Discovery

Aubrey sat in her cubicle, mercilessly tapping on her keyboard, taking her frustration out on the story about the new recycling project that the city had recently put into place. All she heard was the obnoxious beeping of the broken copy machine and the gurgling of the coffee pot and an occasional murmur from the desks and other cubicles around her. Her long, dark hair had fallen in her face about ten minutes ago and she still hadn’t bothered with tucking it behind her ear. Her eyes were droopy but she still hadn’t refilled her coffee cup. She just sat in her chair, slouched over, typing. Her job was to ask questions, get answers and communicate that to the people. But how could she answer other people’s questions when she couldn’t even answer her own. “Why did he have to leave?” and “If he knew he wasn’t going to write to me, why did he promise that he would?” and “Why does it still bother me after a year and a half?” These were the questions that continually danced around in her head, tormenting her. She wished she could just forget about him, but she couldn’t. She needed to get away. She needed to get away from this office, away from the mundane day-to-day routine, away from this city, and away from the memories; seven years of memories. Aubrey and Kyle had been together since they were sophomores in high school. Once their relationship survived three years of high school and had moved on to college Aubrey knew that they were going to spend the rest of their lives together. That was until Kyle was offered an internship in Europe working with a business firm. It was the opportunity of a lifetime and Aubrey knew that. She just hoped that Kyle wouldn’t forget about her while he was out chasing his dreams. He told her that he would write and call as often as he could. He promised. And Aubrey believed him. She believed him because his embrace was still warm on that final, cold January night that they were together and in seven years those deep brown eyes of his never once told a lie. That was the last time she saw him; she only received one letter and not a single phone call. Just as all those old emotions started to come back, her thoughts were interrupted.
         “Ms. Montgomery, can I see you in my office for a minute?” asked her boss.
He was leaning over the short wall of her cubicle. His suit was perfectly ironed, thanks to his perfect trophy wife and his hair was combed perfectly into place, thanks to the abundance of hair gel that he put in it every morning.
“Uh, sure. Just a ‘sec.,” replied Aubrey.
She got up from her chair, straightened out her skirt, tucked her stray hair behind her ear and ventured over toward Mr. Myers office. She stopped right in front of his door, took a deep breath and entered his office.
         “Is everything okay, Mr. Myers? I assure you that I will have that recycling piece finished today before I leave. I know it has taken me longer than expected to finish it up. I’m really sorry,” Aubrey rambled.
         “I didn’t call you in here to talk about that recycling article, Ms. Montgomery. I called you in here to give you a new assignment, if you’re willing to take it,” Said Mr. Myers.
         “Oh, okay. What is it?” Aubrey said with a sigh of relief.
         “Well, we want to do a story on the new travel program that the university is offering. We need someone to travel with the first group of students and live with them for a semester; go the places they go, do the things that they do. And you just need to write an article on it. It’s all expenses paid besides food and souvenirs. You’re our best writer, Ms. Montgomery. You think you can do this?” said Mr. Myers.
         “I would love that! I won’t disappoint you, I promise. When do I leave?” asked Aubrey.
         “Tuesday, a week from today. Oh, and you’ll be traveling to Belgium,” Mr. Myers said, matter-of-factly.
         “As in Belgium, Europe?” Aubrey asked, afraid to hear his response.
         “As in Belgium, Europe,” Mr. Myers confirmed.
Aubrey’s eyes got wide and she stopped breathing for a moment until she realized that Mr. Myers was looking at her rather oddly. She composed herself once more and started toward the door.
“Belgium, here I come,” Aubrey turned and said with a forced smile.
She slowly walked back to her cubicle, biting her bottom lip. “This is a great opportunity. I’m going to experience great things. I know Kyle lives somewhere over there, but there is no way I would run into him. It’s a huge place. It’ll be fine. I need to go, get away from this city, and enjoy myself. I’ll be fine,” Aubrey thought to herself.
