Case of The EX

We've all got that one ex that we think about from time to time (or all of the time). You know that one whose Instagram page you can't seem to stay off of? Or the one whose number you said you deleted, but can still somehow manage to text? Yea, that one. 

That one ex in particular can have us more involved in their lives than our own. I know firsthand what that's like, because I too suffered from what is known in the dating world as a "Case of the Ex". 

The Backstory. I was dating this guy who I liked a lot. We spent almost all of our time together. When I wasn't working I was with him and even if I ever was away from him we were probably making plans to see each other. He became my best friend, life-coach, and lover all rolled in one. But of course every love story has a dramatic end, and ours was no exception. We broke up eventually and that was the end... or so I thought.

Want That Old Thing Back. My ex and I were broken up for about a year when I started seeing him randomly pop up on the explore page of my Instagram. I would only see him in the thumbnail photo, daring not to click it and see the bigger picture. Well one day you can say my curiosity got the best of me and I clicked one of the small photos I saw of him, and lo and behold, it was a girl posting the photos of him! Not just any girl, but his girlfriend! My heart sank to the pit of my stomach when I scanned her page. Her Instagram account was covered with pictures with the both of them out and about with lovey-dovey captions that made me want to lose my appetite. 

I thought for sure I was over him, I mean it had been a year and I was fine without him. All it took was me seeing those pictures for all of those old feelings to rush back and make me heart sick. From then on, he was all that I could think about. I found myself trolling her page for new updates on them two, only making myself that much more sick. It's weird how we continue to do things, knowing that we're only going to end up hurting ourselves. But I was relentless. 

One day while I was out I ran into him, and who was he with? You guessed it: his new girlfriend. I was sick! I played it off well though. I acted nonchalant and oblivious of them both. After that sighting it's like I ran into them everywhere! I couldn't get rid of them in person or on social media. I became obsessed with my ex situation, and I officially wanted him back.

Second Time Around. My ex must've missed me too because I started getting random text messages from him. He claimed he was only "checking up on me", but we both knew what it was. His feelings for me were creeping back and he just didn't know how to say it. At first I was nonchalant with the text messaging, but he started texting me more and more and before you know it, we were setting up a date to see each other! I know you're probably thinking I was being a homewrecker, but at that point I was ready to risk it all. After our "first date" we were back on like we never left. We were texting each other every day and setting up future dates. Eventually he told me that he had broken up with his girlfriend, which of course was music to my ears...so I thought.

Cured. My ex had turned into my new flex and we were officially working on it. As soon as we started back on, I quickly remembered why we broke up in the first place. He was ANNOYING! On top of belittling, argumentative and loud. As quickly as we got back together I wanted to break up again. I saw that he hadn't changed and was still the same, maybe even worse. I realized that I didn't want him, I wanted the idea of him. I was so jealous of his new relationship that it tricked me into thinking I wanted him back. I was selfish and ended up trespassing on another's girl's territory. In the end I was finally "cured" of my Case of the Ex. The great thing about this illness is that once you catch it, you become immune to it.