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"Can you take me home?" I asked shyly, my voice trembling with a mix of anxiety and anticipation. The need to end things with Clark was like a rock in my chest, battering against my ribcage.
"I can takeushome," he said charmingly.
I stroked his forearm soothingly. “I need to call him, end this. Please,” I whispered.
Ari's expression shifted, a low growl escaping his lips. His furrowed brow and the restless tapping of his fingers on the steering wheel betrayed his internal conflict.
“Okay,” he finally murmured reluctantly.
The city passed by in a blur as Ari navigated the darkened streets. The rhythmic hum of the car's engine filled the silence between us, a soothing backdrop to the fierce emotions swirling inside my chest.
Arriving at my building, Ari walked me to my front door. We stood there, bathed in the soft glow of the porch light, our gazes locked, a shared moment of uncertainty and desire.
He leaned in, his lips tantalizingly close to mine, and the anticipation hung in the air like a charged current. Our lips finally met, and the kiss was electric, a fusion of craving and longing that left me breathless and desperate for more. He pressed against me hard, like he was trying to tattoo the feel of him on my lips. So I wouldn’t forget what we’d started tonight.
The world fell away, and there was only Ari and me, entangled in a web of desire and surrender. The kiss deepened, our tongues intertwining in a sensual dance that sent waves of pleasure coursing through me.
"Tomorrow," he finally whispered against my lips, his voice laden with promise and a hint of reluctance.
I nodded, my heart fluttering wildly in my chest as I stepped inside my apartment.
I closed the door behind me, leaning against it as I traced the feel of him, his taste still lingering on my lips.
Sighing, I walked to my bedroom where Waldo was laying on my bed. He sat up on his haunches, his tongue sticking out as he huffed excitedly. I sat on the bed beside him and buried my face in his soft fur, searching for a moment of comfort before I finally pulled out my phone.
My trembling fingers hovered over it, an instrument of both liberation and heartbreak.
This was what I needed to do—wanted to do. I could do this. I could end it. I could call Clark and break the bond that had held us together for so long, to shatter what we'd built, which I’d now cracked beyond repair.
But as I dialed his number, my heart thundered in my chest, with so much regret over what I’d done. Not regret over Ari. But regret that I hadn’t been able to wait.
The phone rang and rang, each tone a painful reminder of what was coming. Like the universe was trying to prolong my agony, making me wait for the inevitable.
And then, without warning, the call ended abruptly, as if Clark had silenced it before even answering. It felt fitting, in a way, that our relationship would end like this—unanswered, unspoken, and void of any closure.
Defeated, I turned to the next option, my fingers flying across the keyboard as I crafted and re-crafted a message a million times over. Each word felt like a dagger through my heart, nothing fitting the end of something I’d had for so many years.
Me: I’m sorry. But we're done.
The text was simple, direct, devoid of the complexities and intricacies of our emotions. It was a finality that I couldn't escape, a truth I couldn't deny any longer. My thumb hovered over the send button, my breath caught in my throat, and with a heavy heart…I pressed it.
The message was sent, and with it, the end of a chapter that had defined so much of my life. Tears welled up in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I needed to be strong, to stand firm in my decision, even if it meant breaking the heart of such a fucking good man.
As I sat in the dimly lit room, I was transported back to the sterile, white walls of that hospital, a place where the boundaries of life and death had blurred.
I saw Clark by my side, holding my hand with a tenderness that spoke volumes. He'd promised me that he'd always be there for me, no matter what, a vow made in the face of uncertainty and fear. It was a memory that lingered, a reminder of the love he’d given me, of what he’d put up with to give me that love.
But life had a way of changing, of twisting our paths into unexpected directions. What we’d had, was never going to be enough to sustain us. To sustain me.
We deserved happy.
Even if it hurt like hell to get there.
I laid in bed that night, and a bittersweet smile played on my lips. It wasn't the ending I could have anticipated, nor was it the ending I'd ever wished for. But it was the right thing to do, the necessary step toward a future that promised something different, something new.
Thoughts of Ari danced through my mind, of the fact that everything about him called to me like nothing had before. Tomorrow held the promise of a new beginning, a journey into uncharted territory, and for the first time in a long while, I felt a glimmer of hope.
I closed my eyes, tears finally escaping and trailing down my cheeks. It was a painful goodbye, but it was also a necessary one. As I drifted into sleep, the weight of the past began to lift, replaced by a sense of liberation and the anticipation of what the future might bring.
