𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝐑𝐄𝐃

𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠

"the earthquake? y-yeah, i definitely felt it," you answered with a slight shake in your voice.

you were lightheaded and slightly frightened. staying on your feet became harder as the seconds passed, you realize your body became less numb from the initial shock.

you heard vinnie breathe calmly on the other end of the phone as you shut your eyes and try to remember the sound of his voice fully. it calms your nerves, makes your heart pound less. his voice always had that effect on you.

"you scared?"

"shitless," you mumbled with a laugh, getting the same chuckle you always loved in response. "but it's fine."

there was a moment of silence between you two, not uncomfortable, but it a shade of pain rested inside of it. there were unspoken thoughts, forcing a tension between you. the last time you spoke, there were words voiced that both of you knew crossed a line.

"why'd you call vinnie?" you queried, more knots forming in your stomach.

you didn't want to think about the night you left, but your mind wandered there as your eyes found the now broken record you and vinnie were listening to on that night. sometimes, when sleep refused to grace you with its presence, the past anxiety would haunt your thoughts.

"i just remembered how terrified you are of earthquakes," he finally spoke up, his tone soft.

vin's warming words make your cheeks heat with embarrassment, and you were slightly flustered, even knowing he couldn't see you.

"are you safe?"

"yeah, i'm okay. i have a small cut on my leg, but otherwise..." you trailed off, reassuring vinnie with your wary words. you look down and watch as the thick red liquid trails down your thigh. you could barely feel it, but you were never good with injuries.

"you aren't looking at it, are you?" vinnie joked with a small laugh. it wasn't sincere, but it still made you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. "god knows, you'd be on the floor within seconds." you unwillingly laughed at his playful jabs.

"what about you? you safe?" as the words rolled off your tongue, you felt worry nagging at your stomach. if anything ever happened to vinnie, you weren't sure you'd ever be able to get over it.

"i'm okay too," he promises, remembering your tendency to overthink everything. "no need to worry."

you realize it's stupid, but the sound of vinnie's voice made you feel at home, and you hadn't felt like that for months. no matter how hard you tried, even going back to your first home, the place you grew up in for the majority of your life, nothing felt right. but vinnie did. vinnie always did.

yet, speaking with him right now made your heartache. because vinnie didn't sound bothered by talking to you at all. in fact, he seemed just fine, completely in control of his emotions. and there you were, all over the place, and not just because of the earthquake.

"where are you," vinnie asked, and you wondered how many times that question had played throughout his mind during your time apart.

you hated to admit it, but you tended to think about whether he'd be out at a party with friends as usual, or if he was chilling at home watching his favorite movie on a friday night. you didn't mean to, you knew it was over, but somehow your mind traveled to those thoughts when you weren't paying attention.

"my apartment," you managed to whisper back.

you didn't tell vinnie that'd you'd temporarily moved back to y/h/t after the breakup, nor did you inform him that you went to university. like i said, you didn't speak after that night.