I Choose You

Tara

First thing I do when I leave my house is look for Simon. It
is still bothering me that he's not picking up the phone,
now he switched it off. I need to update him on the
Journey details and how I need him to come with me.
I go first thing to the theater because I know he should be
there but find Mike, the other guy who works with him,
scrolling through his phone.
"Mikey, how have you been?"
"Hey Tara, I'm good, what's up?" He looks at me through
his glasses with a surprised expression that gets me on
edge. Simon isn't here and he knows I don't know.
"Did Simon leave already?"
"No, he never came today. He called and told me he has
an important thing he needs to catch up with."
"Oh... okay, see you later Mikey."
I leave the theater with a bad feeling in my gut. I don't
know what's going on with Simon but I sense it's not a
good thing.
First thing I do is check the park we go to when we need
to vent our hearts out when we're feeling down.

It's also our go to place on our own, when we want
to think and process things that are too strong to ignore.
I check the benches first, and our favorite spot
near one of the oldest trees there, but he's nowhere to be
found.
Where is he?
One, two, three. . .
Three thoughts come to mind of what may be affecting this
disappearance of his.
I know Simon, and although I know he is madly in love
with me, I've always known the necklace to him was
always a safe idea. Having had his heart broken because
of Christina made him lack trust in his ability to choose a
faithful partner, and I've always known he was relieved
that he could always go on the pathway the necklace
chooses if I ever decide to walk away. Having that
necklace be dimmed all these months made him anxious,
on some days more than others. Second reason is how
my necklace was working but it is not anywhere near the
color red. The necklace should slowly turn from pearly
white to pink to the brightest red whenever you get closer
to the person on the other end, and although I try to
convince everyone around me that it may take time to
work, we all know the truth. The fact that he knows it's not
him must be crushing him.
The last reason that has come to my mind was the chance
of it having to do with Christina. Seeing her in the morning
must have reminded him of everything they've been
through. I really hate how sometimes I feel she stills has a
huge vulnerable impact on him. As much as I didn't want the last
reason to be true, my thoughts kept on forming their
poisonous patterns until I couldn't ignore it anymore.
What if they're together now?
It's very strange for him to act this way, maybe he wanted
someone to talk to and for some reason thought of her?
Shut up Tara, that's just you over thinking the situations as
usual.
I decided to shut the voices in my head and go straight to
his house because I knew he's the only person who could
reassure me and get me out of my thought spiral.
I see only his car parked at the entrance, which means his
parents aren't home. He has the basement all to himself
so I know if I knock he won't hear me, so I take the spare
key from the plant pot and walk myself inside. I knew his parents loved
me when they shared their spare key's secret spot.
They've always treated me as the daughter they've never
had and that was one of the top reasons I wanted to marry into this
family.
I go downstairs and before I even have the chance to call
his name I hear her voice,
"I will always be here for you."
The voices get muffled as if something shifted in the room.
As if ... Oh my god
I don't realize I say that out loud until Simon and Christina
part from their kiss and look at me.
I can't breathe. I can't move.
"Tara!" Simon's mouth utters my name and it brings back
my senses.
Breathe. . .
I take three steps backwards and Simon mirrors those
steps towards me slowly as if in moving faster he could
break me. He already did.
I turn around and run all the way to my car without even
looking back, no matter how many times I hear my name
getting called.
I can't believe how naïve I am. How did I ever ignore the
fact that he will never get over her...
I drive away and see Simon's body in my rearview mirror
getting smaller