all in

Shivers And Forgivness

𝑫𝑨𝑳𝑳𝑨𝑺

I was driving down the highway toward her apartment when I noticed Marlene shivering in the passenger seat. I turned down the music and glanced at her, concerned. She had been quiet for most of the trip, lost in her own thoughts, but now her body was trembling.

"Are you cold?" I asked, reaching for the temperature controls.

Marlene nodded, her teeth chattering. "Yeah, No shit.."

I let out a short laugh in response to her comment, knowing what I really wanted to do was bend her over and fix that damn attitude.

I adjusted the heat and turned on the seat warmers, hoping it would help. Then reached over and rubbed her arms, trying to warm her up.

"What's going on, Marlene?" I asked gently.

"I'm fine" she replied, but her voice was shaky.

I decided not to push. it was obviously something private.

"So, why were you in that sketchy part of town anyway?" I spoke trying to change the subject.

"I argued with my roommate, she accused me of being an alcoholic" Marlene scoffed beside me. "To clarify, I'm not an alcoholic. I drink now and then but I have full control." she continued, rambling about her roommate and how strung up she was with the rules.

"This is me here." She pointed to a slightly run-down apartment on the corner.

I pulled into a parking space and let her out of the car, stopping her before she could leave. She scanned the piece of paper I handed her before she turned on her heel and left.

𝑴𝑨𝑹𝑳𝑬𝑵𝑬

I stormed into our apartment, heart still racing from the argument she had just had with Adiana. I had left in a fit of anger, needing to get some space and clear my head. But now, as I stepped through the door, I couldn't help but feel a sense of dread wash over me.

I knew that things were tense between me and Adiana, but I never expected our argument to escalate the way it did. It all started with a simple disagreement over how much I went to the bar, but before I knew it, harsh words were being thrown back and forth. And in the heat of the moment, I had said things I now regretted.

As I made her way to her room, I found myself replaying the argument in my mind. I always prided myself on being a good communicator, but in that moment, all rationality had gone out the window. She had let her anger get the best of her, and now I feared that I had damaged my friendship with Adiana.

With a heavy heart, I entered my room and collapsed onto her bed, closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She knew she needed to talk to Adiana and apologize for my behavior, but the thought of facing her now filled me with anxiety.

a knock on her door interrupted my thoughts. I hesitated before getting up to answer it, Adiana stood on the other side, her eyes red and puffy.

'Can we talk?' Adiana asked, her voice small and vulnerable.

I felt my heart soften at the sight of her in distress. Without a word, I stepped aside and let Adiana into her room. We sat down on my bed, both unsure of where to start.

'I'm sorry,' Adiana finally spoke up, breaking the silence. 'I shouldn't have said those things to you, it's none of my business. I just care about you Marli.'

'I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have pushed your buttons like that.' I replied

The two of us sat in silence for a few moments, both feeling the weight of our argument. But then, Adiana reached out and took my hand in hers, a small smile appearing on her face.

Marlene couldn't help but smile back, feeling a sense of relief wash over her. I had missed my friend and didn't want to let a stupid argument ruin our relationship.