Shockwave

Scene 4

Nine months earlier, six months before Demetria and Ariel met...

"I love you," Demetria said, smiling to her girlfriend Clara. Clara never really wanted to label them as dating, but Demetria was willing to accept that. She loved her no matter what.

Demetria softly brushed Clara's hair behind her ear. Her fingertips brushed her soft, warm skin. Clara had a pensive look on her face, but Demetria was oblivious to it.

"Do you love me?" Demetria questioned, a fluttering feeling in her stomach.

"Demetria," Clara started, and Demetria felt her heart nearly stop. Clara's tone brought a cold chill to her, and she didn't like it at all.

"What?" she asked slowly, pulling away to look at her.

"I'm sorry," Clara said. "Demetria, I lo—I can't." She was already starting to move away. "I thought we were just having fun."

Demetria couldn't speak. She felt as though a knife had been stabbed into her heart from the back and twisted violently.

"You didn't think it was serious, did you?" she asked, almost sounding surprised that Demetria seem pained.

"Of course I didn't. I only poured out my heart to you every other day," Demetria finally snapped, feeling her blood boil. How dare she take her words for granted? Demetria had told Clara every single thing that she felt for her, and she threw them back in her face like a dirty rag.

"I'm sorry," Clara said, and Demetria let out a breath, trying to recompose herself.

"I don't want your sorry," Demetria told her, standing up and looking at her. She finally looked her in the eyes. "I wanted you to be clear instead of dragging me along and letting me fall in love with you."

"I thought I was clear," was her response.

"What part of what we did was clear? You told me you could see yourself spending the rest of your life with me. You told me we had something."

Demetria's eyes were brimming with tears at this point. It was like the weight of Clara's words had finally come crashing down on her, and she was drowning.

Clara looked at Demetria's face. She let out a breath. "I'm sor—" Clara stopped herself. Demetria felt a tear run down her cheek. The cold liquid burned her hot cheeks. "Goodbye, Demetria." Clara walked out the door and slammed it on Demetria's heart.

———

Even after two months, Demetria was walking down the street, her heart still broken. She would always put her heart on the line, and people would crush it mercilessly.

This last breakup was perhaps the worst. Demetria couldn't sleep properly for weeks.

"I thought we were just having fun."

The words would forever be engraved in her mind. That was all she was to her. Someone to have fun with.

For Demetria, it was never about fun. She promised herself that she wouldn't let herself fall for someone who wasn't worth it. She was done with these half-hearted "fun" relationships. They were never fun for her, anyway.