Poisonous Love

Alonzo Auclair

Searching through my bag my cigarettes were nowhere to be seen, the deeper I looked into my bag the sweatier my palms got. Until I finally felt the rectangular object in the center of my hand. The tension ebbed away; relief greeted me with a warm embrace of an old friend. I flick the cap of my lighter and immediately light my cigarette. I started the car and rolled down the window and let the wind blow in my face.

The sunset was beautiful it was as if the sky were a faucet, slowly draining the vibrant colors into a vacuum of nothingness. I pulled into the drive that had a division that divided the two colored houses. I drive towards Mykell's side and park near the front porch, I get out of the car hand Mykell the keys, and don't bother looking back at him.

"So, are you just going to ignore me then, is that how it is?" he snarled. I continue to walk not looking back at him.

"Fine, game on." He scoffed and walked away. I don't know what was wrong with me, but whatever happened was not happening again. 

The rest of the night I could sleep. I kept twisting and turning. I scroll through my contacts and stop at Aria's name; we haven't spoken in a week, but I don't want to disturb her. 

I press dial, the phone rings. I waited for a while and right before I was about to end, she picked up.

"Alonzo."

"Aria."

The only sound was the faint, distant hum of the phone line.

Each passing second seemed to stretch into eternity, filled with unspoken words. It was as if the very airwaves were holding their breath, waiting for someone to break the silence, to bridge the gap that had inexplicably formed.

The awkwardness settled in like an unwelcome guest, filling the spaces between us. It was a heavy, almost suffocating feeling, a weight pressing down on both ends of the line.

We both knew that something needed to be said, some thread to pick up and reweave the tapestry of conversation. But the words seemed to elude us, dancing just beyond the edge of reach, teasing with their elusiveness.

Finally, a hesitant voice broke through the quiet, its timbre raw with vulnerability. "So... how's the weath-"

"Alonzo, this needs to stop."

The words acted as a catalyst, shattering the silence like a fragile glass. My eyes widened in surprise. The words that came thourgh before me were so unexpected, so utterly beyond the realm of what I had anticipated. 

I tried to find words, to articulate the maelstrom of thoughts and emotions that churned within me. But my tongue felt heavy, as if it were made of lead, refusing to obey the commands of my racing mind.

Time hung in suspension, a breathless pause in the narrative of my life. Slowly, as if through sheer determination, I managed to find my voice "That's it?"

"Yes."

"So what, mister white boy pulled up to your porch?" With a dismissive huff, I scoffed.

"No Alonzo, it's not about Jaydon. I had made it clear that this was going to stop whenever one of us put a halt onto it. Matter of fact it's been going on for way too long. Fake-dating to make that fool jealouse who shouldn't even be on my mind. It's pathetic."

"Right, I forgot everything here starts with him and ends with him." a short breath was heard on the other side but no verbal communication came out, for split minute "This number is no longer of use. You can delete it." The call concluded with a resolute click, leaving an echoing emptiness.

I had entered into this charade with Aria with a practiced nonchalance, convinced it was all just a performance. Yet, as she declared an end to it, I felt an unexpected pang of disappointment settle in my chest. The ease with which she terminated the arrangement left me grappling with a sense of loss I hadn't anticipated.