Her Love Is Traumatic

The Silence Between Us

Christine spent the rest of the evening with her friends, trying to focus on the fun and laughter around her, but her mind kept drifting to Alex. Despite Lara’s constant chatter and attempts to keep her occupied, Christine’s eyes wandered, searching for him in the crowd. It was strange how empty the night felt without his presence, especially after what had happened between them.

"Where is he?" she wondered, her heart beginning to sink as time passed and there was still no sign of him.

Meanwhile, Alex was driving his motorbike down a dimly lit road, his heart racing. His phone had buzzed in his pocket, a frantic call from his mother informing him that his grandfather had suffered a heart attack. His father was abroad, and Alex had no choice but to head home immediately. He tried calling Christine several times, his heart aching to explain everything, but her phone was still switched off.

Distracted by the urgency of the situation, Alex didn’t notice the speed breaker ahead. The bike jolted violently, and though he managed to control the handlebars, his phone flew out of his pocket and skidded across the road. Alex’s instincts told him to stop and retrieve it, but there was no time. His grandfather’s life was hanging in the balance, and every second mattered. He sped off, leaving his phone behind on the empty road.

Back at home, his mother was anxiously waiting for him. They packed in a rush, grabbing the essentials, and took a taxi to the airport, bound for Louisiana. The whirlwind of events left Alex no time to think about Christine, and he hoped she would understand when he explained later.

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Christine, still at the prom, finally took her phone out and realized it had been off for hours. As she turned it on, her first instinct was to check for any messages from Alex, but there were none. Confused, she texted him, asking where he was. But her messages didn’t deliver.

A sense of unease crept over her as she left the venue with her friends, hoping he would respond by the time she got home. Her eyes were glued to her phone the entire way, waiting for a call or a message that never came. The excitement and happiness from earlier that evening began to fade, replaced by worry and confusion.

When she finally got home, she stared at her phone until exhaustion took over, and she drifted into a restless sleep, clutching the bouquet of sunflowers Alex had given her.

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The next day, Christine arrived at school with a growing sense of anxiety. She searched for Alex everywhere, hoping to see his familiar face in the hallways, but he was nowhere to be found. His friends knew nothing about his whereabouts, and their confusion only deepened Christine’s worry. She tried calling him again, but the call didn’t go through. Every time, the message was the same: “This number does not exist.”

A week passed with no word from Alex. Christine’s heart sank deeper with each passing day, as the absence of answers gnawed at her. She walked through school like a ghost, distracted, her mind elsewhere. When their class teacher announced that Alex’s family had moved to Louisiana and that he wouldn’t be attending the graduation ceremony, it felt like her world crumbled around her.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she sat at her desk, unable to process the suddenness of it all. Was this the end? She replayed the last time she saw Alex over and over in her mind—their dance, the kiss, the tenderness of that moment. Everything had been so perfect, and now, without warning, he was gone.

Her heart was shattered. How could someone so important to her life disappear without a trace? Every day felt heavier than the last. She couldn’t concentrate on her studies, couldn’t laugh with her friends, couldn’t even pretend to be okay. The light in her life had dimmed, and every time she thought of Alex, a deep sadness overwhelmed her.

She found herself walking aimlessly through the places they had been together—the chemistry lab where they had shared laughter, the bench where they had sat, talking for hours, the library where he had brought her cookies to cheer her up. Everywhere she went, she saw him, and the ache in her heart grew.

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Lara, on the other hand, was pleased with how things had turned out. With Alex out of the picture, she felt like she had won. At the award ceremony, Lara were named best student, Lara basked in the moment, thrilled that Alex’s departure meant no more competition for the award and also Christine’s heart.

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While Christine mourned the loss of Alex in her life, he was drowning in responsibilities. His grandfather’s health had taken a turn for the worse, and after a surgery, his parents decided to move permanently to Louisiana to take care of him. Alex had barely had a moment to breathe, let alone reach out to Christine. Between hospital visits and helping his parents arrange their belongings from his old home, his mind was a blur.

A month passed before things settled down, and by then, Alex knew he owed Christine an explanation. He sat down and wrote her a heartfelt email, explaining everything—the emergency, the sudden move, the chaos that followed. He included his new phone number, hoping she would reach out soon.

Unfortunately, it was not Christine who saw the email.

Lara had come over to Christine’s house to reminisce and look through graduation photos together. While Christine was in the kitchen, Lara noticed a notification pop up on Christine’s laptop. It was from Alex. Her heart skipped a beat, and a sinister grin crept across her face. Without hesitation, she opened the email, quickly deleting it and blocking his email address.

Satisfied, she leaned back in her chair, feeling triumphant. Now, Alex truly was out of Christine’s life for good.

Christine, on the other hand, had tried to move forward. She had convinced herself that maybe Alex hadn’t felt the same way. Maybe it was better that she didn’t have to face the rejection that could have followed her confession. But no matter how much she tried to rationalize it, her heart wouldn’t let her forget him.

The silence weighed heavily on her, and even as she forced herself to focus on her future, Alex’s face lingered in her thoughts. His absence left a hole in her life that nothing seemed to fill. There was a part of her that still held onto the hope that one day she would see him again. She longed to look into his deep blue eyes, even if just for one last time.

But for now, she had to accept that he was gone, and she needed to move on. With a heavy heart, Christine filled out her application to the University of Michigan, deciding to study Statistics. She vowed to herself that she wouldn’t let sadness hold her back anymore. Life would go on, and so would she, even if a piece of her heart would always belong to Alex.

And though she couldn’t stop loving him, she would carry that love with her, quietly, in her heart.