Bella was the kind of girl who got the guy. She didn’t have to try so hard to get people to like her since she was naturally likeable. Bella was a fun girl but still had a lot of focus in life. She worked for a real estate company and, at the same time, was pursuing her Master’s degree. Yet despite being that busy, she still had time to enjoy life.

She was petite, with an even skin tone, and had a great sense of humour. It was no wonder that John was drawn to her immediately they met. They met on a Friday in a famous club in the city. John had been dragged into going out by one of his boys. Well, there could also have been the promise of female company. However, John didn’t really like any of the girls his friend had invited. So he went to the counter to take a break, and there she was, tiny and gorgeous with hair that looked like a mane.

“Hi,” John said, hoping to strike a conversation with Bella.

“Hi,” said Bella with a bit of a stutter as she decided whether she wanted to engage in the chat.

Realizing that his window was fast closing John quickly responded.

“I see the gin bug has caught on to you too,” he said, looking at her drink.

“If the hype is worthwhile, you’ve got to go with it,” she said as she turned to have a better look at him.

“Is it though or are we just following the crowd?”

“I don’t know what gin you’ve been taking but I assure you there are quite several decent brands,” Bella said with so much passion.

“Enlighten me.”

John got a crash course on gin. It wasn’t the gin knowledge that mesmerized him but Bella’s confidence. The night was finally beginning to shape up. He had found someone interesting to talk to, and since both were not dancers, they decided to take the conversation to the parking lot.

They talked for about two hours before realizing that it was almost 3 a.m.

“I’ve got to leave I have to be at work at 9 a.m,” said Bella.

“Oh common, one more hour won’t make such a big difference,” John pleaded.

After a short debate, Bella decided to stay.

“So I’m going to be honest with you. I came out today because I’m having issues with my girlfriend, so my friend decided to get me some company, but it wasn’t working out,” John said, not entirely sure if that was an intelligent thing to say.

“Hmmh, such a typical guy!” Bella responded.

“I know but if you knew my story then you wouldn’t be judging me.”

“That’s exactly why I don’t like exclusive relationships, too much drama and pressure,” Bella told him.

That was how their relationship started. After about two weeks of nonstop chatting, they agreed to see each other. Bella was okay with being the side chick, but she made it clear that she was also free to see other people. The arrangement worked for about a year. John would never go out with his main girlfriend, and Bella was the perfect company. She understood his dark humour, she was presentable, and they could also talk about serious stuff.

It was going well, or so they lied. Behind the scenes, John was falling in love with Bella but could not admit it to her because he was still in a relationship with his main girlfriend. Bella didn’t seem like she wanted to commit to him, so he thought she would break his hurt. On the other hand, Bella loved John, but she would never suggest that he should leave his girl. She could also see how he treated his main girlfriend and didn’t want to be in a similar situation.

Eventually, John broke up with his main girlfriend and told Bella about it. The news had several effects on their arrangement. Now they saw each other more frequently and without any guilt. Bella thought that maybe they could be exclusive since she was in love with John. On the other hand, John could also see a future with Bella because she was everything he thought he wanted. In fact, they even started talking about future plans and even went to view pieces of land they could purchase. The parcels of land were adjacent, and each would buy their share, so it was ideal if they ended up together. However, they did not discuss what was next for their arrangement.

Things were seemingly rosy, and Bella was working up the courage to let John know that she wanted more. However, her plans were put on hold when she randomly walked into a restaurant and found John on a date with another woman. It was so awkward for both of them. The other woman exuded a vibe that made it clear that she was marking her territory.

Bella left that restaurant with her heart broken. She felt disrespected, but she also knew they had not committed to dating. Her heart had betrayed her and had fallen for the guy. So she decided the best way to keep her heart in check was to get out her phone book and go out with someone else. Unfortunately, the heart is not an on and off switch, so going out with someone else couldn’t make her forget John.

John texted her after a couple of days to make plans for a weekend getaway. Bella told him that she already had other plans. John was disappointed, and he imagined that she had made plans with another guy since they were not exclusive. He knew he had no right to be jealous since this was part of their arrangement. It also made him realize that he would never feel secure with her.

So as they both hid their true feelings for each other, John started seeing another girl. Within a couple of months, John made it official with the new girl. John told Bella the update during one of their meetings. Bella didn’t respond to his messages after that, so John finally asked.

“I feel like you’re mad at me.”

“Why would I be?” Bella asked.

“Ever since I told you about my new girlfriend you’ve been weird.”

“Was I supposed to throw a party for you?”

“No need for sarcasm, I thought you were okay with our arrangement. Why didn’t you say anything?” John asked.

“You really think I want to be your permanent side chick?”

“I told you I broke up with my girlfriend and you didn’t say anything,” John said.

After throwing the blame back and forth, it was clear that the arrangement wasn’t going to work out anymore. So they stopped seeing each other completely.