This Is Where I Leave You.

The woman sat at the window watching raindrops roll out of sight. This was not what she wanted. She never asked for any of this. Right about now she was supposed to be in a shoebox apartment nestled in the corner of Manhattan. Not stuck in the stagnant suburb of Kirtland, Ohio.

It was that damn man. The sweetest, kindest, man who whisked her away from her actual dream and trading it out for a daughter and a minivan. The child used to bring her indescribable joy, but now it just reminded her of lost hopes and faded dreams.

She brought her knees up close to her chest hugging them tightly. This was not how she wanted it to end, but now it was the only way it could. Her husband was fast asleep in their bedroom and was unaware of the packed suitcase near the door. She figured it was the best way for him to find out, kind of like ripping off a band aid.

The sweet innocent child was probably curled up under her princess blankets surrounded by warmth and comfort. That was what killed her the most. Her daughter would grow up without a mother, and that made her feel malevolent.

The woman draped a grey shaw over her shoulders to try and reduce the cold chills that crept through her body. Her eyes wandered back outside and stared into the depths of the night, fearing the unknown.

A sigh escaped her lips as she raked her fingers through her loose, dirty blond waves. She was leaving a life behind. A husband, a daughter, and a neighborhood that would take notice of her absence. What would Charlie tell them? What would he tell Piper?

Just thinking of Piper made her heart clench in pain. The woman would be lying if she said she didn't love Piper, anyone would be crazy not to. But every time she looks at her, she sees an excuse, a roadblock, an obstacle, if you will. She was using Piper as an excuse to not follow her dream and capture the heart of New York.

The woman released a breath of air she didn't know she was holding. This was it. If she didn't leave now she wasn't sure if she'd ever be able to.

Reluctantly, the woman picked herself off of the chair and walked over to her suitcase. Just as she was about to pick it up she heard a soft murmur coming from the door way and her head snapped towards it.

Piper. Her hair was splayed all over her face and the corkscrew baby hairs stuck out every which way. Her thumb was planted in her mouth and a blanket trailed behind her. The silk pajamas that had tiny white clouds were all wrinkled from a nights worth of rest.

The women checked her watch to make sure she had not waited too long. 2:25 AM. She was making perfect time, if she could get Piper back to sleep without losing it completely.

"Hey baby what are you doing up?" The woman asked rushing over to the toddler and scooping the little girl into her arms. The child began mumbling incoherently due to grogginess while rubbing her eyes. The little girls sleepy gaze wandered aimlessly until it landed on the suitcase by the door. She pursed her lips slightly as if trying to piece the scenario together until she finally looked up at her mother.

"Why is mommy leaving?" Piper asked, her big brown eyes boring into the women's.

The women was caught off guard by the child's question. What was she supposed to say? Was she supposed to sit there and tell her daughter about the love story? That she was so close to getting on that plane and flying off to New York with stars in her eyes and and undeniably heavy heart? Was she supposed to tell her that Pipers father had run as fast as he could through the airport to profess his undying love for her? How was she supposed to say that her husband resembled her Prince Charming from Cinderella but she was done attending the ball. Then an idea popped into her head.

"Mommy just has to go find her glass slipper." The women placed a soft kiss on the girls forehead and the child's eyes fluttered shut.

Savoring her last moments with her child, the women slowly walked back to the bright pink room, and reluctantly placed the girl into the tiny princess bed. She stayed in the room until she heard the girls erratic breaths steady.

After the child was asleep, the women walked out to the kitchen with concrete in her shoes. She lifted the suitcase which now felt like it was full of bricks. It felt like someone was pulling the other way on the door when she tried to open it.

Before she knew it she was locking her car door, placing the key in the ignition and taking off down the sleeping street, leaving nothing but a ring, and a letter.

She didn't need to tell him where to find her, he knew that part of her all to well. She needed to tell him to let her go, that he couldn't look for her. She needed to tell him to look after Piper, and to look after himself. That he was always too good for her, and to find a women who would match his compassion and enthusiasm. She needed to explain to him that she loved him as much as a women could love a man, and that was why she needed to leave. He needed to understand that he was in love with their story, their epic love story that ended the way a fairy tale would, but he was not in love with her. She did not sign the letter, but she scribbled one sentence at the bottom of the tear stained page; Look for your Cinderella, not for a happily ever after.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Charlie couldn't breathe. It was like someone had taken his oxygen away from him, and he didn't care. All he cared about was the blue ink that stained the page he was holding. The words that mimicked a hand reaching through his chest and mutilating his heart.

She was gone, for good. Letting a shaky sigh escape his lips he tangled his fingers in his hair. This wasn't happening. None of this was real. It had all been a dream, yes. A cruel and deplorable night mare.

He suddenly felt a slight tug on his pajama bottoms and his watery eyes shifted downward only to land on Piper. Her expression was etched with worry and you could tell she was close to tears.

Just then something shifted inside of him, something clicked. Instead of seeing Piper pulling on his leg, he saw Virginia. She was sitting across the cafe with her nose glued to the spine of a book. Her eyes raked over the pages with such intensity that it lead you to believe the page was about to vanish.

She had her dirty blond loose waves pulled into a messy pony tail which was dangling on her back and her petite frame seemed to be swallowed whole by the over-sized t-shirt that hung on her shoulders. She was perfect. Everything about her was infallible. From way she squinted her eyes at her book, to she made the world vanish. When he was looking at her, everything was irrelevant.

Unconsciously, his legs began to move in a robotic manner towards the table she was occupying. As if she noticed his presence, her eyes slowly rose from the book until they met his.

It was that moment that they exchanged an emotion that a million words couldn't describe. His brain kept notifying his heart that she was the one. Yet no one had said a single word. Both of their mouths opened and closed until she smiled slightly looking down at her now closed book.

In exasperation he sunk into the chair and brought his hands onto his face.

In silence she slowly lifted herself from the chair and slung her bag over her shoulder. She had walked about three steps before she turned around and looked at his still dumbstruck expression. Her shy smile quickly turned into one of amusement.

"I'll meet you here at 6:00?" She asked adjusting the strap of the bag on her shoulder. Unable to conjure up any words, he nodded his head in urgent manner in fear that she might change her mind. Her quiet, feminine, laugh filled the air between them and she offered a slight wave before stepping out onto the street.

That was their 'once upon a time', and he'd be damned if they didn't get their happily ever after.