Wish We Never Started

32

When I take Sarah up to my apartment, she sticks out like a sore thumb. She looks like she could be the owner of the building – not someone inhabiting it.

"It smells in here," she tells me as she shuffles behind me in her red bottom heels. We're halfway down the hallway to my door.

"Can't help that," I say stiffly as I keep moving towards the door.

"There's water damage on the ceiling... and the carpet is falling apart," she adds.

"Cool," I answer, shoving the key in my doorknob. I push the door open and let her in first.

Sarah scrunches her nose, looking around in a full circle. "This is it?"

I nod. "Studio. The bathroom is right down that small hallway."

She hesitantly puts her purse down onto the kitchen counter, still looking around like this is some sort of nightmare – and it is, at least for me.

"You'll be sleeping on the couch then," she mutters as her eyes land on the single bed by the windows.

"I wasn't expecting anything different," I tell her with a roll of my eyes.

Sarah just stands in the middle of the floor, arms crossed as she hugs herself. She looks helpless and a little scared. Then, she pulls out her phone and starts scrolling.

"What are you doing?" I ask with my eyebrows raised.

"Booking a flight back home already."

"So then what? How are we going to announce our divorce to the family?"

She rolls her neck, her face staring straight ahead at me afterwards. "I don't know. Should we video call them now? We are probably never going to be in the same space again after this."

"Or you could just announce it when you get back..."

Sarah shakes her head, a deranged chuckle leaving her lips. "You're crazy if you think I'm doing this alone, Gabe."

I sigh, pulling out my phone now. We could easily get all of our parents on the video call and announce it together. This would make the most sense, as they'd see us together, and see that the relationship is far more than over. No lies or tricks.

"I'll call them now, yeah? Let's get this over with," I say.

My fingers travel to the video call option, starting with my mom. Sarah and me stand arm to arm and I hold the phone out so we're both in frame. Sarah is smiling for some reason, checking out her makeup and hair as we wait.

I nudge her gently while keeping my focus on the screen. "Act upset. Or somber, or something other than that."

Sarah continues what she's doing until she's satisfied. Only then does she switch up her look, eyebrows creasing and eyes hovering towards the floor.

Mom picks up on one of the last rings. I don't blame her after what has happened and what I texted her.

"Oh, so good to see the two of you together," she beams, seemingly not too upset over my text.

"We have some news. I'm going to get dad on the call and Sarah's parents as well. Just hang tight for a minute," I tell mom as I search for the other contacts in my phone. It's been so long since I put Sarah's parents in my phone, I'm almost afraid I've deleted them by now.

But when I search for their last name, both Donna and Harold show up. I call Donna first, Sarah suddenly interested in not just how she looks, but the call also.