ʟᴏꜱᴛ ʟᴏᴠᴇ

46

😛

Khyson

The morning after-

I woke with a smile, ready to engulf Ariya into my arms. I licked my chapped lips and rolled onto my side. Cracking my eyes open, I reached my arm out until it fell forward. I could only feel the sheet.

"Ariya?" I whispered. Fully opening my eyes and sitting up. The bed beside me was neatly made up, like she was never there.

I whipped my head in the direction of the bathroom, the door was open and the lights were off. My boxers and shirt folded at the end of the bed. Her dress and gown gone.

"No, no, no, no, no." I mumbled while jumping off the mattress. I stumbled into the bathroom and looked for any evidence of her.

One black hair tie on the counter behind the sink. I walked up to it and held the fabric between my fingers. I brought the object up to my nose and inhaled.

It smelled exactly like her strawberry shampoo.

I rolled it onto my wrist and walked back out into the room.

I picked up my shirt and held it to my nose. Her candy perfume inhaling my nostrils.

I rummaged around my room for any note, any evidence, any piece of her that could remind me that she was here.

I walked up to my side table and picked up the framed picture of us.

We were around ten or eleven. My grandma took us to an amusement park as my grandfather watched her brothers.

I was holding a candy apple out to her as she took a bite out of it. I was laughing while her eyes squinted in happiness.

I set it down and walked into the hallway, down and stairs and opened the front door. Glancing out at the sunny day, the sun shined and the grass was green.

"Oh, Ariya." I brought my arm up so the hair tie touched my face.

"Ariya." I watched William drop his flowers and tuck the black box into his pant pocket, I wonder if Ariya had seen it?

"So this is who you're fucking!? I knew it!"

"Shhh! William, please Rylan is sleeping." She begged as her arm left my wrist and she rounded the corner to near his body.

"Ariya, we were on a break. A break! I love you." He spoke.

"William, why didn't you call? Text? Knock?"

"I did knock, and buzzed. I thought you were sleeping, I thought I'd surprise you? But you were clearly just fucking your boss."

"William it's not wh-"

"Did you ever love me?" I watched Ariya's body tense as she looked up at him.

"Of course I did." She spoke.

"I knew this relationship was one sided. I tried so hard but you never loved me. You know why I was here?" He pulled out the black box and her eyes widened.