Laura Says Goodbye

Chapter 1

Daniel Thompson refused to get the hell out of Laura's thoughts. He was stuck there, and it was equally as difficult to kick him out as it would be to get an octopus off one's head.

Whenever someone mentioned his name, it threw her in a state of panic, and she'd look around quickly to make sure that the person speaking the name wasn't accompanied by him. Of course, they weren't. The name Daniel wasn't uncommon, and she was reminded of that whenever she visited a nearby Starbucks.

Laura had tried to build up her life after finding Daniel in bed with his best friend nine months ago. She'd moved in with her parents for a little while until she found an apartment she could share with Jane, her childhood friend. However, whenever she thinks that finally, finally, her life is stable again, she catches the sound of his name or sees a figure that looks so much like him that for a split second, she thinks it must be him and her world comes crashing down again. Then the stranger turns around and she realizes that he doesn't have the same nose or the same eyes and she can breathe again.

God, how silly, she thought to herself while cycling down Beverly street, the wind flowing freely through her hair. How silly it was to let the mere thought of some boy throw her off balance. How completely and utterly nonsensical to give him so much power.

The knot in her stomach tightened as she rounded the corner and before her flashed the familiar brick building she'd once lived in. The apartment complex looked exactly like she remembered it, a little rundown but so very, very charming.

Pressing on the breaks, Laura's bike came to a halt right by the entrance. Placing it by the staircase, she unlocked the lock that she'd kept in her bag and fastened it around the bike's tire. Then, she straightened her back, looked directly at the front door and took in a deep, courageous breath.

I can do this, she thought and squeezed her eyes shut for a second. Closure. I can do this for proper closure. I'm doing this for me, not for him, but for me.

Five steps later and Laura had reached the intercom.

Daniel Thompson and Richard Fredricksen.

Oh. Of course, they were now living together. Suddenly Laura's heart dropped to her stomach and her mind screamed at her to run away, to not let herself go through the pain of having to face him ever again. But her feet stayed rooted.

It took a minute or two for her heart to return to a continuous beat, instead of the erratic one it had picked up when she saw the two names by the bell. Once she was sure that she'd regained control of herself, she pressed a shaky finger against the top doorbell.

Just when she thought no one was going to answer, a raspy voice spoke through the intercom,

"Hello?"