         The next week passed quickly as Aubrey got everything straightened out for her trip. She was too busy with getting her passport and packing to even think twice about Kyle. She liked that. The trip was already starting to take her mind off of him and she hadn’t even left yet. That next Tuesday finally arrived and Aubrey was standing at the airport with twelve other college students. They were all standing in the lobby surrounded by commotion and luggage. Aubrey didn’t know any of the other students that were going on the trip so she just stood to the side watching everything; taking everything in. She had her black notebook and blue pen in hand and was ready for what this trip had to offer. As she stood there taking notes about what was going on around her she was interrupted by two of the other students.
         “Hey, I’m Ethan,” said the boy. “And this is Bridget,” he said motioning towards the girl.
         “Oh, hey. I’m Aubrey,” She replied.
         “So you’re the newspaper girl, huh?” Ethan asked, already knowing the answer.
         “Yep, that’s me,” Aubrey said.
         “Well, it’s nice to meet you. You can hang with us if you want,” Said Bridget.
         “Okay. That would be great. Thanks,” Said Aubrey.
Aubrey stood there looking down at her luggage while Ethan fiddled with his cell phone and Bridget watched people as they walked by.
         “So what made you guys want to come on this trip?” Aubrey finally asked.
         “Well, I just needed a change of scenery. I figured Belgium could cure that,” Bridget said as she chuckled.
         “I’m an international business major, I thought this would be good for me,” Responded Ethan.
As she was nodding her head, Aubrey began jotting words down in her notepad.
         “Listen, if you’re going to really experience this trip with us, you’re gonna have to get your head out of that notebook and really live it. You’ll get a better story that way,” Bridget said.
Aubrey looked up from her notepad, smiled, and stuck her pen through her ponytail.
         “I suppose you’re right. Thanks,” Aubrey said.
The three of them began making small talk as they waited for their flight to be called. They joked and laughed and Aubrey smiled to herself, knowing that this was truly going to be an amazing trip. Their flight number was finally called and the group made their way to board the plane. One by one they all filed into the airplane cabin and took their seats. Aubrey was seated next to Bridget and Ethan was behind them with one of his friends.
“This is gonna be a pretty long flight. Make yourself comfortable.” Bridget said with a smile as she put her headphones in her ears, reclined her seat, and closed her eyes.
Aubrey buckled her seatbelt and looked out of the window as she took a deep breath and realized that she hadn’t been thinking of Kyle the entire time that she had been talking with her newfound friends. A couple of hours had passed and most of the people on the airplane were sleeping or watching the movie that was playing in the front of the plane.
         “How ya doing up there?” Ethan said as he leaned up to get closer to her.
         “Doing good. How are things back there?” Aubrey said with a laugh.
         “I’m managing. Sean’s snoring is getting a little obnoxious, but other than that I think I’ll survive,” Ethan joked.
         “Your survival skills astound me,” Aubrey laughed.
         “Oh, you’re too kind.” Ethan said as he smiled and leaned back into his seat.
Aubrey continued smiling as she replayed that conversation in her head. “It’s good to be able to joke around like that again,” Aubrey thought. It had been a while since her mind had been clear of Kyle and she could really engage in playful conversations with people. Aubrey was still smiling as she leaned her head back and drifted off to sleep. Several hours later Aubrey woke up to the sound of chatter and flashing “seatbelt” signs. The plane would be landing soon and everyone was getting ready to leave.
         “Nice nap, Sleeping Beauty?” Ethan asked.
Aubrey turned around and smiled then began getting her things together to get off of the plane. As they all began to get off of the plane, conversations and excitements reached an all-time high. Once the group reached their flat, however, they all headed straight to their respective rooms and went to sleep, excited for the next day’s adventures.
         “Goodnight, ladies,” Ethan said to Aubrey and Bridget.
         “Night, Ethan,” Bridget responded.
         “Goodnight, Aubrey,” Ethan reiterated.
         “Goodnight!” Aubrey said.
The two girls walked into their room and began putting their things away and getting ready for bed.
         “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he likes you,” Bridget said with a smile.
         “Who likes me?” Bridget asked.
         “Are you kidding? Ethan! He’s totally into you,” Bridget responded.
         “No, we’re just friends. He’s cool,” Aubrey insisted.
