Strangers in the Storm ✔

Chapter 21: The Soulmate Myth

ROXANNE 

Breath shaking, tears stinging in her eyes and throat and pain flooding her gut, Roxanne tried to get out of the house, but the ladies wouldn't let her. Desperate to not raise any alarm, Roxanne politely said goodbye to all of them.

Roxanne knew they would call Damien and demand to know what happened and she simply wasn't strong enough to deal with it right now. So, she forced a smile on her lips and swallowed the tears.

"Okay, bye now." Roxanne gently pushed drunken Marge off. "I have to go to work. It's, uh, it's an emergency. The other waitress got good poisoning."

"You can return after your shift!" Irene suggested, staggering drunkenly around the table and trying to grab Roxanne's arm. "I'm sure we'll still be here. We can go out! We should go out. Dana? Dana, we can go out right?"

"Oh, my God!" Sylvie shouted. "We should go out!"

"Yeah, yeah, why not?" Marge murmured.

"Okay, let the girl go." Dana intervened with a gentle smile. "I'm sure we'll see her soon."

Roxanne choked on her breath and covered it with a cough. A lump burned in her throat.

"Yes, soon." The words felt like ash on her tongue. "I really have to go now."

"Okay, bye!" Irene drew and stumbled back to her seat.

"At least we got booze!" Sylvie threw her hands in her air and Marge simply waved.

Roxanne turned on her heel and marched down the path to the gates when she realised Damien's mother followed her. Tears have already stained her cheeks and she wiped them off quickly, hoping no one noticed.

"Roxanne." Dana called her after her. "Has something happened?"

"No." Roxanne stopped and shook her head aggressively. "I- I just have to get to work."

Dana touched her arm and turned her around. Roxanne couldn't talk to her about what happened, but she also couldn't fight her. An irrational sadness flooded her once she realised she might never see this woman again.

"I'm sorry." Roxanne murmured. "I had a good time, truly, but I have to go now."

Dana offered a small, sad smile, "I understand. Drop by any time."

Roxanne almost choked on her tears, but she gulped down roughly and nodded. Dana walked away then, leaving Roxanne alone with her tears.

With shaky fingers and water blurring her vision, Roxanne tried to call a cab, but realised in the last moment she had no idea where to go. It was a Saturday, Addy was with her boyfriend and Roxanne couldn't handle being around happy couples right now, she was in a fight with Brenda, so calling her was out of the question, and if she went home her mother would be there and she would simply tell her she knew she couldn't keep a man like Damien.

Without anywhere else to go, Roxanne typed in her grandmother's address and called first to see if she could stay there for a couple of days.

Once the cab came and Roxanne was finally alone, excluding the driver who decided against asking any questions, tears fell down her cheeks freely. The crumbled pain within her unravelled.

Even though a part of her knew this might happen, her heart still felt surprised. Was telling him how she felt too clingy? Was she continuously making the same mistakes in her relationships? If only she were playing both of them, if only she had been keeping Mike on hold for her own selfishness. Maybe she wouldn't be this hurt.

Once she reached the small, one story house in the suburbs, Roxanne's tears and her dress dried out. She stepped out of the cab and breathed in. No traffic, no people, only birds and breeze. Roxanne walked down the stony pathway to the wooden front door and knocked.