Begin Again

Chapter 1: False Utopia

Humming a happy tune, I skipped to the town centre, where I was going on a date with my boyfriend. "Hey, Mr and Mrs Robinson! Happy Valentine's Day!" I exclaimed.

"Happy Valentine's Day to you too, Alexia dear," they replied in unison before looking at each other lovingly. They were my neighbours and had been married for almost fifty years. I envied their relationship greatly.

My hometown was rather small. We had a population of about thirty thousand. Almost everyone knew each other, be it directly or indirectly. That also meant that news spread very quickly. Once something happened, everyone would know about it within a few hours. It was scary and useful at the same time.

On this special day, my dearest boyfriend asked me out. We had been dating for more than three years, but I could still remember how we got together as if it were yesterday! It was senior year, and he confessed to me, and I happened to have a crush on him. It was such big news because Derek was the most popular boy in school. The rest was history.

I wonder what he has planned for me! Is he going to propose to me? Oh my God, what if he's actually going to propose to me? On Valentine's Day? That will be so romantic. A tall figure looking at the ground caught my eye. My heart rate increased as I rushed towards him. "Hi, Derek! Happy Valentine's Day!" I said enthusiastically and hugged him tightly. "What are we going to do today? I mean, it's a very special day, after all." I took a deep breath. "Ah, I can smell the love in the air. Valentine's Day vibes!"

A tiny smile formed on his lips, but it did not reach his eyes.

"What's wrong?" I asked. A frown slowly crept onto my face, and my eyes widened a little. I broke apart from the hug. "Did you meet some problems at work? Is your boss giving you a hard time again?"

"No, it's nothing," he replied, shaking his head. "It's not that. It's just—" He paused for a moment and took a deep breath. I had a feeling that what he was about to say next was not pleasant. Oh my God, did he get fired?

"What is it? Tell me," I urged.

He looked up at me and said firmly, "Let's break up."

There was a moment of silence as I took in that information. "What?" I laughed. "What do you mean? Why would you say something like that? April Fools' Day is in two months, silly! Please don't say something like that, especially not on Valentine's Day."

"I'm serious," he responded. This time, he sounded mad. "I want to break up. I want this relationship to be over, okay?"

I stopped laughing at that instant. "Why? Is something wrong? Are you having a hard time? We can take some time off, you know? Give each other space." I gently placed my hand on his arm and said, "We don't have to break up!"

He moved his arm, shaking my hand away. "Which part of 'I want to break up' do you not understand? I don't want to date you anymore! I'm sick of you! We have dated for three years with no sex! Things have gotten boring, okay?"

Tears clouded my vision as he said those hurtful words. "How could you say that? What about our three years of dating? All the times we've spent together? Are you just going to throw that away just because you want to have sex? Do I mean nothing to you?"

"I have needs, Lexie. I'm a man. You can't expect me to abstain from sex for so long. I can't take it anymore. It's pissing me off. It's making me hate you. Unless you're willing to have sex with me, we're breaking up," he spat.

"No, I won't," I replied. "I won't go against my values just to satisfy your needs. I'm not a sex doll. I'm a human being. Three years ago, I told you that I won't have sex until we're married. You agreed. You are supposed to keep that promise."