He Left With No GoodBye

"This stuff is great Bernard truely great. We want you to do a book tour."
"No book tour you know that."
"Bernard what is stopping you this time?"
"If I go on that road I won't come back at all, you won't get another book, leave me in New York City and that's it."
"You are killing me." Bernie's publisher sat in front of him holding onto loose papers of drawings.
Bernie looked at his phone and saw a new message from Jazmine. He was growing bored with her and decided to let her know at that moment.
"Have you worked on the next chapter?"
"Huh?" He looked up from his phone and saw the face of Shawn on his character.
"Volume, issue number two, she needs to come back. Finish off what she couldn't here start something new Bernard. Work on it. I'll give you a call in a couple of days to discuss the release of your book."
Bernie stood up to shake his hand and walked out the building. Spring air kicked in and he knew where she would be. He had seen her there before and never stopped to say hello, not breaking into her peace.
He walked into Central Park and found the spot behind the stage and up the stairs. It lie underneath columns of tree trunks vined together. She never looked up at him.
Bernie sat across from her taking his sketch pad out and drawing her at her best. The light hitting her hair and the bangles on her wrist.
"I see you...hope you know that."
"Now I do."
She finally looked up at him, her hair pushed out of her face as she stared him down.
He smiled at her. "How long have you known?"
"Since you started basically. You aren't hard to spot though you pretty much wear the same jeans all the time."
He laughed because he thought he got away from her glances.
"Why are you stalking me?"
"Because your face is going all over the world my friend."
"I'm not your friend and what do you mean by that?"
Bernie got up to sit next to her. He opened his sketch pad and showed her the drawings of her.
"You are my prize kiddo, the ticket to graphic novel fame."
"You didn't get my consent though."
"It is not actually you though, just your body per se, and maybe a little bit of your attitude."
Shawn looked down at the cartoon and felt a smile form on her face.
"I do look hot there."
"Exactly!" He paused a beat before he spoke aloud. "So are you writing a love story about me and you?"
"No why would I write about that?" His heart did a back flip in his chest as his smile froze on his face.
"Me and you are getting married one day Shawn just remember that."
Shawn snorted and put a disgusting face on.
"Are you back to that again? I don't want you and that is because I have someone already."
"Oh really? Is your imaginary boyfriend sitting next to you now?"
"No he is at work."
"How come I never met him?"
"Because you don't mean anything for you to meet him Bernard!"
"Do I crawl under your skin?" He caressed her arm and she felt the goosebumps rise making her hair stand.
She quickly stood up dropping her notebook and pencil but picked it up from the floor. Her hair was now in her face and her skin became red.
"Yes you crawl so far up my skin that sometimes I want to rip my skin open and pick you out. Like a flea on a dog!"
"Are you the dog in this scenario?"
"AHHH" He laughed at her as she stormed away from him and across the sandbox.
He got up and followed her trying to match her speed.
"Aw wait come back I'm sorry, we don't have to get married in ten years, I can wait twenty if it means your by my side."
A woman gave him an adoring look and he stopped to talk to her.
"I proposed to her and she said no but I saw yes flashing across her eyes, she's scared that poor thing I love her like a thousand burning suns."
"That's romantic, wine and dine her. Show her you love her."
"I do everyday, this is the game we play, lovers quarrel." He said farewell to the lady and ran to find Shawn.
She was hiding behind a tree catching her breath when he stopped in front of her.
"Get away from me it is bad enough I have to live with you now I have to see you this close to me. I'm going to throw up on you if you don't move."
"Why the hostility?"
He hugged her and picked her up from the floor. He walked away with her in his arms and she screamed to let her go.
"So what's your boyfriends name?"
"Don't worry about it okay? I don't ask you when was the last time you saw what's-her-face."
"It was probably about a week ago. I ended it today...oh she text me back too."
He took out his phone to see the four messages she left him.
"You broke up with her via text?"
"Yeah, it was boring me, I want more and she just reminded me of something I can't have."
"Which is?"
She sat on the grass across from him stretching out her legs and slipping off her sneakers.
"Oh wouldn't you like to know?"