He's a gallery curator with a fetish for perfection. No one's ever gotten close to him; how could they? They're never as perfect as the portraits, the sculptures, the art that never changes. Trust did not come easy for him.
Then one day, an intern...
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As Jessica strolled into the park, she noticed the slight breeze rustle the leaves making them fall to the solid ground one by one. She made her way over to a vacant bench set a little away from the hustle and bustle of kids and families. Looking up at the tree that once served as shade for the bench area, she noticed that the leaves that once filled the branches had almost all fallen. Down they come like multicolored rain. Golds, reds and browns. Then her eyes caught the movement of one particular leaf, as it made it's final journey to the earth. It fell in a graceful tumbling motion, seeking the least resistance from the autumnal air.
An excited and happy squeal caused her to turn and look at a little as she ran by. A broad smile on her face as she was being chased by her father. Jessica watched as the man effortlessly catch the little girl, lifting her into the air causing her to release another round of happy squeals.
Her eyes moved from them to a young couple curled up together with a blanket draped around them. They both seem to be sharing the same book. The woman looked up at her partner and he rewarded her with a kiss. Jessica closed her eyes and looked away.
Loves seem to come easy to everyone else but me. I don't understand.
Loneliness sounds like such an easy thing to fix, find a friend, reach out to someone who cares. Yet every time she let someone in the pain and disappointment was never far behind. There are nights it takes a hold of her. Growing steadily until it dominated her emotions, she would lie awake wishing for daylight to come. Somehow the light of day always made things a bit more OK.
Javier's betrayal had cut her deep. It came as a surprise blow to her already insecure emotions. At work she put on her bravest face, pretending everything was alright, simply because she didn't want him knowing just how badly she was affected. The truth is she was very much falling apart. What made it worse was she wanted comfort, from him. For the sake of her pride though she resisted the urge when he was near.
“Fancy running into you here”
Jessica turn at the sudden intrusion of her quiet internal battlefield. She did not expect to see Bethany standing there. Suddenly her self pity was replaced by anger and she clenched her hands into a fist where they laid on her lap.
“May I help you?” She replied in a chill tone
“Yes. You can start by stop trying to sabotage my marriage.” Said Bethany as she sent her a pointed glare.
“Marriage implies you would have already gone through the bells and whistles and entire trimming that comes with the ceremony. Last I checked you don't even have a ring on your finger”
“Thanks to you!”
“How is any of this my fault? Last I checked I'm the one being chased, but tell me Bethany, who's chasing you?”
The other woman look livid, ready to strike out at any minute. Jessica braced herself for it.
