The Distance Between Our Love

Noah.

  12:03 a.m October 5th, 2014
My phone rings, its Vera. We haven't talked in whats felt like ages. I answer it on the first ring, even though she may not want me to be, Im always here for her.
" Vera, Are you alright?" I know she wouldn't have reached out if it wasn't important. That's not like her, After a fight, she always blames herself. She blames herself for everything.
" I- Uhm-" I could hear her voice breaking over the phone as she held in her cries.
" Vera, Where are you? Do you need help? What can I help with?"
" I- I- I'm in the street a-and- I- uh- h- home?" I turned to my window, peeking through the blinds.
" Vera, Its pouring down rain, and you're in the street in the middle of the night."
She stayed quiet.
" I- I- I'm sorry- I shouldn't have called."  She quickly hung up before I could tell her otherwise. I stood up, grabbing my keys off the nightstand. I ran to my car, I didn't even buckle.
I had to get to Vera.
I had to make sure she was okay.
I needed her to be okay.
I needed her.
I parked on her street, rushing up to the door. I rang the doorbell. The door opened, Liz was there, standing confused.
"Noah, Its freezing cold and its pouring down rain-"
" have you seen Vera? Is she here??" I blurted out, interrupting her mid sentence.
Elizabeths face drew back.
" Uh.. No. She said she was going to your house at 6. She never showed up??"
He shook his head.
" She just called me- I wondered if she was here- thats all, thank you Miss Miller." He ran off, darting back to the car.
I drove around quiet, looking down the streets of our town. It was such a small town, where could she be?
I texted her, trying to assure myself she was fine.
'Vera? Where are you?'
'Vera, please answer me.'
'I need to make sure you're okay.'
'I'm here for you.'
'Please text me if you need anything.'
'Did something happen?'
'Are you lost?'
She didn't reply. She didn't even open the messages. Maybe she didn't want Liz to know she was with Greyson at one of his ridiculous house parties.
I stopped, realizing thats where she was.
I darted out the door again.
When I had arrived, I pushed my way through the crowed house, looking for Vera.
I saw Greyson in the corner of my eye, Must mean Vera is somewhere near.
In a crowd of millions of people, I could always find my way back to Vera, why was this so hard now?
One thought. I hate him.
I hate him.
I hate him.
I hate him.
I need to make sure Vera is alright. I need to make sure Vera will be okay. Nothing else in this moment mattered. As much as I wanted to kill Greyson, I had to make sure Vera was alright first.
I approached Greyson, he could barley stand. He leaned on everything he could to keep himself up.
" Greyson! have you seen Vera?"
" let me guess, She invited you here?" He scoffed.
" No. I need to see Vera though, have you seen her?"
" Not since she ran off. She went to go find you." He finished his drink, throwing the can on the ground. I could tell my the smell of his breath, this wasn't his first drink of the night.
Now that I know she wasn't here, with him, one extra moment wouldn't hurt.
The thought crossed my mind again.
I hate him.
I couldn't control my hate for this man any longer, not only did he hurt and manipulate her, but he made her believe it was all her fault. I'm not a violent person, but in this situation he deserved a taste of his own medicine.
Next thing I knew I was towering over of his unconscious body. One punch and he was out. My hand ached, it was for a valid reason. He laid on the floor, I felt bad, then I remembered all he had done to Vera. He deserved It.
I walked past him, through the front door. I paced down the street, looking around. Nothing.
" In the street."
Which street?
Mine?
Hers?
Greysons?
She was simply, nowhere to be found.
I decide it were best to go back home, I hope she'll be there, waiting for me to come back from my search, she wasn't.
I sit up, waiting for a call, or a text, or the slightest sign to show me that she's alright, that she made it home safe. Every notification makes me stop and stare at my phone; My face is disappointed when I notice its nothing but snaps or people liking picture on Instagram.
Then I heard a knock.
I rushed to the door,  opening it.
" Ver-"
The moment I Opened it, Vera threw herself into my arms squeezing me as tight as she possibly could. Nothing could escape my mouth, I couldn't ask if she was okay. She fell to the floor. I watched her fall to my feet, crying. I rushed down to help her. I pulled her in, her sobs were loud and I could hear the pain in her voice. She tried to talk, her cries had muffled them into nothing.
" Vera.." I had no clue what was happening.
She looked up at me, her cheeks were red, her tear stained blue eyes, meeting mine.
" Vera, I'm right here- I just need you to tell me what happened."
She took a deep breath.
I gently rubbed her back, trying to talk her through it.
" W- well h- h- he- he h- hit-" She couldn't manage to let the sentence escape, she sank deeper into my arms.
" He hit you??" I grabbed her face carefully, tilting it to me, I examined her face. Red. She was crying, I couldn't tell. Tears streamed from her face like a river. I wiped them away, she flinched back.
" P- Plea-Please d-don't-" She looked back to the floor, her tears slowly drying.
The next hour that we laid on the floor it was quiet, nothing but her cries or occasional sniffles filled the room.
She looked up at me.
The river had drought.
No tears were left to cry.
I looked down at her, rocking her back and fourth, running my fingers through her hair.     "Its Okay.. Its going to be okay. You're going to be okay.." I tried to reassure her, I couldn't even convince myself of that lie though.
She grabbed my hand,she held it in her own, glancing back up at me.
I winced, looking at my fist, It was still sore from the hit Greyson had received, thankfully she didn't seem to notice.
" I-i- n- need t- to sleep." She blurted out, changing the subject. We were both soaked, Vera because she had walked to my house in the rain, and, me because I had held her on my kitchen floor.
" That makes two of us." We shared a look, only a moment before she had looked back down at the floor.
I stood, carrying her to my bedroom. Once we had reached my room I set her on my desk chair, then wandered over to my dresser. I looked for something comfortable, something she could wear that wasn't soaked in tears and rainwater. I handed her a folded pair of sweats with a black hoodie, she thanked me, walking down the hall to the bathroom.
I laid down as I waited, the moments of before wouldn't escape my head.
They couldn't.
Her sobs, her cries for helps, her unsaid words, they had all pilled up, eventually, they had all spilled out.
She stood at the door of my bedroom, watching over me for a few seconds. Once I had noticed her she walked over.
She stood there, hesitantly before sliding into the bed.
I kept silent as she was, I knew she was hurting, I just didn't know what i could possibly say to end her suffering. She just wanted to be loved by him. I Stopped, realizing why she had loved him.
She thought the only way she could ever experience love, was within the eyes of a man who struck over her. She just wanted to be loved, even if it meant it were an abusive, manipulative man, such as Greyson. That is why she had loved him.
She laid beside me, we both faced opposite directions.
" I Love you." This time, when I had said it, I said it loud enough so she could hear, I didn't try to hide it. I wanted her to know. I needed her to know.
She rolled over, facing me.
There it was again.
The pull inside my chest.
I wonder if she had felt it too.
I wanted nothing but her and her only.