Flashette(Book Two)

Extra 148: Gone For So Long

     HI GUYS! I hope you enjoy this short! I'm testing out a different style of writing, so let me know what you think!
     Because it's not as direct in terms of what's going on, Chloe and Barry haven't seen each other for a year during this short. Chloe works in a different city than Barry, who is travelling for work in all different areas around the world. Enjoy, and i'll talk to you soon! -Flashette1⚡️❤️
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     It had been a year since I last saw him...365 days without being in his presence or being able to feel his touch...It was one of the longest years of my life, considering time is moving so fast these days. Whenever his name was slipped into a conversation, i'd break a small smile, but remained sad in his absence. I'd think of him when certain songs would play, and every little thing reminded me of him.
I was the one who told him to go, despite a huge part of me wanting him to be by my side.     
     We talked while he was gone, but it wasn't the same. I couldn't have deep conversations like we used to, or see his smile over the phone.     
     When people would ask me about him and how he was doing, I told them that he was fine and enjoying himself, despite not knowing how he was on some days. There were nights when I'd stay awake, worrying about how he was doing. When people would question my actions and fill my head with doubt about how things wouldn't change, I began to think it was a mistake letting him go. I began to miss him more and more as the days went by, counting the days since he left this life.
      When he called me for the first time in a while, I was expecting to hear about what he ate that day or what he did in the new place he was living in. But what I wasn't expecting were the words he did say: "I'm home". I let the word resonate before covering my mouth in relief that he was so close, how he was safe, and had been all this time. I remained talking to him for a little while longer before we made plans to see each other later that week. Though I wanted to see him sooner, he had a lot of things he had to do with family and work before settling down again. Understanding he was busy, I took what I was given and looked forward to the week ahead until I got to see him again.
     I couldn't keep it together through work that saturday night. I constantly reminded myself that it wasn't long before I could see him. The thoughts of him being home distracted me from my work, and it was hard to focus. Though it was difficult, I managed.
      When I got home from work that night, I had an internal battle about what I wanted to wear. I didn't know what the turnout would be, so I didn't want to be too formal, but I also didn't want to be too casual. After looking through and trying on a million outfits, I finally decided on one I thought was in between, and grabbed my bag before heading out to the place we were meeting.
     On the way, the radio of my car played softly as I was left alone with my thoughts. I first thought of what he looked like and what he were to look life if he had changed. I then began to think about all the things I had to tell him that he missed this past year. After thinking about the new things, I thought about the old. I thought about the good times we shared and the memories we made, which caused a small smile to crack from my lips. But then, my thoughts went south as I began to think of the negatives. My mind wandered down the path of if things were going to go badly, and that we would have to make a change. My mind told me that he might have found something or someone new somewhere else, but I decided to stay positive.
     When I got closer to the location, I noticed instantly the familiar car out of all the cars in the lot. I then pulled up next to him slowly and looked at myself in the mirror, mentally preparing me for this decision that could change everything. I could see his face faintly through the tint of his windows as I peered out of my passenger window. It made me happy to see that he hadn't changed physically while he was gone, but I assumed that this past year has changed him mentally.
     I got out and stood in front of my car, waiting for the sound of his car door, which closed seconds after. With that same recognizable smile, he walked towards where I was standing. Seeing him standing before me with his hands in his pockets made all my worry wash away. A tear formed in my eye as he approached me. Rather than running up to me, picking me up, and kissing me while he spun around in a circle, he respected the feelings of the moment as we waited for each other's reaction. We continued giving time eachother time to adjust before we nodded. He then opened his arms and allowed me to take a step forward as he wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tightly. At first, I didn't know what to do or how to react. I had been so long that the idea of being entangled in his arms was foreign to me. Missing the feeling, I wrapped my arms around his torso slowly as we stood, still silent. The silence between us spoke a thousand words as we remained still, too wrapped up in eachother to speak. I took in things such as the familiar feeling of our bodies together, as well as the familiar smell of his cologne that was gone for too long. When we stood for long enough, too eager to talk, we pulled away and walked toward the little cafe we always went to.
     After ordering and sitting down at our usual table, we sat across from each other and began speaking. At first, the conversation started off slowly. I was nervous to speak, afraid to say the wrong thing, or cause myself to say something I didn't want to. He spoke mostly, discussing the luxuries and perks of working in other areas of the world. I began to feel sad when he laughed and treasured the times he spent away, not mentioning his feelings toward being away from me for so long. But as that conversation came to a close, he made me smile when saying all the travelling couldn't compare to being here with me. After he discussed his adventures around the world, I began to tell him about the things happening to me here, such as work experiences, noteable events, and the holidays spent with my family. Throughout the conversation, he brought up memories from our past, which then lead the discussion of our future.
     He took a sip of his coffee before looking into my eyes deeply. He then took my hand from across the table and sighed. I braced myself for the worst, considering that he was about to say it was over or that this experience wasn't going to make this work. My mind drifted off into how I would respond, and decided I would have to deal with if he was ready to let this go. I was brought back to his focus as he cleared his throat.
     He began to say the start of what I thought was the end, but it decided to turn out to be just the opposite. He told me that he was home for just a short while because he was being relocated somewhere else. At first, I was crushed, but those feelings diminished when he told me he was going to be even closer to home. We then made plans to see each other at least every weekend, and I even planned on driving up a few days a week so I could stay over with him.
     When the conversation was running dry and we had said all that we could for the moment, we stood up from our stools. I placed my cup down on the table and wrapped my arms around his neck, him pulling me in tightly for another hug.
     "This is not the end," he mumbled into my hair. "Our story's not over yet."
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     And sadly, we've come to the end of another Charry adventure. Sorry to give you a sad one this weekend, but there's always trouble in paradise.
     Sorry I couldn't upload another chapter of Book 4, but I have been busy and slammed for time, so I will hopefully have time next weekend to edit and upload.
     To keep your Charry hearts satisfied, I came up with a little short, which is not based on the storyline, but is based off an experience I had recently. I hope you enjoyed, and i'll talk to you soon!
     Thank you for your amazingness and showing so much support to this series! I hope you're having a great day! I love you guys! -Flashette1❤️⚡️