TIME IS UP
bonus question:
do you still love her?
circle yes or no.
A sigh of relief left his lips as he looked at the pad of paper. All his sloppy writing curving up and down, leaving the blue inked questions behind him. "I'll take that sir," the doctor smiled at him as he reached out his shaky hands, waiting for the young boy to hand him the notepad. His smile hung loose as he did exactly that, the doctor nodding and humming as he read the responses.
"May I ask what this is even for?" the boy sat still in his seat, his eyes still red and a smile still invisible on his lips, "like why did I have to spend ninety minutes on love questions?" The doctor folded the paper back before placing it by his own notes that were off to the side.
"Science has proved to us that letting out your feelings is the best way to cope with things," the doctor folded his hands in his lap, still smiling, "and writing them down will allow you to realize what you have done and what you are feeling. We will register your answers and find the best way possible for you to be happy again in about a week, so expect a call from me or my receptionist around the end of next week, Friday most likely."
He nodded gently, still confused on why he had pushed himself to come to a doctor to figure out his issues, but also relieved that someone actually cared about what he was feeling. He stood up, thanked the old man, and left to sign up for his next appointment.
His converse kicked at the old rug, an eighties pattern knitted into the fabric. He fiddled with his thumbs before meeting a wooden door, which someone had been holding open for him. He tilted his head up as he continued to walk forward, the young girl looking behind her before he walked by.
Her hair that rested on her shoulders required no effort to gently sway as she looked back up at the boy. A beanie covered half of her forehead as her eyelashes curled back. Her knuckles turned white against the door as they both realized who was who.
And his heart died a little bit more as he saw the stars in her eyes had died out.
She tucked her head down as she forced a small smile. He stood there, just like he did when she left him, and watched as she walked away once more. Her feet began walking faster and faster before swinging around a corner, not even looking back at the boy.
Even broken apart, they still relapsed into a circle. He looked back down at his shoes and swallowed away the awful familiar feeling of tears beginning to choke him. His eyes scanned back to the corner of the hallway, slightly hoping she would run around it and jump into his arms, but with five minutes passing she never did.
Her eyes looked like his, raw and tired. The bags under her eyes were heavy and her skin was rough. He had done that to her. He had taken away all the light she had inside of her and now the world she had in her hands was dead. Their sun had faded away, all because of him.
He continued walking to the receptionist desk, trying to forget who he had just ran into. It was the hardest thing he had to do today, minus all the crying and pain he had to cope with, but trying not to kiss her and smile into her lips, maybe even welcome her back into his arms; that was the hardest part.
It was obvious she didn't want him back. She got what she wanted, always, and if she desperately needed him, she would've just got him, but she's fine. She's okay without him and that's all he ever needed to know.
"Just fill this out please, then you can be on your way," the short, blonde lady smiled as she handed him a clipboard and pen. His hand twitched at the sight of a pen, still stinging from the earlier events. He licked his lips before filling out his information. It was all the simple stuff really; his name, age, date of birth, it was unlike the questions he had answered earlier.
His eyes dragged down to the bottom of the page as he finished writing his phone number. A small smile appearing on his face as he read the last question he would receive that day. "Do you still love her? Circle yes or no," he looked up at the door he had walked through with the initial thought of her standing there with him for one last time. Looking away from the door and back at the piece of paper, he circled yes, "I always will."