         “Whatever. He’s totally into you,” Bridget said with a smirk.
         “If you say so,” Aubrey said doubtfully.
         “And you’re totally crushing on him, aren’t you?” Bridget blurted out.
         “It’s bedtime, Bridget,” Aubrey said.
         “I’m taking that as a ‘yes’,” Bridget laughed.
The next morning came complete with Belgium waffles and juice and a full day’s agenda. After breakfast the group loaded onto the bus one by one. Aubrey sat down in the seat next to the window and was soon joined by Ethan.
         “Told ya so!” Bridget said with a wink as she walked by.
The bus started down the road and the tour guide began to tell of the city’s history and any other facts that she thought the students might find interesting. Aubrey listened intently as she occasionally looked out of the window and around at all of the other students to see their reactions. She continued jotting notes down in her notebook even when the tour guide wasn’t speaking. The bus came to a traffic light and was stopped for a few moments.
         “This city is beautiful,” Aubrey said as she reached for her camera.
         “Here, let me. I can get you in the picture too,” Ethan said as he reached for her camera.
         “Oh, thanks! That’s sweet of you,” Aubrey replied.
Ethan took the picture of Aubrey with the grandeur of the city of Brussels in the background.
         “Beautiful,” Ethan stated after he took the picture.
         “It is, isn’t it,” Aubrey responded.
         “I meant you,” Ethan muttered under his breath.
Aubrey looked up from her bag with expectant eyes and simply smiled. Ethan’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink as he smiled in return. The tour carried on for the next few hours, with pit stops along the way for lunch and to see a couple of museums. At last the bus reached the flat where the students were staying and one-by-one the students stepped off of the bus, exhausted from the jet lag and the busy day’s events.
         “Hey, Aubrey! Wait up!” Ethan said as he hurried over to her. “They don’t have anything planned for dinner tonight for the group, I guess they figured we’d all be too tired to even care about food. Anyways, I was wondering if you maybe wanted to go grab something later. We could go to that little café up the street; I know you said it looked good. But I mean, it’s up to you. If you’re too tired I understand,” Ethan rambled.
         “Dude! Quit monologue-ing and let the girl answer. Good grief!” Bridget said with a chuckle.
         “I’d love to go! I can always eat, no matter how tired I am!” Aubrey laughed.
         “Really? Sweet!” Ethan replied. “You want to meet me here in about an hour?”
         “Sounds good!” Aubrey said.
         “See you then, Ethan!” Bridget said sarcastically.
         “Oh, uh…I didn’t know you wanted to come. But I mean, you can if you want,” Ethan stumbled on his words.
         “Relax, Romeo. I’ll let you and Juliet have your time. I have a date with the vending machine anyways,” Bridget smiled.
         “See you in an hour, Aubrey,” Ethan said as he rolled his eyes at Bridget.
Back in the girls’ room, Bridget was sitting on her bed eating the potato chips and candy bar that she had gotten out of the machine down the hall as Aubrey came out of the bathroom dressed for her dinner with Ethan. She stood in front of the mirror and pulled on the hem of her shirt, tucked her hair behind her ear, put her lip gloss on, un-tucked the hair behind her ear, and then tucked it again.
         “You are so nervous you don’t even know what to do with yourself,” Bridget teased. “I told you that you were totally into him. I can read people like that. I’m so good!”
         “I mean, he’s cute and he’s funny and he’s so sweet. I’m just not sure,” Said Aubrey.
         “Not sure? Not sure about what? You dig him, he digs you, you get together, get married and have babies. It’s textbook,” Bridget joked.
         “There has to be something wrong with him. Think about it, it’s too perfect. I’m sad and alone until I get the amazing opportunity to come to Europe, then I meet this incredibly cute and perfect guy and we fall madly in love. That stuff only happens in fairytales. This is real-life,” Aubrey doubted.
         “Aubrey, listen to me. I know you had love once and it ended and you were really hurt. And I know that the thought of that happening again scares you to death. But how are you gonna know if you don’t just give it a try? You have to give him a chance. You have to give love another chance, Aubrey,” Bridget said.
