Babineaux Bléu

3

No Fool, No Fun

Siani rolled onto her stomach and adjusted the view of her tablet screen to better see Anel in the midst of their conversation.

"Parle moi-Talk to me. What's wrong?" She asked.

They were laughing and sharing stories a moment ago, but then Anel's demeanor gradually changed into one of solemn.

"I'm just tired of missing you." He began. "I'm tired of feeling like this."

"Feeling like what?"

"Miserable."

Her heart lurched in her chest. His words were sudden and completely doused with an innuendo that she couldn't miss if she tried.

"I love you, but this is hard, Siani. Are you sure we can do this?" He asked, doubtfully. She couldn't stomach his words. Each one hit her like stone.

"I really hate that you're asking me this."

"It's been five months. How do you think it'll be two more down the line? I wouldn't be able to bear it."

"Anel—"

"I'm only asking because I don't want either of us to get hurt."

Her brows furrowed. "Who would get hurt? I've only been faithful to you. Where is this coming from? Is there something you're not telling me?" She instantly got a bad feeling in her gut. She didn't know where he was going with this.

"My heart is with you, you know that, but we need to talk about this if it means softening the blow of a hypothetical reality."

Hypothetical reality? "Anel..." She paused. "Why do I feel like you're arranging our breakup?" The anxiety was slowly chipping away at her resolve.

"I'm trying to protect our hearts. Think about it. We haven't had any form of contact with one another in a month. What did that do to you? I know it messed with my head. I hated thinking that you were with someone else, their arms wrapped around you, holding you, touching you. I'm not around you every day. I don't have the luxury of waking up next to you and seeing your face in the mornings."

Siani shook her head. "I would never do that to you."

"La réalité est plus étrange que la fiction-Truth is stranger than fiction."

"And what does that mean?" She said with attitude.

"It means, where's your ring? Do you have it on now? Because you didn't have it on the last time we talked."

Her expression softened and she looked down at her fourth finger where her promise ring once resided.

"I lost it," She muttered guiltily. During the process of her moving out of her dorm, it slipped off her finger and seemingly vanished into the floor. With the help of friends, she searched high and low for the gold band, but never found it. She nearly cried over losing it because it held sentimental value and also because it wasn't cheap.

When Siani visited Anel that summer, he gifted her with a ring on their two year anniversary, vowing to wait for her until she graduated and the two consummated their relationship that same night, becoming one of the most memorable nights of Siani's life.

Anel had mixed feelings. He didn't want to think that Siani would ever lie to him, but her neglect to tell him about it gave him reason to assume otherwise.

"Me dites-vous la vérité?-Are you telling the truth?"

"Oui-Yes. Why would I need to lie? What happened to trust?" She couldn't even properly get upset at his need to question her honesty, she was caught off guard. She felt like he was purposely trying to pick a fight with her.