Hi, I'm Ashley. What's your name?"
"Melissa." They shook hands.
Ashley was Jake's girlfriend. They hadn't been going out that long, but one second was long enough in Melissa's eyes. For the last few months, Melissa felt things were changing between her and Jake. She felt that they were getting closer and that they were beginning to trust each other and really treat each other like friends. She felt that if she just stuck with it, and kept proving herself to Jake, something would happen. And then she saw Ashley and her whole world fell apart.
"It's nice to meet you!"
"Nice to meet your, too," Melissa lied as Jake stood in front of her looking a little worried. Obviously, he knew how Melissa felt about him, and now his girlfriend was introducing herself to her.
The rest of that night wasn't the same. It started off with Melissa sitting at a table for over an hour with a guy that she cared deeply about, and it ended with her sitting at that same table, by herself, selling their shirts while Jake was watching the other bands perform with his girlfriend. How could things have possibly gone so wrong? A really good night turned into an occasion of hurt and pain, and Jake had no clue.
Well, it seemed like Jake had no clue, but he probably did. The look of misery and hopelessness on Melissa's face easily gave it away. That night, Jake barely touched his new girlfriend while Melissa was around, and she felt that that was because he cared about her, and he didn't want to hurt her. He didn't care about her the way she wanted or needed him to, but he cared about her. He actually cared about her.