Short Stories

I Never Told You

"Do you love him?" I surveyed her make-up stained face. Her old black mascara desperately running down her face to escape the truth I knew was coming. Arlette's faltering hands reached up to cover her comely face. Her remaining silence was the only answer I needed. I crossed the room and perched myself on the arm of our latte colored sofa.

"I don't love him, James. I love you," Arlette choked out. She dropped her arms to her side in defeat. "I know you'll never forgive me but I truly am sorry. He means nothing to me."

"I don't think you understand what you just said. The man, who you cheated on me with, means nothing to you? Then why cheat, Arlette? Just to break my heart into a million pieces again?" I glanced back in her direction just as her face became twisted with guilt.

"Should I leave? Is this the way to fix us?" She questioned in a defeated manner. Silence once again dominated the room. "Just tell me what to do, James!" Arlette pleaded while falling into a fit of sobs. I wanted nothing more than to wrap my aching arms around her shaking body.

"The problem is that we keep ending up here. Every time we fix it, one of us breaks it again," I said softly. Her icy eyes pierced into my soul as she wiped her own tears. "Maybe we should separate, collect ourselves, and see where we are later. I'll go stay with my brother and you can keep staying in the apartment." Arlette nodded and went to the bathroom. I heard the lock click as I fell to my knees.

Two Years Later:

My phone buzzed in my back pocket. I already knew it was Kyle reassuring himself that I was alive. I retrieved it and unlocked it. I read over the block of text until someone slammed into my shoulder. My coffee and phone flew from my hands, spilling who knows where. My eyes shot up to try and identify the cause of my coffee's death. A woman with flowing butterscotch hair was standing up in front of me. As she turned, her icy blue eyes, the eyes I could never forget, explored my sunken brown ones.

"Arlette?" I whispered in disbelief. Her dainty hand reached out for mine. I took it graciously and quickly got back on my feet. I looked at the woman in front of me. I hardly recognized her. The beat-up blue converse she always refused to get rid of were now replaced by black heels. Her usual outfit of skinny jeans and trashy band shirts now consisted of a pencil skirt and a dressy blouse.

"Hi, James. It's been a while," She laughed through the words nervously while rubbing the back of her neck.

"How have you been? What's been going on in your life?" I admired every part of her like a piece of art in a museum. It felt like I was seeing her again for the first time. In a way, it was the first time. She wasn't the same.

"Everything has been going well. I started a new job and-" Her voice trailed off as I saw what I had been intended to see all along. A gorgeous ring was placed promptly on her left hand. My mind traveled in a thousand different directions. Each train of thought was going its own speed but none were slow. Arlette must have been able to detect my noticing of her ring. She quickly removed it from sight. "Yes, James, I am engaged. I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Arlette acknowledged the elephant plaguing the street corner.

"Could we, uh, get coffee? Mine is now bleeding all over Laurel Avenue." She laughed. Her nose scrunched up like it always did when I would make her melodious laugh appear. I finally bent down and removed my phone from the pavement.

"I would love to get coffee with you," she exclaimed as she moved her hair from one shoulder to the other. While her appearance was different, the girl beneath was still the same. She was still the girl who dreamed of living in the country with four dogs and that one cat that never stays or leaves. She was still the girl I was in love with.