The Space Between Us

Old Wounds

The cabin had been a refuge a brief reprieve from the chaos of work and the mounting tension of our lives for a few days, it had been just Emma and me, wrapped up in each other with no interruptions

The silence of the woods had provided a much-needed escape, a chance to breathe but as soon as we returned to the city, reality came crashing back in, and with it, the unresolved pieces of my past that I had been trying to ignore for so long

It started with an email. A single line that sent my heart plummeting into my stomach

Rebecca, we need to talk It's important

I stared at the words on the screen, my chest tightening. I hadn't heard from them in years I thought I'd buried everything, moved on with my life, but here they were my ex dragging me back to a time I'd worked so hard to forget

I closed my laptop, trying to push the email out of my mind, but it lingered, gnawing at me like an open wound all those old insecurities, the fear, the guilt they came rushing back in a wave that threatened to drown me and I knew that if I didn't deal with it, it would destroy everything I had built

But how could I talk to her about this? How could I bring her into the mess that was my past?

For days, I kept it to myself, hoping that it would somehow disappear if I ignored it long enough but it didn't the weight of it settled in my chest, making it harder and harder to breathe, and I could feel the distance growing between her and me she noticed, of course—she always did but I couldn't bring myself to tell her the truth. Not yet

One evening, after a long day at the office, I found myself sitting on the couch, staring blankly at my phone I hadn't responded to the email I didn't know what to say the longer I waited, the more the tension built inside me, until it felt like I was going to explode

"Rebecca?" Emma's voice broke through my thoughts, soft and hesitant. "Is everything okay?"

I looked up at her, my heart aching at the concern in her eyes she deserved better than this better than me dragging her in but I couldn't keep shutting her out not when I could see the hurt in her eyes every time I pulled away

"I'm fine," I lied, forcing a smile that felt hollow. "Just... a lot on my mind."

She frowned, not convinced. "You've seemed a bit off lately If there's something going on, you can talk to me you know that, right?"

I sighed, setting my phone down on the coffee table. "I know. It's just... complicated."

She sat down next to me, her gaze never leaving mine. "Complicated how?"

I hesitated, the words stuck in my throat but I couldn't keep this from her any longer she deserved the truth, even if it wasn't something I wanted to share

"It's my ex," I finally said, my voice barely above a whisper. "They've been reaching out to me It's... bringing up a lot of things I thought I'd buried."

Emma's expression softened with understanding, but I could see the worry in her eyes. "What does she want?"

"I don't know," I admitted. "Closure, maybe? Or maybe they just want to stir things up it's bringing back all these old insecurities... things I thought I was over and I don't want to drag you into it."

She reached out and took my hand, her touch grounding me in a way that nothing else could. "Rebecca, you don't have to handle this alone. We're in this together, remember?"

I nodded, but the fear was still there, gnawing at me. "I know. It's just... hard."

"I know," she said firmly. "But you need to talk to me you can't keep shutting me out I'm here for you—for better or worse."