A World Alone - D.R.

twenty one

The rest of the summer break slipped away from Jade and Dan. In the haze of takeaway food, and days's spent lounging on the couch, it seemed the days passed them by slowly, each hour seeming to double in length, but when Dan started filling his suitcase back up to head to Milton Keynes for 2 nights before jetting off, all that time off seemed to have gone by in a blink of an eye, as though Dan had been trying to hold the days in his cupped hands like water, but his hands weren't exactly waterproof and in the time it took him to take a breath, the water had slipped through the cracks, and was spinning down the drain.

Jade came back through to the bedroom, with a stack of Dan's clothes neatly folded, and still warm from the dryer. She placed them next to his suitcase, and then climbed onto the bed, resting against the headboard, kegs stretched out in front of her. "I hate how fast the break goes by," She said, playing with a loose thread on her jumper sleeve.

Dan nodded in agreement. He reached over to pull her into his chest. "It's probably a good thing everything worked out the way it has," he said. "I'd not be able to be around all that much, and i'd end up needing to leave you by yourself."

Jade stiffened, freezing as Dan continued chatting away about possible plans for the next weekend Jade was planning to fly out. She nodded along, hearing his words but not quite taking them in. She 'hmmed' at the right moments, and smiled shallowly at his words.

Soon enough, the sunlight had faded out of the window, and they were still curled up into each other in the dull blue-grey evening light. Dan moved his arms to free himself of Jades weight and stood up, stretching, his back cracking softly. He left the bedroom, heading to the small bathroom, and Jade pulled herself upright, sitting cross legged on the bed. She tugged on her bottom lip with her teeth, peeling away at the dry skin, her eyebrows furrowed. Her minds still twisting and turning Dan's words around in her head.

"I'd not be able to be around all that much, and i'd end up needing to leave you by yourself"

Surely he wasn't expecting Jade to give up her career, the career she had worked all of her life towards? Was he expecting her to just drop her life for his?

"You okay?" Jade's heart leapt when Dan's voice broke her stupor. She was still chewing on her lip as she replied.

"Yeah."

Dan frowned. "Are you sure?"

Jade nodded, and smiled though it didn't quite reach her eyes. Dan sat down gently on the bed next to her, one foot tucked under his thigh as he perched on the side of the bed.

"Something's bothering you," Dan knew his girlfriend well enough at this point.

Jade sighed, and carried on staring ahead at Dan's packed suitcase at the end of the bed. "You were expecting me to give up my whole life if we'd kept it."

The silence following her sentence hung heavily in the air. Dan's eyebrows knitted together.

"That's not what i meant," He protested. "i just meant-"

"That you'd be too busy trying to win races to help me look after our kid," Jade cut him off, a venomous tone to her voice. "That you think your career is more important than mine."

"Jay! Thats not what I was saying!" Dan said, standing up and turning to look at her.

Jades eyes glistened with tears as she stared back at him, "It's what you were saying! You wouldn't be around and you'd need to leave me alone!" Jane yelled at him, the tears that has been collecting behind her eyelids were falling now. "You think that your job is so important! its more important to you than i am! You don't give a shit about me!"