         “I guess you’re right, Bridget. Thank you. I needed to hear that. Plus he is so cute!” giggled Aubrey.
         “Go get ‘em, Tiger!” Bridget laughed.
Aubrey walked outside to see Ethan sitting on a bench near her room.
         “Come on, man! I’m starving! You should never keep a hungry girl waiting,” Joked Aubrey.
         “Oh goodness, we better get some food in your system S.T.A.T.!” laughed Ethan as she ran down the street.
         “Hey, wait up! You know it’s bad manners to leave your date behind!” Aubrey said as she chased after him.
The two of them reached the restaurant laughing and out of breath. They found a table across the room in a corner that overlooked the street. While they ate they joked with each other and talked about their futures. They shared their dreams and goals and talked about what scared them most about life. The restaurant was empty now besides a few bus boys and their waiter and most of the lights had been turned off.
         “We should probably get going. We don’t want them to lock us in here,” Ethan said as he noticed the empty restaurant.
         “I guess so. I really don’t want this night to end, though,” said Aubrey. “Wow, that was so cheesy,” She laughed.
         “It’s okay, I don’t either,” Ethan said with a smile. “But if we want to be the least bit coherent in the morning, then we better call it a night.”
         “I suppose you’re right. I’m sure I’ll thank you for that tomorrow,” Aubrey said.
The two walked back to the flat continuing the conversations that they were having during dinner. Ethan walked up the stairs with Aubrey and escorted her to her door. They stood in the hallway for a moment as they said goodnight and Ethan fidgeted with his key.
         “Thank you for a wonderful night,” Aubrey said. “It’s the most fun I’ve had in a long time.”
         “Thank you for accompanying me. I had a great time, too,” Ethan responded.
Aubrey got her key out and began opening the door. Ethan grabbed her arm and spun her around.
         “If I don’t do this now, I’ll kick myself for it later,” Ethan said as he kissed Aubrey.
She looked up at him, smiled, and walked inside her room.
The next day was filled with an abundance of more tours and museums. The group stopped at an old restaurant for lunch and Ethan and Aubrey sat at the bar because those were the only seats left. Aubrey got up to go chat with Bridget, who was sitting across the restaurant with a group of friends.
         “You’re from the U.S., aren’t you?” said a young man sitting two chairs down from Ethan.
         “Yeah, we’re here on a school trip,” Ethan responded.
         “Very nice. Which school?” asked the man.
         “A small university up in Boston,” Answered Ethan.
         “Oh sweet. I used to live there,” said the man. “I loved it.”
         “Small world, isn’t it?” chuckled Ethan. “It’s funny, though.”
         “What’s that?” asked the man.
         “I had to come all the way over to Europe to meet this girl that I’ve been going to school with for years,” Replied Ethan.
         “Oh, so you found yourself a lady friend?” smiled the man.
         “That I did. I think I could love her actually,” responded Ethan. “She’s great. She’s beautiful, funny, charming, and smart. She’s just an amazing human being. Any guy would be lucky to have her.”
         “Sounds like you got yourself quite a catch,” Said the man.
         “Yeah, I guess I should thank the guy that let her go. Without him I wouldn’t have this chance,” Joked Ethan.
         “Yeah, hold on to her, dude,” Smiled the man.
         “Thanks. Oh, I’m Ethan by the way. I didn’t catch your name,” said Ethan.
         “Kyle. Nice to meet you,” He stated.
Just then Aubrey walked up to Ethan and grabbed his hand and pulled him out of his chair.
         “The bus is gonna leave us. Come on, you slow poke,” She laughed.
         “See ya, man,” Ethan stated as he walked towards the door.
         “Who were you talking to over there?” Aubrey asked.
         “Some guy that used to live in Boston. His name was Kyle, cool guy,” Ethan answered.
         “Oh cool,” Aubrey said. “Small world.”
Aubrey looked back through the window of the restaurant and saw the man that broke her heart and all of his promises, over a year ago. Kyle was looking back at her and smiled as he watched she and Ethan walk onto the bus, hand-in-hand.