The Art of Breaking

We came to a stop and Ryan chuckled as I still held my eyes tight shut. He placed my feet on the ground but I still had my arms wound around his neck. “Lacey,” Ryan breathed and I opened my eyes slowly. Ryan’s face was right there and he was looking at me almost in a daze.

I dropped my arms so that my hands were on his chest. His heart was beating so hard and fast that I could feel it through his shirt. I closed my eyes feeling this magnetic pull towards Ryan. I could feel his breath hit my face lightly. Then all of a sudden his warmth was gone. I opened my eyes and saw him walking up to his house. He turned to me smiling as if he didn’t feel anything. “Come on, Lacey,” he called and waved me over. I ran over to him and then followed him inside.

“So what do you want me to do?” I asked.

Ryan looked at the kitchen for a second before answering me. “Well, you could wash the dishes, then the laundry I guess,” he replied and walked past me. He took his shirt off and threw it into a laundry basket that was sitting next to the washer. “I’m going to go mow the grass,” Ryan said kind of to himself and then went outside. I felt my heart sink and it surprised me. Why was I feeling this way? I made my way over to the sink and started washing the dishes.

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After I finished the dishes I went over to the cabinet and pulled out two glasses, a small one for me and a tall one for Ryan. I filled them both with ice and then poured some tea into them. Ryan had to be thirsty. The sun was shining down mercilessly and his lawn was pretty big.

I carried the glasses to the front door and pushed it open with my hip. The sun was so bright that after being in that dim house I was blinded. I squinted my eyes and looked down the porch spotting some wooden chairs and a small wooden drink table. I placed the glasses there and went to go get Ryan.

I could hear the lawn mower still going. It sounded like he was in back of the house. I walked down the porch steps being careful not to trip. The sun was hot as it touched my skin and I could feel the beads of sweat beginning to form.

Usually on a beautiful day like this you could hear birds and see beautifully colored butterflies flying around, but not today. I noticed now that I could see no signs of life. There wasn’t a single bird, insect, or any animal in sight and as I walked around the house there was no sign of Ryan either. There was only his lawnmower sill going.