.

Goodness! She was so cold!

It was as though her friend had dunked her entire body into cold water. Bringing up her other arm, Amy began rubbing her hands up and down Vivian’s arms in an effort to warm her up. The contact seemed to finally reach her friend because Vivian finally turned to Amy, a look in her eyes like she had no idea where she was.

Without any words being said, Amy found herself being gripped tight as her friend returned her embrace. The preschool teacher buried her face in the crook of Amy’s neck and the most heartbreaking sounds that Amy had ever heard, started coming from Vivian. The other woman’s tears instantly soaking Amy’s pajama top.

Oh, whatever had happened, it was something foul.

If after weeks of moving on autopilot, her eyes dry, a plastic smile on her face, Vivian was suddenly crying, then something big must have happened. Amy itched to just come out and ask her friend directly.

But before she could find out what was going on, she had to take care of her friend first. So without asking any questions, she held Vivian even tighter and began humming softly as she rocked her friend back and forth in an attempt to soothe her. She did not say a word. No prying, no nothing. All that she did was hold the crying Vivian in her arms and let a few tears of her own roll down her cheeks.

***

It had taken some time. But now Vivian had finally cried herself out, and she was once again back to staring into the distance without really seeing anything.

A part of Amy wanted to just take Vivian by the hand and drag her to bed so that they could cuddle. But she knew her friend, if the matter was not addressed Vivian was likely to continue her staring contest in the dark, making herself even worse.

So keeping her voice low and soft, she finally asked the question that she had been holding back ever since she’d opened the door for Vivian.

"What happened?" With how long Vivian stayed silent after the question was asked, Amy was just beginning to believe that she would not be getting any answers when her friend replied, her voice cracking as she did so.

"He asked me to be his girlfriend,"

For a moment, Amy was stunned by the confession.

The nerve of that man!

Her anger was quickly replaced by sadness.

"Oh Vivian," She breathed softly. Her heart aching on behalf of her friend, Amy held her closer. "Did you finally confront him about the other woman then?" Running a hand over the lids of her red-rimmed eyes Vivian shook her head.

"I didn’t. It might sound silly, but I did not wish to know whether I would be the main chick or the side. I had no idea which would have hurt worse. So I chose not to find out,"

Wiping a fresh stream of tears away Vivian let out a hollow laugh. The sound ending in a whimper that they both chose to ignore. "Besides, who am I kidding, I most definitely would have been the side. That woman said she was his soon to be fiancée. I have always been his second option. No guy would ever pick a woman like me,"

***

Since Vivian’s arrival Amy had been feeling flashes of anger towards the situation, and towards Ryan Terrell. But at her friend’s words Amy suddenly found herself feeling unbelievably angry at Vivian.

Before she could think better of it. She was pinching Vivian’s side. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"Ow!" The other woman exclaimed, doing so more out of shock than pain.

"Amy, that hurt," Not feeling remorseful in the least. She looked Vivian’s straight in the eyes.

"Good. I want you to remember that pain the next time you want to talk down on yourself. No one talks down on my best friend, not even you Vivian Rose," The other woman looked absolutely stunned, but Amy was not done with her yet.

"Out of everyone I know, you have the worst taste in men ever. First there was that good for nothing peacock of a man... Bryce. He thought that he was God’s gift to women and that anything was a vagina wanted to sleep with him, and you stayed with him for years,"

"Now you have gone and gotten your self-tangled up with a billionaire who just pretended to be a good guy until he showed his true colors," Pausing to take a breath, Amy continued with her tirade.

"Neither of those men treated you right and that proves that they do not deserve you. But you know what else you do not deserve?" Vivian shook her head and Amy’s heart hurt just a little bit more.

"You do not deserve to treat yourself horribly simply because of the way other people are taking advantage of you and trying to tread on you. You, Vivian Rose," She jabbed Vivian’s side with a finger for emphasis, "are beautiful inside and out. So what if Bryce could not be loyal to you? So what if Ryan Terrell wanted to treat you like a dirty little secret? I love you Vivian and you need to love you too so that if you decide to put yourself out there again, no man will ever be able to hurt you so badly,"

Somehow her little speech ended with the two of them crying. Amy having no idea if they were healing tears, or tears that signaled more pain to come.