Two Different Coreys

The morning was perfect, the brunch that he’d planned for weeks had been perfect, and now the perfect moment was upon them. Corey Leeds, meticulously plotted the details, ensuring that his girlfriend, Corey Wright, would be free on this day. He knew, her hectic work-life made scheduling a nightmare, but not today, today was their day. Weeks ago, he called her boss and pleaded with him, “please just let her have this one day.” Luckily, he was a romantic himself and agreed. 

They were side by side, strolling through the scenic park, once again he felt for the ring in his pocket, thanking god that it was still there. He knew that most men spent three months of their salary on the diamond, this wasn’t a concern of his, money never was. He’d worked hard at his job, and had some luck along the way, the money would be theirs now. They would share it all, a smile crept onto his face, he hoped she didn’t notice, he’d hate to ruin the surprise. She had no clue that the question was about to be popped. She was smart, but he knew how to surprise her. The brunch at her favorite spot, then the impromptu walk, where they would accidentally wind up where they first met. 

Two years ago, right around the corner, they were both runners and were happily following the same path. He recalled the look on her face, he knew she wanted him to ask her out, yet he was nervous. He didn’t do well with women, not serious women anyway. They were always so enamored with his money, but not her, not Corey’s Corey, or Mrs.Wright as his dad had joked. His father, loved her and she adored him. Her parents both died young, so he knew how much it meant to her to have a father figure. In the back of his mind, he wished there had been someone who’s blessing he could have asked for, he’d always looked forward to that part. 

He gazed at her and smiled, her face lit up in response, they were seconds away. He reached for her hand, it was sweaty, perhaps she was nervous? Maybe, he hadn’t kept this secret as close as he’d thought. He examined her face once more, looking for signs, could she know? It was possible, she could have spotted the ring in his pocket. Calm down, he told himself, it’s a hot day, her hands are probably just sweaty from the heat. 

They’d arrived, he looked at her one more time, this perfect girl, this girl who would soon be his, his forever. He grabbed her other hand as they stopped moving forward, starring into her bright green eyes, he sensed anticipation, she nervously smiled, it’s ok he thought, I’m nervous too. As he prepared to take his knee to the ground, he felt that she was going to say something when he went down, that feeling went away, she was shocked. Tears of happiness flew down her cheeks, he’d done it, he’d pulled off the proposal, there was only one thing left to do… 

The day was perfect, it had to be today, she thought. Corey Wright, had this day circled on her calendar for weeks, the stars had aligned. First, her ego-maniac boss had spontaneously given her the entire day off, second, she knew she’d be with Corey, and most importantly, if she didn’t do it now, she’d go insane. She knew months ago that this had to end, today she would break up with him. 

She’d planned to do it first thing in the morning, just rip the band-aid off. The words were loaded in her mouth, her hand had been on the trigger, then he swept her away to brunch. Like usual, he told her where they were going, and then they were there. No time for her input, no interest in what she had to say, that’s how it always went. Now they were on a walk, it occurred to her that this is where they first met, a fitting place to finish. 

Corey, couldn’t help but blame herself, who agrees to a date with someone who followed them for an entire run? A fool, she thought. Now, it had been two years of foolishness! Two years of hearing about the money! The god goddamned money! She’d rather live in a box then take another dime from him. Anyway, she did perfectly fine on her own, and she didn’t benefit from a large inheritance like him. It’s not that she didn’t appreciate the gifts or the fancy dinners, no, it was hearing about how it hurt him. He’d always whine that he couldn’t meet a real girl, making sure to mention that he’d been with plenty but nobody worth his time. How she envied those girls, the ones that were spared his time. 

They’d been walking in silence for a few minutes, she had to do it now, just spit it out, she thought. Again, she loaded the words, hands on the trigger, just as she was about to pull it, he smiled at her. The smile caught her off guard, it was out of nowhere, instinctively she smiled back, cursing herself as the chamber emptied. He grabbed her hand, hopefully, he didn’t notice her shiver, although it wouldn’t be the worst thing. 

She wished her parents were alive, they never would have let her get to this point. They could have been her gatekeepers, why couldn’t she be her own gatekeeper? She should have listened to her friends, or at least she should have run for the hills when she’d met his father. The man was smug, chauvinistic, and plain creepy. He’d rub her shoulders and say, “well you finally found Mrs.Wright.” Another shiver danced across her spine, they were a few feet from where he’d asked her out. This is fate, she thought, right here, right now, it’s over. 

She stopped walking and tried to free her hand, before she could manage, he grabbed the other one. He smiled at her, this time she kept a stern face, nothing would get in her way. The first words fell out of her mouth, as his knee hit the ground…