Love is for Show

7 - Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry...

I push my bedroom door that's filled with countless glow-in-the-dark stickers of random stars and planets open a smidge. The previously somewhat muffled voices hit my ears at full force now. I almost pull my door shut again, but hearing my name stops me from doing so.

"What about Nathan, huh?!"

"I didn't mean for things to happen this way, Rose!"

"You're saying you didn't mean to cheat?"

Silence follows my mom's words. 'Cheat? What does that mean?'

Even from upstairs where I can't even see my parents, I still feel the tension. It's so heavy I'm scared it might actually crush my small bones. My hands start to shake as the silence only prolongs, not even a single whisper to be heard anymore.

"You had a lot to say earlier, where did all of your confidence go, huh?" She finally continues. Her voice is much different from before, there's a shakiness to it now that I can't understand.

"Just hear me out, I meant to tell you this-"

"I don't even wanna hear it, Silas! The fact that you're still standing here is a miracle in itself, I-" she pauses. A deep sigh barely reaches my ears before the sound of the door clicking open echoes through the house.

"I thought we were better than this; I thought you loved me and our life together..."

"Rose, I do, I love the life we built, I love Nathan-"

"But you don't love me?"

"No no, it's not that-"

"I want you out of here, I can't even look at you right now,"

And the heaviness of that silence fills the space again. I slither through the small crack in the door in an attempt to quietly crawl out. After a few fumbles, I make it through and shuffle over to the stairs.

"Please, Nathan will be so confused if I-"

A look I've never witnessed in my mom's eyes sends a cold shot through my heart. She's never looked that way, even when she was scolding me for trying to climb the fridge to get to the ice cream in the freezer the other day. Her updo is disheveled and her complexion is paler than usual...

'Why does she look so sad?'

"Should've thought of that before then, huh?"

"He's only three..."

"He'll unfortunately come to understand this better one day, just remember you're the one who caused this,"

The light coming from our porch filters in through the door that my mom is continuing to open wider and wider.

'Don't leave, Dad!'

I keep my thoughts to myself. I have a feeling Mom wouldn't like it very much if I said something right now...

"You have no else to blame but yourself, Silas."

The sound of the next destination being announced over the train's speakers has me blinking my eyes open, only to immediately shut them at the sight of the sun shining directly into my eyes. The sun wasn't up yet when I got on the train earlier this morning.

With a sigh, I sit up in my seat, being extra careful not to bump into the stranger beside me. Although I'm probably being too nice to him. His head kept falling onto my shoulder before I fell asleep. It's seriously awkward trying to push someone's head away without breaking their neck in the process-