*** Featured on StoruesUndiscovered ***
A bittersweet story about a lover who never stayed and a love that never ended.
Disclaimer- This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents are the products of my imagination. Any resemblance is...
"Shame on me for changing. Shame on you for staying the same." Spotless mind by Jhene Aiko. ⚠️TW-Death of a parent.
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I was cold.
Freezing-cold.
Below-zero-degrees-Fahrenheit-cold.
A-minute-away-from-death-by-hypothermia-cold.
My body was instantly covered in chills at the mention of that name. The hairs on my skin stood erect and the muscles under them trembled in violent shivers. My heart continued plunging, but instead of the good old blood, it was pumping ice. Slush was circulating inside my body, freezing me to death, but somehow also keeping me alive.
Wrapping my hands around my middle, I parted my lips to speak. But my mouth stayed agape, releasing small gasps, stealing my breath away. I stayed wordless as I waited for his words to deliver the blow. To punch me in the gut and end me once and for all. I braced myself for the impact and waited for the same man who had built me up with his words to shatter me.
Noah's feet remained glued to the sheet vinyl floor beneath them and his eyes waited unguarded, ready to pop out of his head. He stayed unmoving, unblinking. After a minute-long futile stare-out, Noah's face fell as he let out a long breath. Running his fingers through his hair, a little too aggressively, "Mer" he whispered... to himself.
He looked distraught. Like he had been dragged through hell and back. That phone call couldn't have lasted over two minutes. What could've had him so worked up that quickly? What could've had him looking at me like I was going to break any second?
"Say something." He pleaded as he looked at me—at my parted mouth—expectantly. He was waiting for my non-existent words to come out and accuse him.
I stayed still, letting the silence stretch between us. Noah took a seat on the nearest bench. Head down, elbows on his knees, fingers clasped, and eyes trained on his feet.
A beat passed, and another.
The words floated in my brain before they slowly descended to my throat. I swallowed once, twice, three times. "That wasn't work, was it?" I asked in the smallest, saddest of whispers.
Noah's brown eyes found mine as his face contorted in pain. "No." He made a show to get up. But then sat back again.
The small sip of coffee I had drunk minutes ago made its way back to my mouth, leaving an acerbic taste on my tongue. "She wants you back, doesn't she?" my voice went up an octave.
Don't answer that, I pleaded silently. I wasn't ready to hear the answer. What if it was a yes? What if she wanted him back? What was I going to do? I couldn't compete with her, could I? My stomach rolled in fear. I loved that man too much. I didn't know what I'd do if I lost him. My heart wouldn't make it out alive—I wouldn't make it out alive.
