Getting Over You
by Ellen Brand

Suddenly the sounds of country music filtering through the wall caught his attention. Tommy grimaced. His sister was listening to the local country station again, and as usual, she had the volume turned up a little too high. He was about to bang on the wall to tell her to turn it down when the words caught his attention.

You ask who's lying in my bed
And is it really love we're making.
My heart is hanging by a thread.
She's the reason it's not breaking.
Do you ever cross my mind?
Fact is darling, you still do.
That's the reason why she's here,
Wiping your old memory clear,
Helping me get over you.
With a groan, Tommy fell back onto his bed. Somebody must not like him very much, because those words had hit a little too close to home. Maybe not the first two lines, but the rest of the verse had been an all too accurate summary of his relationship with Kat. He didn't really love her, he was just using her to take away the pain of his memories, memories of Kim.

Tommy sighed. "All right, so I figured out why I keep dating her," he grumbled aloud. "What am I supposed to do now? I can't dump her; that would be cruel. On the other hand, I can't love her, and she doesn't deserve to be a substitute. What do I do?" The music did not answer.

~*~

I know you'd never ask his name,
But in your heart, I know you wonder.
I'm not much good at playing games.
I'm just trying to keep from going under.
There's no forever in his eyes.
It's not the love that we once knew.
And though it may be a sin,
Tonight I've got a friend
Helping me get over you.

Kimberly Hart groaned, shoving her head under the pillow. She didn't really mind country music, but she wished that the girls next door wouldn't play it quite so loudly, especially at night. Especially not when she was trying to sleep. Especially not when it reminded her of Tommy.

She had really believed that she was in love with the man she had left Tommy for, truly had believed it. Believed it, that is, up until the night he had kissed her, and she had imagined he was Tommy. Now she realized that all she had ever been looking for was a way to be with Tommy now that she was in Florida. Even so, however, she couldn't bring herself to break up with Ryan. He was sweet, gentle, funny, and he cared about her very much. He had even told her that he loved her, once or twice, and hadn't seemed too bothered by the fact that she had never said it back. She couldn't leave him. The loneliness would be just too great, now that Tommy was gone forever.

"He didn't even ask who I'd found," she told the stuffed dragon in her arms. "He was willing to let me be happy, even if it made him miserable. Oh, Junior, why did I give him up?" The stuffed animal did not answer.

~*~

Kim and Ryan walked into the airport, his arm around her shoulders. She was chattering away about nothing in particular, and he knew that she was worried about something. Then she froze, staring at a knot of people over by the baggage claim. He followed her gaze.

"Those are your friends, Kimberly? The ones we came to visit?" he asked. She had told him a great deal about them, but he was far enough that he couldn't recognize them from her descriptions. She simply nodded, still staring. Ryan took a closer look, and realized what had caught her attention. A tall man with dark hair and a pretty blond by his side was staring back at them, as motionless as Kimberly. _That must be Tommy,_ he thought to himself. _The only one she'll never talk about._ Ryan had known that the wounds from their breakup had never quite healed, but he hadn't realized that the bonds were still this strong. In the background, Ryan could faintly hear music coming over the sound system.

Helping me get over you
One kiss at a time.
Cause all the pain that we've been through
Still weighs so heavy on my mind.
Getting past the love we lost,
That's a lonely bridge to cross.
So I did what I had to do,
Had to find somebody who
Is helping me get over you.

Kat looked at Tommy, whose eyes were still fixed on Kimberly, and felt her heart breaking. He had never loved her, she had always known that, but she couldn't help pretending that maybe someday, when the pain of Kimberly's loss had eased, he might fall for her. Now she knew that that would not happen. Tommy Oliver loved Kimberly Hart, and always would. She looked over to the pair who had just arrived, and her eyes met those of Kimberly's boyfriend. He nodded slightly, and she gave him a bittersweet smile. Then she nudged Tommy gently in the side. "Go on," she told him quietly. "She's waiting for you."

Almost in a trance, Tommy walked across the floor towards Kimberly, who started towards him after a similar nudge from the man beside her. They stared at each other for a long moment, then Tommy swept her up in a tight hug and a passionate kiss, which she returned completely.

Kat suddenly looked up to find Kimberly's now ex-boyfriend standing next to her. "They make a good couple, don't they?" he asked quietly.

She nodded. "I'm sorry," she told him. He shook his head.

"Don't be. Deep down, I think I always knew it wasn't real. I'm Ryan Peterson. And you are?"

"Kat Hilliard. Nice to meet you," she replied. "Would you like me to introduce you to the others?"

Ryan nodded. "I'd like that." Taking her arm, they walked towards the rest of the group.

I did the best that I could do.
I had to find somebody new
To help me get over you.

End