Whisked Away

Untitled Part 7

Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring! Rii- Hi, uh, this is Pete. I'm not available now. If there's anything important or if the Super Bowl is in town, leave a message after the tone! Haha.. BEEP!

"Hi, Pete," in midst of her stifled tears, Tanya let out a hiccup, "I miss you. Please come back, will you?"  

PAUSE.

"I love you and would do anything to-" BEEP!

Tanya tossed her phone as it bounced off the bed and onto the floor with a thud. It had been a month since Pete was no longer around but she couldn't bear to terminate his phone number. Hearing him speak in his voicemail gave her temporary reassurance; that he was only gone for a while, that he would be back to check his voice mails soon. She tried hard to convince herself that the one-way communication would help salvage what little memories she had of her other half. But it just wasn't enough. There was a void in her arms where there used to lie Pete's shoulders, her mouth was bland without the taste of his, her palms were now like a barren field of emptiness when it used to flourish with a simple touch of Pete's and her legs were now limp; they were so used to entwine like ying and yang with his when they slept together heart to heart, soul to soul. Now, Tanya was like a fish out of water as her lungs gasped hungrily for the taste of familiarity she had once lived with contently. She hastily poured herself another shot of vodka and downed it in a second. The bitterness scalded the back of her throat, making her cringe. 

PING!

Probably another text message full of sympathy from someone who had barely exchanged two words with her or Pete. Cursing under her breath, she staggered to the other side of the bed where her phone laid on the floor. It was Rose.

'Tan, lets go grab lunch. Ur a hot chick cooped up at home. Get it? Haha.. Call me bck.'

Reaching out, she drew the curtains back, squinting. Then, she relaxed and basked her face in the very sunlight she had been missing out on for days. Feeling sober, she went to clean herself out of the mess she had become. As she ran a bath, Tanya's dexterous fingers typed out a quick, 'Ok, meet ya in 15. Usual cafe.'  Was fifteen minutes enough? She didn't really care. After soaking herself to her content, she got out and halfheartedly changed into a loose pair of denim jeans with a teal tank top tucked in. She then grabbed her leather sling bag, wallet and phone and got into her strapped sandals. Checking herself out, the mirror reflected back a fair, gorgeous lady with beautiful, fawn hair flowing down the arch of her spine. Even without makeup, Tanya was a work of art. Somewhat satisfied that she looked presentable enough, she tucked her misery deep into the seams of her denim pants and headed out.