Stains Of Loneliness

Chapter 4

He moved his shaky gaze back up, only to see Linda, clearly not shaken by the stains, as though she had known about it all along. She had a slight grin on her face.

"Did you know about this?" he shrieks, goosebumps rising on his skin.
"How would I know? This ain't my house!" Her snow-white skin didn't seem attractive anymore. It began haunting him.
At this point, Albert was waiting for her to leave, but she wasn't willing to. The next few minutes grow more chaotic with instability. Albert was still shivering at the sight of blood. He was feeling nauseous. For the first time that day, she began a conversation by herself. Albeit still in the same emotionless tone, she grabbed his hand, and she started calming him down with constant sweet nothings, telling him not to worry.

"What have you been doing for your living?" she asked sweetly.

"A pa-part time wa-waiter at Freddie's Cafe." He stuttered.

"oh! I see." She gave him a comforting smile.

Growing more relieved at her kind of familiar actions, he hoped his old Linda was back as she continued to distract his mind from the blood stains on the floor.

She initiated a conversation again: "To tell you the truth, I couldn't stop thinking about you before I got engaged. I secretly desired to be with you. I doubt my fiancé will achieve even half of your level of success in bringing me such joy." She leaned closer, as if she were about to kiss him.

"So why didn't you ever contact me?" He gave her a gloomy look.

She moved back. "My family never approved of you—they forcefully got me engaged to the dumb fiancé of mine," she shrugged. "But remember, you always held a special place in my heart."

"I can break up with him if you want!"  She gave him a flirty smile and returned to her melancholy self.

Albert blushed profusely, forgetting about his surroundings. He was on cloud nine. He felt butterflies in his gut as he became mesmerized by her deep blue eyes. He was at a loss for words as he struggled to convey how he was feeling right now. 

"I-I-I like you," he stuttered, but was exhilarated to have it off his chest. He had been keeping it in for a long time.

He had another memory of the day he was finally going to propose to her.

It was a stormy day, but he was determined to reveal his affections to her. He purchased a bouquet of tulips as well as a handwritten love message. He had memorized the sentences he planned to say to her. He was at her doorstep. He nervously knocked on the door but received no response. He intended to knock one more time, but instead he opened the door knob, which was fortunately unlocked. He heard her family's noisy discussion, including her mother's words, "You make an amazing couple, Linda and Gilbert!" His heart fell into his stomach. His head started spinning, and his vision became fuzzy. His ears rang as he dashed out of the house, dropping the bouquet. He continued wandering in the rain for hours, unsure where he was going. The anguish he was experiencing created an unending abyss. Her mother's words played over and over in his head like a broken record. He was merely wishing for death. He struggled to accept his present harsh reality. He collapsed to the ground and wailed, his tears mixing with the rain. Most people simply ignored him and moved away, while others gave him scornful stares. He couldn't recover from his broken heart for months. A few months later, after this incident, he packed his bags, spent some time with Andrew, and headed for the countryside.

He was pulled back to the present when he heard Linda's shrill voice again. She was reading out another one of his poems:

"I witnessed supernova of the vibrant star,

erasing its brilliance, leaving the ugly rock with a terrible scar,

Once again, the darkness in the sky rapidly spread afar."

Dated: 05.01.2015--- 'Albert's Birthday' (The day his heart was crushed)

"Wow, you haven't written anything else after this! That is unexpected," she sneered. "It's unfortunate that we only dated for two years... Just kidding; I'm relieved it wasn't longer."

"Where were you lost for a while? Wait, let me guess—" she giggled creepily, "pfft... you actually fell for my act, hehe! You are incredibly naive! I made a complete fool out of you."

"I like you," she remarked, mockingly imitating Albert's confession. She burst out laughing.

Albert, perplexed and furious, exclaimed, "What the heck is your problem? Can't you be serious for once? What pleasure are you getting from messing with my emotions?! Since when have you grown so heartless?!"

"Since forever, darling!" she chuckled.

He began sobbing like a lost kid. His eyes were ablaze.

"Oh, please, don't show me that snotty face of yours; it makes me want to puke!" She delivers a nasty expression.

"Please leave me alone, you insane woman. You've transformed entirely. I do not recognize you anymore!" He yelled in his feeble voice.

Linda shut her mouth for a while, allowing the tension in the air to subside. She resumed her dreary look.

Eventually, Albert went back to his normal state. He seemed to have cooled down a bit.

"All right, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have mocked you like that!" Linda genuinely apologized. She appeared to feel remorseful about her conduct.

Albert sighed but didn't say anything. He picked up the Polaroid camera and took a selfie with Linda.

"This photo will be added to my album so that I can sit and reminisce about this day in the future." He lets out a grin.

Linda gave a tight expression. "That is, if you have a future---" she muttered.

The photo took time to get printed.

Over time, she became upset for some unknown reason.

'Now what kind of drama is she up to?' he wondered. He sat there staring at her for a good few seconds, hoping she'd stop, but she didn't. He began to believe she truly was weeping.

He set the camera aside and quickly kneeled in front of her.

Albert tried to return the comforting gesture as he tried to make her happy, but she continued weeping loudly with her face in her arms. Panicked, he kept asking her about what was bothering her, only to be constantly met with a reply that she was feeling low for no reason. His lack of social skills finally caught up to him, as he utterly failed to make her happy.

"You're a fantastic person! Remember that! You have a lovely smile, a great personality, and a beautiful heart! I keep living because of you." He smiled, intending to make her feel better.

She snickered.

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