My Gray, Your Neon

Chapter Six

"Gosh, I feel like I'm reading one of those Japanese high school love mangas. Congratulations on your first kiss!" Susan does her dramatic applause.

"Stop it." Lily covers her face in embarrassment. "I should have never told you."

"Oh, come on. You know I love you."

"I know." Lily puts down her hands and smiles at her friend.

"Honestly, I am so happy for you Lily," Susan says, reaching to hold Lily's hands.

Lily smiles and holds back.

"It's so nice to see your smile again."

Lily lowers her head, "I know."

The sky is extra blue again today. Lily walks on the street. She sees her reflection in a shop window beside the mannequins. She sees a smile, a smile so familiar yet strange. A smile just like Andrew's.

She gets home that day and Andrew seems to be away. There is a note on the fridge saying he will be back in a couple days. He seems to be busy these days.

Lily sits down on the couch. She runs her fingers along the statue hoping for Andrew to appear suddenly again.

There is a knock on the door.

Lily feels a rush across her body. She jumps up to open the door.

It's a face of a man she doesn't know.

Lily couldn't control her disappointment, "Hi..."

"Hey," the man says, noticing Lily's disappointment, "sorry if this isn't a good time I can come back later."

"No, it's fine." She controls her expression and smiles. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Oh, I just moved in down the hall," the man says, pointing at a room near the end of the corridor. "Wanted to drop by and say hi."

Lily looks a little stunned, "I thought that room was occupied already," she says, double checking the room he is pointing at. That's indeed Andrew's room.

"Oh, the landlord told me it's been empty for a while now, no?"

"Oh..." Lily's brain starts to hurt again, she massages her temples, "I'm sorry, I must have been confused."

She forces a smile onto her face and says goodbye to her new neighbor.

The moment she closes her door, the electromagnetic waves are screaming again. She slides down to the floor trying to comprehend what's going on.

She takes out her phone, scrolling through her contacts list.

No Andrew.

I don't even have his number.

Her phone drops from her hand. She cuddles her knees like a baby, tears dripping down her face.

She presses Susan's number.

"Hello, love bird!" a bright voice breaks the screams. Lily's tears are unstoppable now.

"Susan..." she manages to call out in her shaky voice.

"Honey, what's going on?" Susan sounds worried now.

Lily wants to tell her but she just can't stop crying.

"Are you at home? I'm coming now. Honey it will be fine, wait for me."

"I'm at home," Lily tries to hold back her tears and manages to squeeze out these words.

Lily doesn't know how long she cried but she bursts into even more tears when she sees Susan's face appear in front of her door. Susan hugs her tightly, telling her repeatedly that it's ok, everything will be ok.

She doesn't know how long it lasted before she calmed down. Susan is sitting beside her on the couch, stroking her shoulders.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"He's gone," Lily says.

"What?!"

Lily's tears well up again. Susan holds back her questions. She hugs her tightly.

"He just left?" Susan asks again after Lily stabilizes.

Lily hands Susan the memo that was left on the fridge.

Susan looks at it and she bites her lower lips.

"Lily..." she pauses, somewhat hesitant.

Lily looks up at Susan.

"I don't think this is from Andrew," she says, unable to look Lily in the eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"It's the same note you showed me, when he left."

Lily hears the electromagnetic waves again, blocking out every other noise. She can see Susan moving her lips saying something but she can't hear a single word. She covers her ears but the buzzing is too loud. Susan's face blacks out in front of her eyes.