Until We Meet Again

40. don't run

"Don't run! It's so nice to see you again," she softly yells at me as she chases me down the hall.

There is no fucking way that this is real.

Delilah coming back feels like my nightmares coming true, it's something I don't want. It feels like a reminder of my 18 year self coming back to haunt me and turn me into my old selfish self. I'm an adult now, kind of. I'm not going to be a willing player in her long games anymore. I suppose she didn't owe it to me to tell me the truth behind her lies, but I don't want to be in that position again.

The elevator arrives, and I run in and punch all of the buttons again. I watch as the doors close in, and I smile to myself as I watch her try to chase me. I almost even laugh, but I'm always making my judgements way too soon.

I'm just too slow.

She manages to slip in through the shrinking space, and slams into me and almost knocks me over on the ice cold ground.

"Delilah, leave me alone. This is for the best."

I loved Delilah so much, but this is for the best. I have to act like I never saw her. I have to continue with my peaceful life and look forward. I can't be trapped in my past again, I just can't.

"Woah, calm down," she says as she looks at me with her two deep brown eyes like I'm insane. "You're acting like I'm about to propose or something, is that what we discussed in our texts?"

"Well, you also introduced yourself as Ana so clearly, I don't know what else you could be lying about."

The New York area code and changed name had me fooled even though the short texts we exchanged contained clever hints of her true personality. I couldn't have guessed it though, there's millions of people that could have her exact personality. Besides, it's not like I put much thought into it.

She steps closer to me, and stretches her arms forward and together like she's in imaginary handcuffs and says, "look, I'm not a danger. We should go back?"

I hate her. It's exactly the kind of thing that Delilah would say, and when she notices my frustrated face, she adds, "I'm not kidding- go back with me."

"I'm not even sure if you are or aren't anymore," I tell her as I roll my eyes.

This place is suddenly not so impressive, the elevator takes forever to go down. It takes awkwardly long pauses as we pass each floor, but we're now at the 3rd floor and I'm almost free of this made up prison. She notices too, and basically begs me to not leave, telling me that she doesn't care what happened in the past and that she just wants me.

"And what would your girlfriend think about that? Or your parents?"

"Cristina? I broke up with her last year, I'm not a cheater. And I don't care about my parents, they abandoned me like last year."

Well . . . that's all very unexpected.

I think I should feel bad for her, but it isn't enough to keep me here to catch up like we're two old friends.

She seems to notice my confusion, and tells me, "come back to my place and we can talk."

At that point, we land at the 1st floor. It opens up, and I'm somehow stuck between my freedom and her.

"If you have to think about it then you already what you should do," Delilah tells me.

She's right and I hate her.

We both repeatedly click on the button to shut the doors, which angers the old couple heading in our direction to get to whatever floor they're trying to arrive to. 

Well, too bad for them. 

They have all the time in the world.

"I knew you would do what's right," she says all cheerily.

I grumble a bunch of nonsense under my breath about hating her in response, and it only makes her smile even more. She's enjoying this, she loves seeing me like this. She always has liked it. Typical Delilah, even as kids she always loved being the one in control and having the power. Well, that's another thing that's changed about me. 

I'm not going to allow it to happen anymore. 

I remark, "so, are we actually heading back to your place just to talk?"

She seems pleased with me returning some of her wicked energy toward the situation, and says, "we can do whatever you want."

This time, I step closer to her and I try my best to lean over her bare shoulders which appears to summon old memories in her brain as her quiet sighs become more noticeable. I take advantage of my own power and take the moment to whisper into her ear, "good, because you only have 5 minutes to explain what the hell you're doing here and then I'm leaving."

I then gently tap her shoulder, and step back to my designated corner in the elevator as she stands in the center. She stays quiet for a moment, letting my victory sink in before she jumps all over it with a "we'll see about that."

I hate her.

No matter what, she will not lead me back to the past again. I can't be in that phase again. Not now. Not ever.

Already chapter 40, wow! Thanks for reading!