Share
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!”
Create my version of this story
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
It’s been a month since Emmy and I started dating.
At first, everything was perfect.
She was sweet, caring, and loving.
However, over the past week or so, I’ve noticed that she’s changed.
She’s become more critical of me and loves to compare me to her ex, who was apparently perfect.
I’ve tried to be patient and understanding, but it’s getting on my last nerve.
"Jamie, can’t you see that you’re doing it wrong?"
Emmy asked, sitting on the couch and watching me wash the dishes.
I had offered to do them for her since we were at her place, but now I’m wishing that I hadn’t.
Doing the dishes isn’t a big deal unless you’re Emmy.
She has this thing where she likes to wash them herself.
Said it relaxes her.
I gripped the edge of the sink, watching as the soap bubbles slid down the half-cleaned plate.
Emmy’s words hung in the air between us, and I could feel my shoulders tensing up.
The leather couch squeaked as she shifted on it.
The only other sound was the running water.
It was a sound that I used to find soothing, but now it just made me want to scream.
I remembered when Emmy used to appreciate all the little things I did for her, but now everything I did was wrong.
With deliberate slowness, I rinsed my hands and dried them on the kitchen towel.
Turning to face her, I kept my voice steady.
The plate clinked against the counter as I set it down.
"I think it's time we talked about where this is going."
Emmy was sitting on the couch, her eyes fixed on me.
She didn’t say anything, but her fingers were drumming against her leg.
I took a deep breath and stepped closer to her.
Before I could say anything, she spoke up.
"I’m sorry, Jamie. It’s just that water spots are so easy to get rid of. I don’t know why you’re having such a hard time with it."
I looked at her, my hands fidgeting with the dish towel.
"I’m sorry too, Emmy. But it’s not just about the dishes."
"What is it about then?"
Emmy asked, looking at me curiously.
I took another step closer to her.
"Look, Emmy. You know how much I care about you. But I’m getting really tired of all these little things you’ve been saying about me lately. You’re always telling me that your ex would’ve done this or that better. It’s like you’re trying to make me feel bad."
"I’m sorry, Jamie," Emmy said quickly.
"I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. It’s just that my ex did things differently than you do."
I sighed and shook my head.
"I know that, Emmy. And I’m not asking you to change who you are. But maybe we should talk about what you want from our relationship." Before Emmy could respond, there was a knock on the door.
Emmy jumped up from the couch and hurried over to answer it.
I watched as she peered through the peephole and then flung open the door.
"Hey Alex!"
Emmy exclaimed, stepping aside to let Alex in.
Alex was one of Emmy’s closest friends, and she had been at a girls’ night out with some of their friends earlier tonight.
She glanced at me nervously before giving Emmy a hug.
"Hey guys," Alex said, looking between us warily.
"I was just in the neighborhood and thought maybe we could all talk?"
She walked over to the armchair and sank down into it gratefully.
It was almost like she was an unofficial buffer between Emmy and me.
I watched as Emmy came back over to the couch and sat down next to Alex.
"Jamie, I think Alex might have some perspective on this," Emmy said, her voice softer now.
Alex looked between us, sensing the tension.
"Okay, so what's really going on here?" she asked, leaning forward with genuine concern.