As far as Mark was concerned Bree wasn’t his friend anymore. He had needed someone to talk to when he split with Simon and though he had wanted Bree to be there for him, she wasn’t. It didn’t help that Bree had never approved of Mark’s relationship with Simon. From the very beginning she had told him that Simon was too young for him, ten years too young. That and the fact that Mark wasn’t faithful to Simon displeased Bree and she wasn’t shy in in telling Mark that she didn’t want to know anything about his relationship with Simon.
That was in April and now Mark really needed to talk to someone. Even though he had been unfaithful to Simon, he still loved him. Pouring another drink he flicked through the numbers in his phone. Most of them were obsolete, old flames or lovers that he had once loved but for one reason or another things hadn’t worked out. There were numbers for people he used to work with but had no contact with anymore and a bunch of numbers from his days in college twelve years previously. He wasn’t going to call any of these people; in fact he was so sure he wasn’t going to call them that he started deleting numbers.
After he had finished deleting the numbers he started to count how many numbers he had left on his phone, he counted twenty. It wasn’t many and he knew that it would take a little time before he managed to get back to the ninety odd that he previously had. There was one number however that Mark didn’t delete and that was Bree’s. He knew that in time she’d contact him, she always did usually when her life hit a crisis and she needed a shoulder to cry on. When that happened Mark was adamant that he wouldn’t help her. Just like she wasn’t helping him get over Simon but he still wanted her number in his phone. He wanted to know when she rang so that he could prepare himself. He had it planned in his head; he was going to be cold to her. That gave him some satisfaction knowing that Bree would be relying on him to help her at some stage in the future and that he wouldn’t be there for her.
It was inevitable, that’s what Mark thought, inevitable that she would blow another relationship for some reason that only she could understand. The last time it was her fear of commitment. Ian was a nice guy but he wanted Bree to commit to him to show him that she really loved him. All he had wanted was for her to move in with him but Bree got cold feet and Ian ended the relationship. Mark could remember the call she made to him. Bree crying hysterically because she thought she’d be alone forever. A real drama queen is what Mark had told Simon but he didn’t say it to Bree’s face. Instead he told her that she was still only thirty two she had another six or seven years before she needed to commit to another person.
Putting the phone back on the side table Mark took his coffee cup up and began to smile to himself. It would only be a matter of time before Bree came running to him seeking his help. She was going to feel what he felt. The loneliness of being single and not having a friend to contact. That eased the pain he felt about Simon leaving him, at least for a few hours anyway. Tomorrow would be another day, alone.