Grey Skies, White Lies - Larina | [COMPLETE]

Chapter 54 | "I Miss You."

- Marina's POV -

"You played an absolute blinder there, M." Matt said as he pressed a gentle hand against my shoulder. "You should be dead proud of yourself!" He added.

"Thank you." I whispered, flashing him my best 'I'm absolutely ecstatic' smile.

"You're welcome. You're a rare talent, I can't wait to see what comes next." He pressed further, everything he said seemed genuine enough but I couldn't help but play slave to the emptiness Lizzy left within me the day she left. Today of all days, my day, I should be beaming with pride. But I wasn't. I was missing her more than ever, today.

Matt clearly noticed this because he brushed up close to me and put his arm around me, properly. "She'll be in touch." He tried to assure me. I pressed my lips together and nodded slowly, fighting the aching lump in my throat desperately. "You'll see. Now go home, order yourself a nice takeaway and relax, M. You've more than earned it. I'll be in touch tomorrow to tell you what time I'll be sending the PR fellas to pick you up." He concluded before nodding gently, parting ways to head back to his car, me heading a five-minute walk up the road to my empty apartment.

When I got home, I did exactly as advised, ordering a Dominoes pizza from one of the leaflets in the kitchen drawer next to the stove. I poured myself a glass of wine, seeing as I was able to keep it in now Lizzy wasn't around, and took my makeup off. I sat on the sofa and switched on the TV, ready to fulfil my nightly routine of watching the soaps, scrolling social media and wondering what I could've done to make her stay.

The evening passed slowly, probably because the day was so go go go! I looked at the time on my phone, it read 20:52. I had eaten my pizza, exhausted all my social media and the final Corrie of the evening was drawing a close. I was just about to head to bed for well-needed early night when my phone began to buzz - Lizzy.

"Hello!?" I exclaimed, panting as her mere name left me breathless.

"Marina." Her soft, American-twang filled me with warmth. It was so good to hear her voice.

"Lizzy." I replied, I was quite literally dumbfounded and had no idea what to say next, I wanted to drag it out as long as I could, just knowing I could hear her breath on the other end of the line meant that she wasn't with someone else, I even managed to convince myself I could feel the warmth of her against my ear as though she was right next to me.

"I heard your song." She whispered. She sounded like a small child, timid in every sense of the word, vulnerability in abundance as she danced over the words she so desperately wanted me to hear.

"You did?" I asked.

"I did." She replied.

We both paused.

"Come home, Lizzy." I let slip, shocking myself in the process. I pressed an anxious hand to my quivering lips as I heard her breath hitch.

"I am home." She responded, stubborn as ever, though she didn't seem to be saying it much with conviction.

"Why did you leave me, that day? You left me without so much as an explanation, or at least a justification!? I had to spend the past two fucking months piecing together all of the words that didn't match up with your actions, the way you convinced me that you saw your future in my eyes whilst plotting a separate one without me." I ranted, desperately, once I had started I couldn't help myself. I needed her to know the way her absence had terrorised me these past few months.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, she was even softer now, quiet as her lips traced every syllable.

"Are you?" I asked, patience scarce.

"I am! Of course I am, I just knew it would be better if I left." She began to explain, though it fell on deaf ears because it didn't seem to make much sense to me.

"How did you work that one out? Because it's been absolute agony for me. I'm sick of pretending everything's okay when it isn't. You're not here and you should be." I replied.

I heard her sigh heavily. "It's not been easy for me, either." She continued to justify.

We both stood in silence, the knowledge that we weren't getting anywhere sifted between us.

"You didn't even break up with me." I said.

"I know." She admitted, as if it was nothing to her.

"Is that why you're calling? You've got someone new on the scene, someone worth dumping me for, for good this time?" I accused. I felt my face burning red, I couldn't bare the thought of her laying beside someone else, a lump formed in the centre of my throat. I pressed my hand against it and bit my tongue hard. I wasn't going to cry. I wasn't weak.

"No, I, I- I don't really know why I'm calling. I just really needed to speak to you after I heard your voice on the radio." She explained, honestly.

"I miss you." I confessed, the anger evaporating as I let those words loose.

"I miss you, too." She whispered, breathing a sigh of relief as though that's all she'd wanted to say since the second she left our life behind.