a journey of self-discovery, independence and learning that maybe, just maybe, being single isn't so bad after all
HOW TO BE SINGLE
SIDEMEN
(SIMON, CHRIS & LEWIS)
DEATHLIES 2017
(inspired by the movie how to be single)
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Adela's entire heart ached as she carried the last box to her car. She didn't have many boxes, but this one was probably her most prized. It was filled to the brim of books. Books she loved, adored, had yet to read, and had read a dozen times cover to cover. They were her life force.
The very essence of her being, the soul essence of her being now that Simon decided that now, of all times, was the best time to take a break for a little self-discovery.
She wasn't a violent person, but god did she want to punch him in his pretty little face.
He couldn't see through the smiles and the kisses she gave him just before he'd left her stood there. Not even after knowing her for such a long time, seeing her almost every day for years, and he couldn't even ask her how she was feeling.
She almost dropped the box as she balanced it on her knee, trying to move the other boxed around to accommodate for the largest one of all.
Adela didn't take any of the furniture. That was all Simon's. But she took everything that she'd ever decorated the house with, including the photographs of them, leaving only one pinned to the fridge.
If she'd been a spiteful kind of girl, she would have ripped them all up and set them on fire, leaving only the ashes for Simon to find. But, Adela was sweet and simple and liked memories too much to bring herself to do it.
Yes, she'd thought about it, but it hurt too much.
Adela loved Simon too much.
"Fuck," She hissed as the box tumbled sideways, falling onto the ground and a few books tumbling out into the dirt. Instantly, she fell to her knees, scrabbling to pick them up, checking for damage and praying that there were no tears.
It was only when the final book was in her hands did she realise that she was shaking and that her cheeks were wet and her entire body felt drained of life.
She swallowed the lump in her throat, her hand smoothing over the top of the old, battered copy of Jane Eyre, and sat there on the curb just letting herself cry, properly cry, for the first time since Simon had told her... told her how he needed a break.
And, in a strange way, it felt good, but it made it all real and potent.
Why wasn't she enough for him?
"Hey, are you ok?" A voice from behind her asked, filled with concern and worry and probably a little bit of curiosity as to why a girl was sat on the side of the road with tears clouding her vision.
Adela turned her head to look up at him, smiling slightly, crookedly even. "Yeah, I'm fine," She croaked out, but he wasn't buying it and there was the soft side to him that made him sit down right next to her whilst she looked on.
"So, do you want to talk about it?" He questioned and Adela looked at him once more, her eyes flickering all over his face from his dark hair, to his sharp jawline, to his soft, warm brown eyes that creased in the corners as he smiled encouragingly at her.
"You're a stranger. You don't care," She replied, looking away with tinted cheeks.
"I'm Lewis," He shot back, grinning at her. "And, if I didn't care, I wouldn't have asked."
"It's a long story, but I'm Adela."
"That's a pretty name," Lewis told her, but she didn't smile this time. She carried on staring down at the battered book in her hands.
"Thanks," She mumbled and then, after a pause, said, "My boyfriend broke up with me and I don't know why."
"Surely there's a reason?" He ran a hand through his hair. She could feel his eyes burning into her and that was exactly why she couldn't look him in the eye.
"Not a good one."
"Then it's not worth it, is it?"
"What?" She frowned down at her hands.
"Then it's not worth it."
"But it is."
Lewis put a hand on her shoulder as he stood up. "I should get going. My friend's expecting me, but try not to dwell on that sucker if he dumped you because he's selfish." He gave her a wink, which she did not see, and she sat there until she couldn't hear his footsteps anymore.
Then she got up, put her box in the car, and drove away.
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She practically fell into her mother's arms when she got home, sobbing into her shoulder and wishing she'd been a little more determined to hold onto what, or who, she loved.
"Oh Adela," Her mother murmured into her hair. "My sweet Adela."
