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Chapter 44 - Names That Still Shake Me

Don't think I didn't try. I looked for a cure. I met new people, touched new skin—just like you did. 

But still… I feel like I'm losing 1-0. Every time.

God, I want a vacation. I want the sea, the sand, and the sky. 

I want you. 

I want a luxury life. A jet. I want to travel the world. The list never ends. 

Dreaming is beautiful, isn't it?

One evening, I went out to dinner with friends. We were at a restaurant when suddenly, a woman shouted, "Chris, stop!" 

A fist clenched in my throat. I couldn't turn around. My hands started trembling. 

"What are the odds?" I thought. "He couldn't possibly be here. If he were, he'd call me."

Then I heard a man yell, "Chris, come here!"—and seconds later, the sound of a child laughing. 

Oh God. It was a child. 

Still, my hand kept shaking. For a moment, I felt like I was a regret-filled woman from a movie—facing her past love after years of silence. 

It was too much. This coincidence exhausted me.

But Chris is a common name. Why was I so shaken? 

We still talk on the phone sometimes. Brief calls. Enough to know we're both still alive. 

And honestly, maybe that's all we needed.

I excused myself and went to the restroom. Looking in the mirror, I saw my face was red. One of my friends came to check on me. "Hey, are you okay?" 

"No," I replied. "I think my stomach's upset. I need some fresh air."

I stepped outside. My heart was still racing. 

What was that? I've never felt it again—not like that. 

I've come to accept some things. And I know now: there's no way you were there that night. Impossible.

I guess I'm thirty-two now. You must be thirty-three. 

A year from now, we'll both be married—to other people. 

Won't we?

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