The Smallest Parallel

Chapter 9

Geoffrey was quite puzzled by the look on Maggie's face. As he tried to read her expression, he noticed small changes take place behind her eyes as her mind worked. She frowned as she watched him from across the kitchen. He wasn't sure what was bothering her, and he thought to himself that he deserved a rewind. He desperately wished to travel to exactly forty minutes and twelve seconds prior to his opening the door.  Back to the cafe and to the wild world that Marguerite had woven for both of them.

Maggie crossed the kitchen, closing the space between them that had been his only consolation. She wrapped her arms around him, resting her hand on his lower back and causing him to panic. Unlike normal people, Geoffrey wasn't remotely comfortable with his significant other touching him intimately.

Geoffrey imagined himself on the edge of a cliff, a cold wind biting at his exposed skin as he faced his doom. Tears stung in his eyes, but he truly believed that he'd rather be here than in the uninviting arms of his girlfriend, another difficult conversation awaiting him. He considered leaning too far over the edge or even attempting a cannonball. Jagged rocks stared back up at him, and he realized that even in his fantasies, he found a way to subject himself to torture.

Perhaps he'd rather face reality. Cowardice was truly about settling for the lesser of two evils.

            It was during this painfully awkward hug that Maggie finally decided to tell Geoffrey what was on her mind.

            "I spoke to your mother, Geoffrey."

He froze in her embrace, the walls of his mind constricting as he narrowed his focus.

"How did she find you?"

Maggie sighed, her shoulders falling. She pulled away from him, a painfully sympathetic frown settling between her nose and her chin.

"I had forgotten my ID, so I returned to the apartment. She was waiting for me outside. She introduced herself and I invited her inside to wait for you. That's when she told me she already spoke to you. She told me that you're depressed. I just... don't understand Geoff. I thought we were happy. This isn't how I wanted to meet your mother..."

She trailed off, taking a deep breath. Her words had come out quickly and messily. He saw tears begging to escape as she stared at him expectantly. Then she continued to speak.

"Am I not enough? I don't understand. You never speak, Geoff. You only listen... And you don't know how to say what you feel. It's ridiculous ...

Geoff attempted a word. "I-"

He was abruptly cut off.

"And who is Marguerite? Why did your mother keep bringing up Marguerite? You've never said anything about this girl. How am I supposed to live with a stranger?"

There it was. This was, in fact, the real reason Maggie had been upset. Maggie was many things. She was self-absorbed, pretentious, and mostly cared about appearances. However, she was not stupid. She noticed when something was off. She was aware that Geoffrey wasn't contributing anything to the relationship. She ignored this because she enjoyed the security and status that came with being in a relationship.

But this was the last straw.

A ship can only sink so much before the walls start leaking, and Maggie had been drowning for months.

Geoffrey's hands shook at his sides. He didn't want to speak. He was tired, and an explanation wouldn't be enough to gloss over months of discomfort and avoidance.

She turned her back on him.

"I'll be back in a few days to get my things. I can't be here right now. Please get help."