Eternal Echoes

Chapter Ninety: Tangled in the Spaces Between

Michaella's POV

I wake up with the same heaviness that's been pressing on my chest for days. The kiss with Alex happened two days ago, and I've talked it through with Pamela, and Marian even teased me about it. But nothing feels clearer.

It's been two days, and yet I still can't stop thinking about Gabrielle. He's everywhere, a shadow I can't shake, lingering in the spaces of my mind no matter how hard I try to pull away.

I drag myself out of bed, pulling on my clothes for a run, hoping it will clear my mind. But even as I lace up my shoes, I know it won't.

The air is crisp, biting against my skin as I push myself harder, the pavement pounding beneath my feet. My thoughts race faster than I can keep up, swirling between Alex's kiss and Gabrielle's ghost.

Why do I still feel this way?

It should be simple. Gabrielle is gone. Alex is here. He's kind, patient, and always there for me. But every time I think about moving forward with him, my mind drags me back to Gabrielle.

I push harder, my legs burning as I try to outrun the confusion. I don't know how to let go. It feels like Gabrielle is woven into my bones, and every attempt to untangle him only leaves me more twisted.

After the run, I find myself sitting on the balcony, staring blankly at my phone. Marian's text pops up, and I open it.

"Hey! So, about the wedding... We're finally starting to plan! I want you to come dress shopping with me this weekend, and... well, I'd love for you to be my maid of honor."

Maid of honor. My heart skips a beat, and for a second, I smile. Marian and Matthew are perfect together, and I'm so happy for them. But then the weight settles back in. She's planning her future, while I can't even figure out my present.

I type back a quick, "Of course! I'd be honoured." But as I hit send, the hollow feeling returns.

At lunch, I pick at my food, my appetite lost somewhere in the maze of my thoughts. Marian's excitement about the wedding fills the air, but I'm barely present. I nod and smile, but my mind keeps drifting.

"How are you feeling about the whole Alex situation?" Marian asks suddenly, her eyes soft with concern.

I hesitate, not knowing how to answer. "I'm... I don't know. I'm still confused."

Marian gives me a sympathetic smile. "It's okay to be confused, Michaella. But don't let it eat you alive. You deserve to be happy, whether that's with Alex or... someone else."

Someone else. She doesn't say Gabrielle's name, but we both know it lingers in the air between us.

I check my email after lunch, hoping for some clarity. Instead, I find more uncertainty. My trip to London is delayed—another week, maybe more. I should feel relieved, but instead, it feels like a cruel joke.

More time. More time to sit in this limbo, more time to question everything.

I toss my phone onto the couch, frustrated. I thought the extra time would give me space to figure things out, but it only feels like I'm sinking deeper into the confusion.

As the sun sets, I leave for a walk, hoping the cool evening air will bring me some peace. My feet carry me down familiar streets, past the places Gabrielle and I used to go, past the memories that cling to every corner of this city.

I pull out my phone, needing a distraction, and mindlessly scroll through Twitter. That's when I see it.

"Leaving the woman, you love doesn't mean you stopped loving her."

Gabrielle's tweet.

I stop in my tracks, my heart pounding in my chest. Is this about me?

For a moment, everything stills. The noise in my head fades, replaced by the sharp clarity of Gabrielle's words. I stare at the screen, reading the tweet over and over.

What does this mean? Does he still love me? Why post this now?

My breath catches in my throat, and before I know it, I'm dialling Elijah.

"Elijah, I need you to come over. Now."

By the time he arrives, I've already opened a bottle of wine, but it does little to numb the storm inside me.

"What's going on?" he asks, sitting down beside me, his usual easy going smile replaced by concern.

I hand him my phone, Gabrielle's tweet still glaring from the screen. Elijah reads it, his face unreadable.

"He still loves me, Elijah. I don't know what to do."

Elijah sighs, setting the phone down. "Michaella, you can't let this pull you back in."

"But what if it's true? What if he still loves me? What if... what if I'm making the wrong decision by trying to move on with Alex?"

Elijah's eyes soften, and he pours himself a glass of wine, taking a long sip before speaking. "Listen, you've been caught in this limbo with Gabrielle for so long. And yeah, maybe he does still love you. But love isn't enough sometimes."

I shake my head, my emotions tangled up in knots. "But it's more than that. He was everything to me. And now Alex... I don't even know what I'm doing."

Elijah reaches out, taking my hand in his. "I know this isn't easy. But no one said making decisions like this would be. You've been clinging to Gabrielle because it's comfortable—even if it hurts. But you have to decide. You can't keep living between two people."

Tears well up in my eyes, and I take a shaky breath. "I'm scared, Elijah. What if I let go of Gabrielle, and it's the biggest mistake of my life? What if I give Alex a chance, and I end up regretting it?"

Elijah squeezes my hand. "You'll never know unless you try. But staying in this place... it's tearing you apart."

I nod, blinking back the tears. I know he's right. But knowing and doing are two very different things.

As Elijah leaves, I sit alone, my glass of wine empty, my thoughts more tangled than ever. Gabrielle's tweet still hangs over me, casting a shadow I can't shake.

I glance at my phone again, his words echoing in my mind.

"Leaving the woman, you love doesn't mean you stopped loving her."

But what does that mean for me?

The spaces between what's said and unsaid are where I live now, lost in the limbo between the past and the future. But one thing is certain—I can't stay here forever.

******************************************************

What do you guys think?