Tugging Heartstrings

Primrose

She was at home the first time he called. She was sitting on the couch with light music playing in the background. What originally was supposed to be a calm night of novels and hot tea turned into an interesting turn of events.

He called her at 11:00 PM. It was sudden, impulsive, almost as if he couldn't control himself. Well, he could blame the drinks. Why her? It never occurred to him as to why she was the first one on his mind to call. He wanted to hear her voice after all this time.

"Hello?" she answered. "Ben?"

Her voice sounded the same as it did before. He smiled to himself. "Hey, Mel. It's good to hear your voice again."

Ben and Melanie met a year ago at a mutual friend's party. Melanie, being the more introverted person she is, was reluctant to go until her friend begged her to go with him. She gave in and decided to go. When they arrived to the party, he greeted someone. That someone was Ben. Immediately, there was chemistry between the two as they engaged in conversation. They talked and talked until she had to leave, pushing back her departure time to stay with him a bit longer. They exchanged numbers and continued their conversations.

A few months later, they went on several dates. Each one was an adventure for both of them; not a single second went wasted. There were countless moments of laughter, smiles, and warmth. They completed each other.

But sadly, they decided to end things. Ben was transferring to a college in Paris, and while many thought they could work it out, it didn't. Melanie got her dream job at the fashion capital of the county, and Ben was afraid a long distance relationship would only make their current situation worse. He was afraid the distance would distract her from her job, and losing it would be his fault. They were so in love, but they were going in different directions. He wanted nothing more than for her to be happy and healthy. She wanted him to feel nothing except love and joy. It wasn't as if they wanted to end things; it was more like they had to end things.

They kept in touch, but never made the effort to try to work things out. They always remained in this state of wanted to be, but could never be. It was a rough cycle of love and heartbreak. It was as if the world forbid their union.

"What's going on, Ben?" she immediately cut to the chase. In the background, she could hear the lively chattering and blasted music bleeding through the phone. He was most likely at a party or some club.

"I just wanted to tell you," Ben said, slightly muffled. She suspected he was at some party as he was often clubbing at night with friends, but in reality he was on the street waiting for a taxi. She placed the book in her hand down, after bookmarking the page she left on. "That I'm coming home."

"Ben, stop."

"But it's true."

"You're joking," she sighed. "You're only saying these things because you're homesick. All that's going to happen is I'm going to start feeling things for you again, only to have you wake up the next morning with you not remembering a single word you said to me! I'm not going to keep being your little keepsake of home that you can use every once in a while."

"I'm telling you, Mel, I'm coming home," he said, a more serious tone coating his voice. "I left you, and I hate myself for it. And I guess those feelings never went away even after all this time."

"You're 6,000 miles away. It just wouldn't work out," she took a deep breath. "We would only crash and burn again, and I can't keep fighting for something that isn't going to come back." She wanted nothing more than to be with him, but she was tired of having to say goodbye over and over again. She had to put her foot down eventually before this love broke her. Destroy the love before she gets destroyed by the love.

She heard more loud chatter from the other end, followed by the muffled sound of Ben's voice and the end of the call. She let out a sigh and lied down on her couch, staring at the ceiling. She never got a call back. She let out a heavy sigh, I knew it was too good to be true, she thought. Even if he did come home, he'd probably just leave again. Her heart sank a bit in her chest. Why did he have to call her?

She woke up the next morning to the sound of pounding on the door. Most likely it was her landlord, prepared to scold her for leaving on her lights all night. After talking with Ben, she felt emotionally exhausted and passed out on the couch. Her cup of tea now cold, the candle blown out from the wind. She stretched along with a yawn as she approached the door.

Behind the door was Ben.

"I'm here," he smiled. "And I'm here to stay."

Her fingers fiddled against the doorframe. She could barely process everything happening. Here he was, the man that she loved, standing in her doorway with a bouquet of primroses. The man that she loved so hard to the point it almost hurt. She remained quiet as she stared into his chocolate brown eyes, and he stared back into her hazel green orbs.

"It's okay, Mel," he remained where he was standing. "No more separate paths, no more long distance, just you and me. I mean it."

She smiled and jumped into his arms, embracing him tight for dear life. He stumbled upon the impact, but he held her up, smiling at her. He missed that bright smile; hell, any longer than now he would have died without seeing it. His heart beat to the rhythm of hers. He could feel her grip getting tighter as if she were preventing him from going anywhere. His hand reached her head, brushing his fingers through her golden hair.

She let go of him and smiled. She could barely wipe the huge grin off her face. Her fingers traced his skin, and she laughed to herself. Never in a million years did she expect it to all fall in place. She couldn't believe that he was actually here with her, and for good. It had never worked out for them; it always felt like life didn't want them together. She finally got to be with him.

"I told you I was coming home," he chuckled, placing a kiss on her forehead. She laughed and hugged him once more.

"Welcome home."

Primrose: "I can't live without you"