In the hushed confines of her living room, Emily found solace in the steady, melodic rhythm of the ticking clock, the sole audible companion to her solitude. Her bedroom had become a foreign territory, its embrace uninviting in the wake of Charlie's passing. The passage of time seemed a nebulous concept, the exact duration since his departure eluding her grasp. Summer had asserted its presence, evident through the persistent rain that had persisted for over a day—perhaps longer. Emily pondered the rainfall, her gaze fixed upon the world outside the bay window.
With a languid sip, she brought her uninspiring coffee to her lips, the absence of sensation a peculiar blessing. In this numbness, she felt grateful; her coffee, though hot, couldn't sear her throat as it once would have.
A knock reverberated through her home, momentarily disrupting the stillness she had grown accustomed to. Emily hesitated, momentarily ignoring the intrusion, her intuition suggesting it was merely the routine food delivery—a facade she maintained to give the illusion of normalcy, though sustenance held little meaning for her now. She secretly wished the delivery person would take the provisions for themselves, having subtly hinted at it in the delivery instructions.
"Open the fucking door, Emily!" Jason's voice resonated with anger and impatience, fracturing the fragile peace that had cloaked her home since the funeral. Annoyance welled up within Emily as she had been avoiding him since that somber day. She briefly pondered whether her silence might convince him to depart and leave her in solitude.
Her hopes were swiftly dashed as her phone, left unattended, began to ring, shattering the silence like an unwanted intrusion. Emily silently berated herself for not silencing it earlier that morning. "I can hear your phone," Jason's voice grew more urgent. "If you don't open this door by the time I count to three, I swear I'm breaking it down."
Emily comprehended the urgency in his tone. The last time they had spoken, she had placed blame upon him for the loss of his best friend. Regret weighed heavily upon her, and she decided to grant him entry. "One," his voice resounded authoritatively. Emily's footsteps echoed across the room as she rolled her eyes in reluctant compliance. "Two," he declared, heightening the tension. Emily hesitated.
"Three!" Jason bellowed, and Emily swung the door open. It was a moment too late. Jason, propelled by his determination, tumbled forward, missing the door entirely and falling into the void of her doorway.
"What an entrance," Emily quipped, her words dripping with sarcasm. "You did that on purpose," Jason snarled, regaining his composure as he brushed himself off. Emily's lips curved into a giggle, a sound that had eluded her for far too long.
"Ah, so it does smile," Jason's voice took on a playful note as he observed Emily's rare moment of levity. In response, Emily playfully rolled her eyes at him.
"Sit down, idiot," she retorted, pointing to the kitchen island where she gestured for him to take a seat.
"Em, I'm genuinely concerned about you," Jason spoke, his voice laced with worry, his expression softening. Emily chose to ignore his concern, heading straight for the refrigerator.
"Beer?" she offered without waiting for his response. Jason complied, taking a seat at the table without breaking his gaze.
"It's nine in the morning," he pointed out in response to her offering, prompting Emily to feel a twinge of embarrassment.
"I haven't heard from you since..." Jason's words trailed off as Emily swiftly raised her hand, a silent plea for him to cease speaking. "Do not say his name," her voice trembled with emotion.
"Alright, I won't," Jason relented, his eyes reflecting the desperate hope for reassurance. "But I need to know you're okay," he implored, his earnestness evident.
"Obviously, I'm not okay, Jason," she spat with a hint of venom, her pain manifesting in her tone. Jason's countenance shifted to one of irritation.
"You're not the only one grieving," he asserted firmly. "I lost a brother. A partner. Someone I cared about too. Have you spoken to his mother lately?" His tone took on a condescending edge. Emily parted her lips to respond but found herself at a loss for words. It dawned on her that she hadn't reached out to Charlie's mother since the funeral. A heavy sense of guilt descended upon her as she realized the magnitude of her abandonment of Charlie's friends and family. Emily was their last connection to him.
"No, of course, you haven't," Jason's voice seethed with anger, laying bare the rift that had grown between them.
"You've been too caught up in your own sorrow, Emily, and you've forgotten that we're here," he snarled, his frustration unfiltered. Emily lowered herself into a chair, her tears unchecked. With the same swiftness that Jason had uttered those words, he was by her side, offering solace.
"I promised him that if anything happened, I'd be here for you," he murmured, his voice tender and remorseful. "He insisted on it, and I'm trying to honor that promise. It's just incredibly difficult when you keep pushing me away, Emily."
"I don't know how to go on without him!" Emily's resolve crumbled, her tears flowing freely now. She had taken pride in her ability to maintain composure until this moment, but the weight of her grief was finally too much to bear.
"Shh," Jason whispered soothingly as he drew her close, enfolding her in his protective embrace. Emily couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt as her tears and runny nose stained Jason's shirt, but she clung to it desperately, releasing the flood of pent-up frustration within her. The weight of her sobs began to ache in her sides.
"Stop, you're going to make yourself sick," he cautioned, his gentle fingers tilting her chin to meet his green gaze. Emily's eyes stung from the deluge of tears, and in that moment, something shifted in Jason's expression, a glint of admiration taking hold.
His visage leaned closer to hers, a subtle suggestion hanging in the air. Emily's intuition sharpened, and she swiftly pushed him away, her expression a mixture of disgust and exasperation. "Ugh!" she exclaimed, recoiling from his advance.
Confusion marked Jason's features as he inquired, "What? What did I do?" Surprise laced his voice, making his bewilderment palpable. Emily, her gaze unforgiving, scolded him with a mixture of incredulity and reproach. "My husband, your best friend, just died, and you genuinely believed that 'hey, I'll just kiss her' was a sensible idea?"
Jason sighed, frustration evident, and ran his fingers through his Auburn hair. "I admit, I can't explain what came over me. I let intrusive thoughts cloud my judgment. I'm deeply sorry," he apologized, his remorse ringing through his words.
Emily, her irritation still burning hot, stormed into her living room and sank onto the couch. Jason followed in her wake, his eyes fixated on her. "What?" she snapped, her annoyance preventing her from meeting his gaze.
"I'm sorry," he repeated, and she slowly turned her head toward him, her anger etched onto her face. "What do you want me to say? I forgive you?" she retorted sarcastically.
"No, that was unforgivable," he conceded, his voice tinged with regret. "But I do want you to find a path to healing, to grieve in a healthy way," he reassured her.
"Kissing me qualifies as a healthy way to grieve?" Emily exclaimed, hurling a pillow at him in frustration. He raised his hands defensively. "No, it doesn't. But I do think you need a change of scenery," he suggested. "Charlie used to talk about this small town in Missouri, Stockton. It's a quaint lakeside town, where he said he camped with his dad when he was a child." Emily's eyes widened; she hadn't contemplated an escape until now. "Stockton, Missouri?" she echoed, her question more rhetorical than genuine.
As the name of the Missouri town lingered in the air, a heavy silence settled between Emily and Jason. The weight of their shared grief seemed to magnify in that moment, casting a somber shadow over the room.
Emily finally broke the silence, her voice filled with resignation. "Stockton, Missouri," she repeated, her tone devoid of enthusiasm.
Jason nodded, his eyes reflecting a profound sadness. "Charlie spoke of it often while away on deployment," he murmured. "I don't know, Jason. Maybe it's worth a try." She replied, hopeful.
YOU ARE READING
Echoes
RomanceAmid the heavy weight of grief and the uncertainty of a life without her husband, Emily, at twenty-seven, embarks on a transformative journey. During a fateful vacation, she crosses paths with Sean, an enigmatic companion who becomes an unexpected a...