Read Breathing For The First Time for Free Online Page B

been home sleeping, but he was with me.
    Still lost in my thoughts, I don’t notice when Paige leaves the balcony for the shower and Tiffany comes out. Tiffany squeezes my shoulder and tells me it’ll all be okay. I do my best to believe her, but know it’s harder than she thinks. Tiffany is very logical with men. She’s definitely someone who will fall hard when she falls in love, but she’s guarded. She doesn’t understand how much I care for Tyler. This isn’t as simple as she thinks. I feel like my heart was shattered with a baseball bat.
    After Paige vacates the bathroom, I shower and change quickly, trying not to worry too much about what I wear. If I’m honest, I want to make Tyler regret what he’s doing, but I don’t want to think about it.
    I choose a lightweight black dress, spotted with tropical flowers. It’s short, but makes my legs look longer than my 5’ 5” frame. I borrow Tiffany’s strappy heels and earn a whistle from my friends. I twist my blonde hair into a loose bun, letting pieces fall out into a frame around my face. I play up my chocolate eyes, knowing Tyler loves my eyes.
    We reach our table and I’m relieved to see Tyler is seated on the other side of the dining hall, barely in sight of us. We are seated with a threesome of ladies in their 50’s, Peggy, Diane, and Terri. The three could easily be sisters with matching blue eyes and greying hair. Their plump figures remind me of my grandma, someone who always makes me feel comforted by her embrace. We talk and laugh with our new friends, drinking wine and enjoying time with another thrilling threesome.
    Peggy, the one in blue that matches their eyes, asks, “Where were you ladies last night? We thought you saw us old bitties and ran, hoping to find a table of young hot men.”
    Tiffany quickly jumps in saying, “We were all so exhausted from the trip that we decided to relax in our room, order room service, and enjoy a night together, something we hadn’t had in months.”
    The ladies nod, “Oh, we completely get it. Even though we live in the same town, we all have so much going on with our jobs, our kids and grandkids, and our husbands. Being close friends means we try to get together, but that’s why we come on these trips. It’s a chance to connect, without the other distractions,” says one of the others, Terri, I think.
    “That’s a great plan. I think we hope we can do things like that, but wonder if it’ll work out. Right now we’re pretty spread out. Even this trip, we planned it when we were on our last trip. A lot has happened in the last nine months, but we still have a great friendship.” Paige tells them. She’s the one with the biggest changes in her life over nine months finding Dante, moving in with him, and then quitting her job last week.
    The conversation lightens up as we share a little more of who we are. Our new friends tell us how they each found love, making me glance toward Tyler. I know I’m not in love with him, but I easily could have fallen in love with him. Peggy brings me back to the conversation when she asks if there’s someone special in my life.
    I force a sad smile and tell her, “No, not anymore.”
    Her blue eyes pierce through me, “You’ll find what you’re looking for. Love is never easy, but it’s always worth the trouble.”
    I nod, feeling a tear threatening my eyes. Thankfully Peggy recognizes the expression on my face. She gives me a look of sympathy before directing her attention toward Paige. I take advantage of the temporary reprieve and let my gaze drift back to Tyler.
    My heart seizes when I see him laugh at something the redhead says. I smile at his beautiful smile, but look away quickly, brushing a tear from my eyelashes. I jump back into the conversation at my table, telling myself to forget about Tyler.
    Peggy, Diane, and Terri make us laugh the rest of dinner, and I know sharing a table with them for the week is going to be a lot of fun. I’m feeling good