Free A Bridge of Her Own by Carey Heywood

putting her arm around her, said "I have absolutely no idea what to say to you right now. Do you want me to get you anything?"
    "I am such a dumbass. I honestly thought he was going to propose to me tonight."
    At that, Lacey sucked in her breath. Wyatt went right back to the top of her shit list. Jane really didn't react much more that night. She seemed numb to what had happened. When she finally did say something, it was just "I thought he was going to propose" over and over. Around 11 pm, Lacey was seriously regretting bringing them to this mainly empty apartment.
    Getting Jane back up, she said, "Look, the only way we are getting any sleep here tonight is on the floor, and I'm not into that. My new place is close by. Come on, you are spending the night with me."
    Jane went willingly and even confessed to being starved. So, on the way, Lacey popped through a drive-through. Nothing like burgers and fries to heal a broken heart, she thought. At her apartment, Jane dove into her food. Once done, she just looked exhausted. Lacey lent her some sweats, and she passed out on her sofa.
    Lacey purposely turned Jane's phone off and took it with her when she went to sleep. She didn't want Jane to have the opportunity to send any late night desperate pleas for reconciliation. Jane knew Lacey thought she was asleep, but she wasn't. She just lay there unable to turn her mind off. Part of her just did not believe Wyatt. She knew him well enough to know that he was very fond of his routines. He would probably feel a sense of loss if they did not speak for a week and then end this silly break up.
    That seemed like the only logical outcome Jane could come up with. Otherwise, no, she would not even consider the alternative. Happy that this was clearly only temporary, she sank into a deep peaceful sleep. She woke up refreshed the next morning and was enjoying a bowl of cereal and watching some TV when Lacey walked out of her room rubbing her eyes.
    "Hey, how are you doing?" she asked, sitting down next to Jane.
    "I'm great. It’s supposed to be beautiful outside today. We should go for a walk, maybe look for a sidewalk sale or something," she replied happily.
    Lacey furrowed her brows and gave her a sidelined glance. This was not the type of reaction she was expecting.
    "You sure you’re okay?" she asked gently.
    "Yep," Jane replied. "I have to swing by my parents’ house to shower and change first."
    Lacey hopped into the shower and wore a sparkly tank top with some cut offs and hot pink flip-flops. Grabbing her sunglasses, she and Jane headed out the door. Jane hit a drive-through on the way. Lacey got an egg sandwich, Jane helped herself to the hash browns, and they both got iced coffees. It was a bit awkward once they got to Jane's parents’ house. Jane's mother rushed her as soon as they entered the door and asked her if Wyatt had proposed. Jane informed her that he had not, but the party was lovely otherwise. Lacey held in the "HUH?" that she came very close to saying at that moment and did her best to just nod and smile.
    When they got up to Jane's room, she said, "Why did you tell your mom the night was lovely? When it wasn't."
    "I didn't want her to worry. Besides this is obviously just temporary," she replied.
    Lacey's mouth dropped open. Jane smiled and grabbed a sundress and headed towards the bathroom. Lacey sat on her bed, thinking this must clearly be denial and wondering: is a bad breakup not unlike trying to end a dependence on a drug? She mused maybe there should be a twelve-step program for breakups.
    Jane was finished getting ready in no time.
    "It's a bummer we didn't know you would be in town this summer. We could have stayed in our apartment," Lacey said as they were getting back into the car.
    "Oh, don't be silly. I won't be here long" Jane answered.
    Lacey, concerned, remained quiet after that. They parked downtown and checked out cute little shops and cafes. For lunch, they went to a local deep-dish pizza place.