Avery

~16~

~Avery~

"I have to tell you something."

My heart plummets so far it's in hell, I can feel the heat.

"Okay," I say in a whisper.

"I'm leaving."

Thought my heart couldn't drop further? Wrong.

I say nothing.

"Avery," He says, regretful.

"What do you mean you're leaving, leaving where? Going where?"

He begins going on about a promotion and needing to move to New York for business but I block it all out, just staring down at his lips as he speaks.

How does this keep happening to me?

"Okay," I repeat, a clear shake in my voice.

"Av-"

"What? It's fine! We barely know each other, it's not like you're leaving much behind."

I turn around, my arm falling out of his reach and drag a hand down my face.

"Come on, sweetheart, we both know that's not true." I hear him making his way towards me and I have a sudden urge to keep the distance, despite my heart screaming to turn around.

"When?"

"Tomorrow."

"When did you find out?" I ask, not sure I even want to know.

"A few weeks ago."

"And you only just told me?" I turn my head to look at him, his head dropped to look at the floor.

He owes me nothing, and yet I feel so betrayed.

A single tear forms from the corner of my eye.

I swipe it away before it can make its way down my cheek and I take a deep breath.

"I'm sure you have lots of packing to do. You should get going." I give him a small smile and he sees right through it.

"Come on Avery, talk to me, this doesn't have to change anything between us."

"Maybe you're right." I keep smiling.

He opens his arms and takes 2 steady steps towards me.

I hesitate, eyeing him carefully the closer he gets.

"Darling," He says so soft, yet it tears into my heart and soul in a way I have never felt before.

"Please." He's pleading with me, and I'm giving in, slowly giving in, I can feel the way my feet begin to move before my mind can even process it.

And I'm in his arms, wrapped up in the fantasy that I can stay entangled between them forever.

"I'll visit. As much as physically possible, which may not be a lot, but I will make the time. And maybe you can visit. It's only a 2, maybe 3-hour flight, we can make it work."

His hand strokes over the back of my head, his fingers trailing through my hair.

"Okay."

I feel like that's the only word in my vocabulary right now.

What else do I say?

How do I tell him I won't be able to afford a flight?

How do I tell him I don't think this will work?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

-Adam-

The aching feeling in my chest has yet to ease, even 12 hours after my conversation with Avery.

We stood there for what felt like hours.

And now I'm sat on a plane, gazing down at Chicago, wondering where a certain woman might be at this very moment while I'm in the clouds.

The look in her eyes when I told her haunts me, this disappointment, something I never wanted to see.

I didn't sleep, all I could think about is how busy I will be over the next few months and when I will next see her.

I flip my phone in my lap, pushing away the urge to glance down at the notifications.

Why do I feel this way?

In terms of mileage, I'm not even going that far away, so why do I feel like I'm worlds away from home?

On the bright side, no more annoying colleagues wiping their germs all over our shared desks.

I have family in New York, this is a good thing.

My sister, my mother.

I should be happy, so I'm going to try my hardest.

Shit, I haven't even told my Mom I'm coming to the city.

When I first found out about the promotion, I rented out an apartment close to the office, a temporary one until I find my feet.

It also happens to be a 10-minute drive from my family home.

Well, what used to be home, before my father became the money-hungry, selfish man he is.

My mother deserved better.

I check my phone finally.

0 notifications from Avery.

Taking a sip of the hot coffee in front of me, I let it burn its way down my throat, and even then all I can think about is how it doesn't burn the same as the bakery's.

Like, how can coffee burn differently?

The answer is it doesn't. 

It isn't the coffee I burn for, it's the girl pouring it.

My eyes close as my head hits the back of the chair.

Maybe this is a good thing, bringing her into my corrupted life was selfish, maybe this is her chance to get out while she can.

But who am I kidding? I have her and I'm not letting her go.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Another short one today, I just missed writing and wanted to put something out. 

<3