Layla couldn't differ anymore between her tears and the rain.
She just stood there while watching her ex walking away through teary eyes, her sight blurred and she could barely even see him anymore.
"You can't do this to me Ian! Please!!" she yells, he wasn't even giving her a second look or even simply stops in his tracks. She didn't know what to do at that moment. What should she do? He was her first love, her first boyfriend, her first everything!
She couldn't do anything, honestly. They've planned a future together. Not just her, he spoke about their future too, how much he loves and cherishes her, how he knows he wants to grow old with her in a house they build in a different country at some riverside small and woody village.
But he chose to give up. He chose to run away and leave her alone. He chose to believe she was meaningless to him. Layla wasn't enough for him.
Layla was sitting in the bus station in front of Ian's workplace for an hour. She couldn't find the strength to get up and enter the bus and get home. It was already 23:16 and the dark sky and clouds merged together.
A sudden honk pulls her out of her thoughts and she sees another bus, this time with a familiar face. She sees the bus driver she usually greets every day after work when she is on her way home. She gathers her strength and gets up and into the bus.
"Are you okay, Miss?" he asks, he wasn't very used to see her drenched by the rain, mascara leaving a trail from her eyes to her cheeks.
The bus was quite empty, maybe just a couple people in the back, so she didn't even bother to fix her looks. "I'm... not." she manages to reply, holding her tears back again.
The bus driver sighed and flashed a comforting smile to her, "whatever it is, just know it is a part of god's plan. Try to be strong and know it happened for your own good."
The route to her apartment is quite long, so it was past midnight when she finally unlocked the door of her apartment and walked in, kicking her shoes off and throwing her bag on the floor.
She takes a look at her messy apartment, clothes everywhere, her bed looks like someone died in it and the body was already taken, leaving just a sign of the body being in it. Her kitchen sink filled with dishes she didn't take care of since the day Ian left their shared apartment.
Layla knew she's going to have to tell her parents about this soon. She hated dealing with her parents. Her mom was always the comforting one, but also the one to fall deeply into bad energy and negative thoughts and cry out her misery. Her father was... well, she could only describe as difficult. He immediately blames her if something bad happens and she knew he'd do it now too, and maybe only after a day or two she will hear comforting words. He'll first make her go through more hell, which she's already putting herself in seven times more, then tells her he's there for her. She scoffed at that, no wonder I was attracted to a man like Ian, she thought.
Ian was a softy, he was unlike her father in most ways. He seemed gentle, loving, mature, he didn't believe in resulting to violence when something doesn't go his way, unlike her father.
Her father used to solve everything with violence when she did something wrong, which usually would be her older sister framing her or simply a child making a mistake without thinking like children do, but obviously that is not enough for him.
But they both excelled in some shared aspects. Both were very manipulative, making her believe she is the problem, she is doing wrong and they know best or at least are the victims in a situation they created. They would make her apologize for the smallest things, like sharing her feelings or something she went through during the day. I mean, that is if they even listened. Sometimes they made her repeat her sentences more than 4 times for them to finally hear her and pay attention.
Layla pulled her phone and saw 6 missed calls from her best friend, Caia. Shit.
Caia knew what's going on between Layla and Ian and she knew they're going to talk today after work. She made sure hours prior to the encounter that Layla remembers to call her when they end their conversation and let her know what's going on.
She opens her phone and sees more than 10 messages as well from Caia.
21:43: Hey, did you meet? lmk.
21:59: Dude, just let me know everything okay, ok?
21:59: And don't forget to call me when you're done!
22:00: Everything will be fine, he'll come to his senses, and if not then fuck him.
22:00: Fuck him and his friends and his family and he's ugly ass dog okay?
22:35: Hey... where you at? answer my call.
22:52: Layla, this isn't funny!
22:52: Answer my calls!
22:52: You better not be doing something terrible!
22:52: If you'll kill yourself I'll kill you!
22:52: I swear! Just call me you idiot.
23:01: Eliz, jesus, just answer now!
23:01: Where the fuck are you Elizabeth?!
23:01: I can't believe that fucker blocked me!
23:02: I texted Ian to see if you're still with him, can you just let me know what's going on?!
Just as Layla was about to text her back, Caia called again. She took in a deep breath and answered.
"... if she isn't- Layla?! is that you?! are you okay?" a frantic Caia is heard on the other end.
"I'm home" Layla's voice was weak, broken.
Caia was so ready to scream at Layla, she was ready to break her skull through the phone, but once she heard her best friend's voice she just sighed. "Is it over?"
Layla nodded even though she knew her friend could not see her, "it's over".
"I'm on my way".
YOU ARE READING
At The Beginning Of Spring
RomanceThis is the first winter Layla is spending on her own. Her cold apartment and quiet neighborhood suddenly seem lonelier. She went through a tough breakup and plans her life ahead now, trying to be stronger and heal from her wounds. But as soon as t...
