snapshot | crygi

"Don't do this to us..."

Crystal always knew she would be the one to get hurt.

The moment she met Gigi, the moment her brown eyes locked with the honey brown ones, she knew that sooner or later, the inevitable would happen. Sooner or later, she knew Gigi would leave.

Because Crystal always knew she would never be enough.

Sure, they got along perfectly but everytime she looked at her in a serene moment, when she was quietly reading for instance, she couldn't stop thinking about how the calm life she was leading would never be enough for the free-spirited woman. She would stare at her perfectly-shaped nose and plump lips apart for minutes, wondering when she would call whatever they had quits and how she got involved this quick.

She would think of how she promised to not get attached right before the black-haired woman would turn to her with a little smile on her face and a questioning look in her eyes, which Crystal would distract with a soft kiss before they proceeded to talk about the book, the video or the cat picture on Gigi's phone. The moment would pass, Gigi would forget about the endearing eyes rather quickly but the ache in Crystal's heart would linger.

On that particular day, the red-haired woman could feel the uneasiness in the air. She could see how the other woman would fidget, her leg shaking restlessly whenever she was sitting down. She knew Gigi had something she couldn't share, and knew the day she dreaded was finally there. She wished she could do something but knowing the taller woman, there's nothing she could do to make her stay.

Crystal still chose to work in the darkroom that day, printing stuff she had recently taken and giving Gigi space to gather her belongings. When she finally got out to feed her cat, not seeing the black-haired woman around with her phone down on the coffee table, her heart was heavy. The sound of luggage wheels echoed in the room as she poured the cat food, her cat coming in running after the taller girl.

Gigi walked closer to where the red-haired woman was kneeling, leaving her luggage near the door before she kneeled next to her to scratch near the ear of the cat, giving her one last pet before she went her own way. Crystal watched with curious eyes as she did so before watching her silently walk back to her luggage when her eyes locked on the red box carrying the very little belongings of Gigi's.

"You're not leaving, are you?" she asked even though she knew the answer. Her eyes locked on Gigi's fingers wrapped around the handle of the luggage, trying to comprehend the fact fully. The black-haired woman took a deep breath in, looking at the brown eyes about to be filled with tears. A pain struck through her heart before she pulled the courage from the back of her mind to speak.

"It's time, Crystal," she said, but her voice came out shaky, surprising even herself. Crystal walked closer to her, standing right before and looking up to meet the honey brown eyes. Her fingers found the piece of silver jewelry she wore on her wrist, unfastening the clasp easily as if she wasn't trembling inside. Gigi took a deep sigh before taking the red-haired woman's wrist in an attempt to give back the bracelet which the woman in front of her rejected quickly.

"I- I thought we were good... You've stayed all this time..." The more the red-haired woman tried to argue, the more draining the experience felt for Gigi.

"I don't belong here, you know that," the black-haired woman stated, gesturing around the house as she did. "All of this... This is all you. Your cat, your home, your life..."

"It could be ours, I told you," the red-haired woman tried to reach for the pale hand but Gigi pulled away from the touch swiftly, "It's not that, Gigi, I know th-"