The Unexpected

Rain

The rain kept falling mercilessly, but I did not want to move from that spot. I was thinking like a child who got lost, believing that sooner or later he would come back for me right where he left me.

But it did not happen, and I stood there, lost in a memory. I kept repeating in my mind over and over again what just happened, trying to figure out if I missed something: a glance, a word, a sigh that could tell me more of all I just went through, or if I did something wrong... But nothing. They were all conjectures and nothing more. In the end, the tiredness and hopelessness made me give up. I was already shivering and it was getting dark. All that forced me to turn around and enter my apartment, while I continued crying.

I closed the door and took all my clothes off until I was completely naked. I went to the bathroom and took a towel to dry my hair. Then, as an unconscious movement, I grabbed the sweater I stole from Ben and put it on, and sat by the window.

From there I looked at the street, in the hopes that nothing from before actually happened, and that soon I would see Ben crossing the street to invite me for dinner.

But at the same time, I knew none of that would actually happen as I saw from where I was, the dinner I dropped in the middle of the street to see Ben. There was the evidence, reminding me of all that happened moments ago.

I smelled his sweater, and it still had his scent. I stayed by the window all night. I knew it was so childish for me to do that, but I could not help wishing Ben to return and say it was all a mistake.

At some point, I fell asleep but woke up before dawn. The noise coming from the garbage truck woke me. I saw one of the guys picking up my former dinner from the street and throwing it in the truck... There it went my last evidence of reality... Now everything was in the past.

I did not like this new reality: alone, jobless, and scared of trusting again.

I walked to bed in the hopes of continuing sleeping. I was really hungry by then, but I did not care. I could barely walk those few steps from the window to the bed, but I finally did.

I lay down and looked out the window with the sun showing its first lights... And the rain, oh that rain. I kept staring at those raindrops falling and splashing against the crystal, while others fell from the top of the window as if they were killing themselves.

I saw some of them hanging in there for a few seconds as if they were trying to survive, but it was inevitable. They all let go and killed themselves at the end.

With that thought in mind, I feel asleep again, crawling in Ben's sweater and smelling him during my sleep.

When I opened my eyes again, it was already dark, but nothing had changed, so I closed my eyes again.

I remained like that for much longer. Every time I opened my eyes, it was a different time of the day. I could see it from the color of the sky. Other than that, nothing else mattered to me, and since things remained the same, there was no need for me to change.

At some point, a knock on the door woke me up. It was some time of the day... Afternoon I suppose. I did not want anyone to disturb me. I just wanted to sleep.

After some time, that knock on the door stopped. But I heard someone wrestling with the lock of the door until with some pushes, it opened.

I did not even turn to see who was there or why. I just exhaled and closed my eyes again.

I heard two people talking by the door. A man and a woman.

If you're going to steal something, do it soon. Take everything and go away, I thought. I did not even have the energy or the will to say that out loud.

The man went away and closed the door. I then heard a woman's steps coming towards me.

-Hey- said the lady.

I barely opened my eyes. It was Diane. I just closed my eyes and exhaled again.

Of all the people in the world, it had to be her.

-I came here because I haven't heard from you in days. I called you, I texted you, I came here, and nothing. I got really worried, and I even hired a locksmith to open your door. And now I finally see you here. I've been really worried about you, and I see you haven't gotten up from there for a while.- She mentioned, with concern in her voice.

She then continued saying: -There... There were pictures of the day you two broke up... And for what I can tell, you've been in bed for the past three days.-

Three days... It's been three days since... So long, and yet so little...

I did not even care about the pictures and the paparazzi anymore. I did not care about anything at all.

Since I did not say a word, she sat down and said - I brought food- with a little smile in her face, trying to comfort me.

At that moment, I felt a sting in my stomach. I recollected that I hadn't eaten at all for many days.

I sat down on the bed without looking at her in the eye or even talking. She went to the kitchen to grab a bed table and put it in front of me. She then put chicken soup for me to eat and sat down in a nearby chair.

I grabbed the spoon and had a bite. My stomach writhed in pain, but I knew I had to eat something, even if I did not want to.

While I continued eating, she talked about random things, trying to make me think of anything but the past.

When I finally finished eating, she sat down closer to me and apologized again. This time her apology felt much deeper and honest than the previous one.

I then knew that she would always be there for me, even after a fight, or any mistake she or I would make.

And just like that, in my mere silence, I accepted my friend back into my life.

I was not alone anymore.