"Why did you let me talk for that long? Why didn't you stop me or something?!" Liam says, completely horrified. He feels like his heart is being analyzed under a magnifying glass, and he doesn't like how it feels at all—raw, vulnerable, naked.
"You sounded like you needed to get it all out there, so I just listened." Cynthia pauses, letting Liam take a second for this all to sink in. "Don't you feel much better about it now?"
"No." There's not even an ounce of hesitation in his response.
"Guess I was wrong then. Whoopsies."
"Whoopsies?!" Liam asks, still baffled by the dramatic turn of this conversation. "Now, I really want Nessa back."
"You and me both, kid."
Confusion hovers over Liam's head as he tries to understand her words. He can't wrap his head around it no matter how long he sits there on his bed and ponders the subject.
"Wait, what? Where is Nessa?" He finally gives in and asks
"Oh, that's right!" Cynthia smacks her forehead, the sound ricocheting through the phone line. "You don't know about that yet. I can't believe she didn't tell you."
"Know about what?"
"Nessa's not here," Cynthia gives the vaguest answer possible.
"Well, I know that," Liam deadpans. "Of course, she isn't here. She would've picked up the phone instead otherwise."
"No, wait. That's not exactly what I meant," Cynthia replies, running her thumb along her bottom lip as she wracks her brain trying to figure out how to break this news lightly.
Her contemplation is becoming an emergency on his part. He doesn't know what to expect.
"Look, I don't really know how to tell you this, but Nessa doesn't work at AskAway anymore if you're only calling here to reach her."
Cynthia still doesn't understand why the two of them didn't just exchange their phone numbers. She glances at the calendar on the wall, tracing the dates with her fingers. As she searches for a specific day, she hums to fill the silence.
"Her last day was actually Monday. She sent in her resignation last Thursday."
Liam's heart drops to the floor beneath his bed.
"Look, if you need to talk to me about anything or scream and shout and let—"
Liam hangs up the phone before Cynthia can even finish her sentence.
YOU ARE READING
Say Hello For Me
Short Story"Hello, we are here to advise you on all your questions, concerns, and problems related to relationships. How may I assist you today?" "I think my girlfriend is cheating on me." Everything started with this simple line.
