the confession alone is more than enough to throw erin completely off guard, but it’s the sound of the all-too-familiar voice, echoing in the foyer of her two-bedroom condo again, after what feels like an eternity, that makes the muscles in her legs stiffen and the hair on the nape of her neck stand up. her natural instincts urging her to pull him into a hug, assure him that everything will be okay in the end, pretend he’s still hers and she’s his — that it’s the two of them against the world, the way it used to be a few years back. oh, how easy it would be to forget about everything and… but the more rational part of her wants to just stand here, linger in the doorway for a while longer, and pretend she hadn’t heard him, wishes the ground beneath her feet would open up and swallow her whole, get her out of this strange, uncomfortable situation. why would he say this now? why did he have to say this?
clearing her throat as she contemplates her response, she absently brings one of her now shaking hands to her dainty necklace and, to occupy her fingers with something, anything that will help her fight off the urge to reach for the redhead, begins to fidget with a small, heart-shaped pendant. she opens her mouth, but closes it almost immediately, her heart pounding away in her throat, keeping her from forming any coherent sentence. for someone who’d been subconsciously dreaming of something akin to this moment, she feels completely lost and unprepared, nowhere near ready for this kind of conversation. the gifts and letters that he’s been sending her, all the flames that, perhaps involuntarily, they have slowly rekindled, every little thing that she’s been trying to ignore for the sake of their significant others and her own peace of mind… they’re standing right in front of her now and she can no longer run away from the feelings that she’s so desperately tried to suppress for the past few months.
gaze dropping to the floor, examining the pink nail polish on her toes, she struggles not to get emotional, not to overthink the meaning of this unexpected visit. ❝ 𝐚.𝐱𝐥, ❞ she whispers, a soft plea ringing in her voice — not here, not now, let’s not go there… she’s just managed to put her life back together, to move on, or at least that’s what she’s telling herself. if they have this conversation, it will leave her nothing but a shell of the woman she is. but she can’t just close the door in his face, tell him to leave because it’s her weekend with sebastian, scold him for complicating every little thing, remind him that he should be writing letters and sending flowers to a different woman. god. she’s never been strong enough to stay away from him. she doesn’t want to stay away from him. ❝ would you like to come in? it’s almost dinner time. i’m making ‘ghetti and meaty-baws, ❞ she offers shyly, a hint of a smile on her lips because that’s how sebastian calls them. meaty baws. she thinks it’s adorable. ❝ speaking of bastian, ❞ she’s quick to change the subject, although it breaks her heart, ❝ he’s been grouchy all day. i think he might be coming down with something. he keeps complaining about his throat and has a stuffy nose, watery eyes, sneezing… you know the drill. but i’m sure he’ll be so happy to see you, ❞ she explains, opening the door a little wider and inviting the singer to come in with a subtle hand gesture. ❝ see the pile of blankets on the couch? he’s in there somewhere. would you like something to drink? we have apple juice. i can make you coffee or tea? ❞
@rcsechild
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