Flowers//Elavan

~16~

Typically, you would expect a married couple in their prime years to be sweet and affectionate towards each other. It wasn't unusual to see them holding hands or wrapping each other's arms around their shoulders. Random kisses on the cheek and unnecessary make out sessions in public commonly came with each young married couple. That was absolutely normal even if it did get quite uncalled for at times.

What is unconventional was for a husband to be watching his wife from afar. It wasn't normal that a wife would be stuck in an isolated, crestfallen room with cobwebs of dishonesty and the musk of betrayal hanging over her head. Avan should not have to be waving through a window like his wife had some sort of contagious virus. It just wasn't fair.

But it didn't matter how unjust it was to them, Avan and Liz had to deal with the circumstances.

Everyday during his lunch break, Avan would stand outside her window. He would lightly tap on the glass and wave even if she never once looked up to see him. She saw him and that was all that mattered. He knew that from how her blue irises would move slightly towards the direction he was in. She did it in a very subtle manner but he was his husband, he had every inch of her memorized.

Liz could not fool herself. She missed him just as much as he seemed to miss her, especially now that the earlier parts of their relationship was starting to come back to her. Her hands ached to hold his face the way she used to when he intentionally hit the wrong note in the piano just to spend more time with her. There was nothing she wanted more than to lay her head on his shoulder as he whispered all those sweet shenanigans in her ears, talking about how much she meant to him and how he wanted to be able to show her. She wanted to run barefoot over the grassy fields of that intimate park they always used to hang out in and end up being swung up in the air by his strong muscular arms.

However, she wasn't sure she would be too comfortable doing all those things with him after how he lied to her. The mere thought of him made her heart race erratically and whether it was because he hurt her so or she missed him, she couldn't give an answer to.

If she said she was still angry at him, Liz would be lying to herself as well. The wrath has worn off by now. She just wasn't sure if she necessarily wanted him so near her after the weight of his fault.

Day after day, she had to hold herself back from looking at Avan when he waved through her window. She couldn't allow herself to vulnerably crawl back into his arms, not when she needed time to herself. Liz wanted to keep herself company for a few days just so she could think things through, to figure out what to do and to process information.

She would peek through hooded eyelids at him and everyday feel the same ache. He would stand there with so much hope gleaming in his eyes, wishing that maybe today she would let him back in, and each day she would watch as the sparkle in his eyes flickered and he would slowly walk away. That small, defeated smile he had on his face always found its way to strangle her heart with guilt.

"Hi, pumpkin. You haven't had a single bite of your lunch."

Liz looks up to see the same matronly black woman who always came to collect her meal trays. She always made small talk with her and it was such a nice thing for her patients.

"I wasn't hungry," she shrugs sheepishly. "Sorry, Gloria."

Gloria gives her an empathetic look, "You're missing your husband, aren't you?"

Liz purses her lips and raises her eyebrows before nodding.

"Honey, he misses you too, probably too much for his own good," she informs her. "You two used to be the envy of everyone. Your love was unlike any other, so don't you worry. It'll all work out in the end."

As the matronly presence left the room, Liz sighs to herself. She prayed what Gloria told her would come true. It wasn't like she wanted things to stay like this forever. Obviously, she yearned for things between her and Avan to be okay again.

Again, she was snapped out of her thoughts as another tap on the window came. She knew exactly who it was because nobody else ever did that. Liz planned on doing the same thing she did everyday but something inside her just wasn't going to have that.

If she remembers all the movies she's watched, she knew that in their wedding vows, they've promised each other love, loyalty, faithfulness and honesty. Avan may have been dishonest to her for the past few weeks, but she hasn't exactly been too generous with her love and loyalty. It wasn't reasonable for her to hang on to how he broke his vow when she hasn't kept her end of the promise, even if it wasn't her fault.

So before Avan could walk away defeatedly again like he did for the past few days, Liz looks up slowly. She subtly nods her head in a direction, silently indicating that he should come in.
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made the mistake of listening to The Next Ten Minutes from The Last Five Years and now I'm feeling more single than ever ✨

Hope you enjoyed this. Don't be afraid to comment down your thoughts! Lots of love! Be kind, y'all!