Stories Based On Taylor Swift Songs

EVERMORE: 150. Right Where You Left Me

150. Right Where You Left Me (2/10/21)

It was like a diner out of a movie. A diner where the protagonist would stand up on the red plastic seating and confess their feelings for the love interest. One where the older characters, who seemed to know everything and everyone, would share stories about their childhood; they would be dripping in wisdom. This is what Elise thought about as she walked into the Highway 55 Diner with her boyfriend, Caleb, their hands interlaced.

They sat at a table in the back, and Elise couldn't erase the smile from her face. Maybe it was the atmosphere that was making her so happy, or the fact that it was her and Caleb's two year anniversary. They had met two years ago on a date app, a few weeks after Elise graduated college. Her and Caleb had stayed together through the ups and downs, moved cities for each other, and were both dedicated to the relationship.

A plus-sized waitress came to the table and took their drink order. What was strange, in that moment, was that Caleb refused to have anything. He was perched on his chair as if waiting for an opportunity to leave. Elise cocked her head to the side, but didn't say a word. She did wonder what he was thinking about, and he had planned anything special for their two month anniversary. Then again, there was always the off chance that he forgot, and was waiting for a reminder.

When the waitress left to fetch Elise a coke, the brunette glanced at her boyfriend and said, "Can you believe it's been two years since we met?"

Instead of reminiscing in the memories, Caleb turned a sharp eye towards her and said in a flat voice, "Elise, we need to talk."

Her heart fell to the floor, the pumping organs resting on the linoleum tiles. She hoped no one noticed.

"What is it?" she replied, trying not to sound worried.

"I didn't know how to tell you this," Caleb said, and when he did speak, his voice came out shaky. "I've really enjoyed our time together, and I think you're a wonderful person, but...I've met someone else."

Elise blinked a few times in a row, as if she was processing the information. Her mouth refused to open, and the words no longer formed. Caleb took this to mean that he could continue talking.

"I wanted to make this work, I really did, but there's another girl. And I've fallen in love with her." When Elise didn't react, Caleb added, "At least I didn't cheat on you."

The phrase struck a chord in her, and she snapped her head up to glare at him. Her words were icy as she said, "You're right. At least you didn't cheat on me."

Caleb flushed. "Oh my god, you're mad at me. I'm so sorry."

She couldn't process any of the emotions she was feeling right now. Never in her life had she wanted the waitress to return and interrupt the unpleasant conversation. But the waitress was nowhere to be found, and Elise couldn't help but feel a lump forming in her throat.

"I wanted to tell you sooner," Caleb continued, "because I'm leaving next week. She asked me to come visit her in Colorado this weekend."

"Colorado?" The name of the state came out as a croak. They lived in California. Colorado was too far away, and this conversation was moving too fast.

"You can't leave," Elise tried to say, but the tears in her eyes silenced her. They started to fall down her face like water droplets, and she could feel the mascara run.

What happened next was so quick Elise wasn't even sure if it happened or not. Without a word, the waitress placed the glass of coke on the table in front of the brunette, and Caleb rose from the booth. The conversation was over; he had nothing else to say. She watched as her boyfriend of two years walked out of the restaurant, off to a new life with a new girl in a new state. Without her.

Elise tried to organize her thoughts and feelings in her mind, but it was all too much. It felt like she was trying to solve a crossword puzzle where she knew none of the answers. Outside the restaurant, in the parking lot, Caleb climbed in his car and drove off. Elise didn't bother to worry how she would get home, because she wasn't going home. She would never leave.

She absentmindedly knocked the glass of coke over, and the little droplets of brown liquid soaked the paper placements until they were nothing more than particles. The waitress returned to the table with a rag and cleaned up the mess. She didn't bother to ask Elise what had happened. Instead, once the mess was cleaned up, she asked, "Do you want anything else to drink?"

"Wine," Elise replied flatly. "Red."

The waitress returned to the kitchen in search of a bottle of red wine, which a diner like this probably didn't serve but would make an exception this time around. As Elise waited for her drink, she sat back in the booth; if she was going to stay here for a while, she might as well get comfortable.

The wine arrived soon after, and she took baby sips while watching everyone around her. At quarter to nine, the diner cleared out for the night, but Elise didn't move. She stayed frozen in time, hoping that Caleb would return one day. If a child ever got lost in the woods, they were told to stay in one place instead of wandering; it makes them easier to find. So that was what Elise was going to do. She would stay at the diner, and when Caleb returned, realizing he had made a mistake, she would be here.

The lights shut off for the night, but Elise didn't care. Her whole body felt numb. Her heart was squashed on the linoleum floor. If she thought hard enough, she could see Caleb sitting across from her, wearing that large smile of his. He was apologizing. He had made a mistake. He never should have left. They would get married, even though marrying at twenty-three was highly irrational.

Then Elise got lost in thought. She saw Colorado, the snowy mountaintops and the little house Caleb and this other woman would move into. On Christmas morning, the husband and wife would shower their kids in presents. Their two kids would fight over the new toys, and the wife would hope that the one on the way would behave better.

Elise let out a sigh and took another sip of her wine. It had gone flat, but she didn't try to locate the bottle to finish off her glass. The black, ruined mascara stained her face. And by morning, dust covered her pinned up hair.