My Imaginary Ex (COMPLETE)

Chapter 13

I still went to the gym on Saturday mornings.

When I signed up a few years ago, it was because I was dissatisfied with my life and wanted to expel my negative energy. The upside was I magically dropped a size and didn't feel winded anymore when I climbed the stairs.

The gym was just outside my village, near a shopping center I visited if I needed groceries or fast food. When I was in a bad mood, I usually overdosed on my therapies—two hours at the gym and then ice cream at Dairy Queen right after. Just like today.

I assessed my situation—justifying my Oreo Blizzard indulgence.

One, Zack was still not speaking to me.

Two, I was mad at myself for how I handled Kimmy. I decided that I was too civil to her, and I pretty much let her walk all over me.

Three, I almost wished I had never met up with Lena and Marjorie to begin with. I was fine two weeks ago. Sure, Zack had stopped seeing me, and his wedding invitation came out of nowhere, but because I didn't know how to feel about it, I shrugged it off and moved on.

Ignorance was bliss.

But not now. Now that Lena and Marjorie sprinkled their unwelcome enlightenment on me, I couldn't just forget about it. My insides hurt at the very thought of Zack marrying her—and being out of my life for as long as she was in control.

The other great thing about going to a gym near the village was that I was in my comfort zone.

I wasn't going to run into anyone from work, or anyone I had previously worked with, or Tim who was a Quezon City guy. If I saw anyone there, it would be a neighbor, or maybe an odd familiar face from grade school, or...

"Jasmine?"

... Gerard, Zack's brother, and his wife Ria.

I put my Blizzard down and gave them little awkward hugs, trying not to actually touch skin because I was still sweaty. "Hi!" I greeted, hoping I didn't sound too surprised.

Gerard took a seat in front of me. "Mind if we join you for a few minutes? We need to sit down."

Ria took the chair next to mine. "How are you? How long has it been, Jasmine?"

Gerard did not look much like Zack. Zack had a larger frame, broader shoulders, and darker shades to his hair and skin. Gerard was thin and very pale.

"Too long. I heard you gave birth! Where is Greg?"

"With his lolo and lola, as usual," Ria grinned.

"We took a break to get something from the grocery. You came from the gym?"

"Yeah." I pointed to the second floor. "It's up there."

I met Gerard and Ria for the first time at Zack's dad's birthday party. It was probably my first month on the job. I had caught a ride home with Zack, and he asked if I wanted to stay for dinner.

"Birthday party for my dad," he said.

For some reason, I thought it would be a loud, noisy party with beer and chicharon and videoke, but was surprised to find it was a small family dinner.

Just Zack's parents, his brother, his brother's new girlfriend Ria, and me.

Oh, wait, beer and chicharon would be my dad's birthday, I thought, giggling to myself.

I was only vaguely familiar with Zack's family, having said hi and hello a few times the entire time we'd been friends. I also stayed for dinner once or twice, but the family wasn't in full attendance, and it wasn't a special occasion.

I remembered how much fun it was. It was like seeing Zack in context—the light and jokey relationship he had with his dad, the slightly competitive one with his older brother, the gentle manner he had toward his mom. I also managed to stay in the background, because they were meeting Ria for the first time that night—so she and Gerard were in the hot seat.

Apart from the wickedly delicious crispy pata served that night, I enjoyed a very civilized interrogation of Ria, all under the guise of getting to know her. Gerard was getting really uncomfortable as the night went on, and Zack didn't let up on his inane questions.

"What's the most expensive restaurant he's taken you to?" Zack asked, addressing Ria directly.

She was a good sport, and played along. "Probably the one in Tagaytay."

"Whoa!" Zack and his dad howled with laughter. Apparently the inside joke was that Gerard was a cheapskate—he never dated because it was too expensive, and even when he did, he still tried to do it on the cheap. Zack explained to me later that because Gerard had spent so much on a date meant that Ria was probably the one.

Five years later and here we were.

"You look great, by the way," Gerard observed.

He seemed like he meant it, and wasn't just being polite. "I lost weight? I have job satisfaction now?"

"How have you been?" Ria asked sincerely.

That was nice of her, because I never really got to know her much, as a consequence of being in and out of Zack's life.

"I'm good," I lied through my teeth. It did get easier the more times you did it.

"Will we be seeing you at the wedding?" Gerard asked.

"I... no," I admitted. "You won't."

Husband and wife caught each other's eye, and that in itself was cryptic. Ria leaned toward me. "You do know he's getting married, right?" she whispered. It was like she was passing on gossip, which I would have found funny any other time. "Did they invite you at all?"

"I was invited. But now I'm not."

Gerard shook his head, looking exasperated. "I can't believe him."

There it was again. The feeling that everyone had already had the conversation before, and I was the only one who didn't understand what was going on.

Why are they annoyed at HIM? What exactly did he do?

"I don't understand why he's doing this." Gerard went into Concerned Older Brother mode. "He didn't involve us at all in the wedding—just gave us the invitation and told us to show up."

Ria nodded, trying to remain diplomatic, but she probably felt the same way. "We thought he was going to marry you. I thought—finally! And then we read the invite and it was some girl we had never even heard of."

"He never introduced her to you?" I was shocked.

Gerard shook his head. "Not at all. And I was... I mean, we were living in the same house until recently. He was there when Greg was born. He was just acting the way he always was. I didn't know that this was going on all that time. I thought he had gotten back together with you."

We were never together! Even his BROTHER has the wrong idea?

"Do you know what happened?" Gerard asked. "I mean, seriously. One day, you were driving him home and he collapsed on the sofa, and the next, we find out he's marrying this girl."

That's how it was for me too. "He never said anything?"

"Well, we had the baby and then we moved out... it got crazy so we stopped trying to figure it out."

"Mom and Dad have tried to talk to him, but he's not budging," Ria shared. I probably wasn't supposed to know most of this, but they were telling me anyway. "He keeps saying that this is his decision and we should get off his back."

Gerard snapped his fingers. "Do you think you could talk to him? Just ask him if he's really sure? Mom needs to know he'll be okay."

They both looked at me expectantly.

Not again.

"I'll try," I managed to croak out.

I was going to need more ice cream.