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MidReal Story
The Truth About My Girl
Scenario:When I first started dating Emmy, I thought she was perfect. Sweet, caring, and easy to be around. But over time, her mask slipped.
A year into our relationship, and she’s turned into someone I barely recognize. Arrogant, critical, and always reminding me how her ex did everything better. Every little thing I do feels like a mistake.
Tonight is no different. I’m late picking her up after her girls’ night, thanks to the traffic. The moment I see her, she’s already scowling.
“Seriously? My ex would’ve been here early—and he wouldn’t be driving a crap car like this!”
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Jamie Bennett
boyfriend, relationships with Emmy and friends, average build, brown hair, conflicted and patient
Emmy Knight
girlfriend, relationship with Jamie and friends, slender with blonde hair, initially sweet but now critical
Natalia Hayes
mutual friend of Jamie and Emmy, supportive of Jamie
I remember the first time Emmy and I hung out.
She was so sweet and caring.
I thought I had found the one.
But that was three years ago.
Now, she's nothing like she used to be.
She's always on my case about something.
I can never do anything right.
I feel like I'm walking on eggshells every time we're together.
I don't know if I can handle much more of this.
I love her – or at least, I love the idea of her.
The girl I met three years ago.
Not the one she is now.
I've tried so hard to hold on to the hope that she would go back to normal, that things would go back to how they used to be.
But after three years, I think it's time for me to realize that things will never be the same again.
That she will never be the same.
"Hey Jamie, what are you doing?"
Emmy questioned as she walked into the living room, where I was watching TV.
"I was just watching a movie," I told her.
"Oh, which one?"
She asked, sitting down beside me.
I shifted uncomfortably on the couch, feeling her presence making the room feel smaller.
The TV screen was paused on a familiar scene from "The Notebook," Ryan Gosling's character standing in the rain, professing his love for Rachel McAdams' character.
It was one of my favorite movies, but I knew that it was also Ryan's favorite movie – Emmy had told me that countless times.
I quickly grabbed the remote and changed the channel before she could see it.
But she had already seen it.
Her expression hardened as she looked at me, snatching the remote from my hand and rewinding the movie back to the title screen.
"Random, huh?" she scoffed.
"At least be man enough to admit you're watching Ryan's favorite movie."
I clenched my jaw, staring at the floor as she continued to berate me. "Ryan would have been able to quote every line of this movie," she said, shaking her head at me.
"He would have known how much it meant to me. He would have made sure I felt special while watching it. He wouldn't have just sat there like a bump on a log, like you are now."
I felt Emmy's gaze on me, but I refused to look up at her.
She was always comparing me to Ryan, and it was getting old.
I could never live up to her expectations of me, no matter how hard I tried.
It seemed like nothing I did was ever good enough for her.
"I'm sorry," I said finally, my voice barely above a whisper.
"It's just...I don't know how to make you happy anymore."
Emmy sighed, shaking her head at me.
Emmy sighed, her tone softening just a little.
"Jamie, I don't want you to be Ryan; I just want you to be honest with me."
I looked up at her, surprised by the vulnerability in her eyes.
"Honest?"
I repeated, my mind racing.
I stared at the blank TV screen in front of us, my hands clenched in my lap.
I could feel the familiar tightness in my chest that always came when Emmy talked about Ryan.
It felt like a weight was crushing me, making it hard to breathe.
"I think Ryan would have been honest with me," Emmy said, her voice filled with longing.
"He would have told me if he didn't want to watch this movie. He wouldn't have just sat there like a bump on a log, like you are now."
I watched as she picked up the remote and pressed play, the movie beginning to roll across the screen.
My eyes were glued to it, unable to look away from the image of Ryan Gosling's character, standing in the rain.
The movie seemed to go on forever, and I felt like I was suffocating under the weight of Emmy's expectations.
I couldn't take it anymore; I had to get out of there. "I need some air," I said finally, standing up and walking out of the living room.
Emmy looked at me with a mixture of concern and disappointment etched across her face, but I couldn't stay there any longer.
The movie was too much for me, and I felt like I was drowning in it.
I needed to get out of there before I lost myself completely.
As I walked out of the room, I heard Emmy mutter something about how Ryan would have stayed and watched the movie with her, but I didn't look back.
I couldn't handle hearing another word about him right now.
The thought of Ryan Gosling's character standing in the rain made my stomach turn with nausea, and all I wanted to do was get as far away from that movie as possible. "You know what Jamie? You're right," Emmy said finally, standing up from her spot on the couch and walking towards me.
"You're absolutely right. I'm done watching this stupid movie anyway."
She picked up the remote control and turned off the TV, then walked over to her DVD collection and put the movie away.
I stood there for a moment, watching as she put it back into its case and then turned to face me.
She looked different without the distraction of the movie playing behind her; she looked more relaxed, more at peace.
"Ryan always let me pick which movies we watched," she said softly, looking at me with a hint of sadness in her eyes.
"Maybe it's time I start choosing for myself."