Telltale Tango | Complete

Thirteen - Feliciano

All the moments I shared with Giselle flash in front of me like a black and white movie, flickering from an old projector, clicking away as each frame passes by. Somehow, our time together feels close and distant at the same time. She laughs at something I say. Butterflies flutter in my stomach. After trying the curtido with the pupusas, her face turns red as she fans her mouth. Damn she looked cute. I bolt out of my seat to grab her some bread. We dance and our bodies flow together, no air between us, moving to the rhythm of the seductive beat. Chills run through me. Our lips meet. I feel things that scare me and make me never want to let her go.

There is no us. And there never will be.

The sting of those words force my eyes open. Darkness floods my vision. Can I really just give up like that? People say a lot of things they don't mean when they're mad. But the way she said that did sound real. Maybe I should try explaining. But I doubt she'd give me that kind of time. Shit. If our roles were flipped, would I want to hear her out?

The longest minute I can remember ticks by. Giselle deserves to know everything. I can't force her to listen, but the least I can do is try. I whip out my phone and squint when the brightness hits me. While my thumbs struggle to type the message, I hold my breath, only pressing send after rereading it ten times. I exhale.

I know you're mad, and you should be
But I owe you an apology
And if you're up for it I want to explain some things I should've told you before
Please let me know

I drop the phone on the cushion and lean back on the couch. With each passing second, my heart beat gets louder and louder, drowning out every other sound. Maybe I shouldn't have bothered. It's not like I don't know how she feels about me right now. No. I had to. The ball's in my court. I messed, so I had to make the effort to fix whatever I could. If she chooses to ignore me and forget the whole thing, at least I can say I attempted to do something about my mistake.

My phone buzzes. Springing forward, I reach over and snatch it up like my life was on the line. But my heart sinks like a rock in the river when I read the text that lit up the room.

Hi it's Jen the waitress
I know we haven't talked since that day
But I was wondering what you were up to tonight

Should I say something? Or should I just let this one slide? I look around my pitch black apartment and then I check the message I sent to Giselle an hour ago. On read. Guess that's clear enough.

Hey Jen the waitress
Yeah it's been a minute
And I'm hanging out in the dark atm

By yourself?

Looks that way

Is everything okay?

Not really.

Yeah a pipe broke and messed up the electrical room
So I don't have any power in my building right now

I'm sorry that happened

Thanks
I really appreciate it

Well, I'm kind of by myself right now too
The lights are on in my apartment for the time being
And I wouldn't mind some company

Is that an invitation?

If you want it to be

Then I guess I have to accept