Aeviternal

18

jake p.o.v

I stepped into the chilly air and tucked my hands inside my black jacket, I looked around the street, red brick buildings colliding with one another.

"Oh, you must be kataleahs friend!"

a blonde woman shrieked from the building next to me, she carried a pot of water and was standing in front of a few plants and flowers, she wore a heavy jacket and a wide smile on her face, my eyebrows furrowed, my thoughts filling with questions on how she had managed to keep those plants alive in this temperature.

I gave her a soft smile and looked to the street ahead, I was dying for a cup of coffee and a hot meal as kataleah had left abruptly without a word.

"tell her i said hello and her husband as well"

the word punched me in the chest and made me catch my breath, I quickly looked back at the older woman and cleared my throat 

"excuse me?"

her smile faltered and she laid her pot down and took off her gardening gloves as if she was trying to gather her thoughts, her eyebrows furrowed slightly and then her warm smile reappeared 

"yes, Mr. van woulderon"

she took a slight pause 

"he hasn't been around for a while but I figured since maybe kataleah was out of town, he didn't wanna stay inside that rather large apartment by himself"

the words fell heavy in my stomach, I nodded and cleared my throat

"any coffee places nearby" 

I asked, my voices cracking at the end of my sentence.

-

The door opened quickly and her voice calling my name rang through the walls, i sighed as i looked over to my packed suitcase and then at her bedroom door, i could hear her heels clicking against the wood floor and her keys falling onto the floor

"omg thank god, you found a coffee place, im sorry i left so abruptly-"

she walked through the door and looked at me as i sat on her made bed and then over to my suitcase

"what-"

"you are married"

there was silence as her eyes grew wild like a deer staring into headlights

"jake i-"

"it was stupid for me to even come here anyway, I should have known better"

i stood quickly and reached over for my suitcase

"no jake, i can explain, please let me explain!" 

she pleaded as she reached over for my arm, i looked into her warm eyes and they were filling up with tears, it broke my heart, my anger towards her altered but the voice of her neighbor reminding me she was a wife bought me back.

"how can you even explain something like that to me kataleah?"

my voice cracked as the knot in my throat grew bigger