Soulmates & Twin Flames

25 - Happy Birthday, Abby

I wake up on the couch in the middle of the night. My apartment is dark, empty, and tidy. Olga and Daniel must have cleaned up after I dozed off.

Well, happy birthday to me.

I sit up and rub my face, still tasting the chocolate cake from earlier.

A mixture of wind and car noises thrum on the windows. My phone is lying next to a small black box on the coffee table. Nate's gift... Gliding my fingers on the velvet box with a sleepy smile, I flip the lid open. It's a necklace. Nate got me a ruby heart with diamond wings! A tiny roll of paper is tucked into the soft cushion underneath it.

'I'll catch your heart when you set it free.
Happy birthday, Abby.'

My stupid smile grows and hurts my cheeks. I kick off my heels and grab my phone to thank Nate as I drag my feet to bed.

'I love the necklace.' I hit send. My smile disappears when I remember how he brought two models to my apartment. He must be having sex with them right now. The chocolatey taste in my mouth suddenly turns bitter. 'So lucky to have you as a friend.'

I throw myself on the bed and growl. Fuck... My head feels like a wildly-shaken snow globe. Being drunk on wine is the worst, makes you feel shittier and lonelier than you really are.

When the world stills again, I lay on my side, pull my knees up to my chest, and scroll through my birthday messages. My dad, a couple of friends, group chats, some clients... Their distant love hurts my heart.

I stop scrolling when I find an old text from an unknown number. My eyes linger on the preview that says, Drinks tonight?

Roman! I thought I'd deleted all of his texts. Yet here he is.

Blood rushes to my face. My heart skips a beat as I tap his thread and squint. Does it say 'Online' at the top of the page? Why would he be online at two am?

The beast in my chest perks up and sniffs the air.

Come to think of it, I never got a proper closure. Not even a simple goodbye.

All I ever needed was a stupid goodbye.

I don't know what I'm missing about Rome or why he keeps popping in my head. I sigh, shuffling my bangs.

Images of our night starts flooding my mind. Him standing on his knees while I tower above him... His hands parting the slit of my red dress... The way he rolled that ice cube up my ankle, before he gripped my hips and slipped his cold tongue between my folds...

I'm burning from head to toe. My fingertips suddenly feel numb and itchy.

"Roman," I type and whisper in need.

And instead of deleting it, I hit send.

Blue double ticks. Read.

Typing...

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck! My heart is beating frantically. Am I dreaming?

'On my way.'

I choke on my breath and start coughing. What does he mean? Is he coming here? What have I done? What am I supposed to do?

I grab the water bottle by my bedside with shaky hands, then finish it all in one big gulp. Is his text still there?

I tap my screen.

Yep, it's here.

I slap myself, then check the screen again.

'On my way.'