Sequel: The Epilogue ›
A Place on My Pillow
.50
Darren gave her one call to end her friendship with Alex. He stayed in the room to make sure she wasn’t lying to him. So, with shaky fingers, she dialed Alex’s home phone number and waited. One ring. Two rings. Four rings.
Then, just as it was about to cut to the answering machine, Alex answered.
“Hello?”
“Alex? It’s Polly.” She kept her voice monotone so it didn’t shake or give away home much this was killing her.
“Polly? What’s the matter? Listen, we need to talk about the other night.”
“I can’t see you anymore, Alex. We shouldn’t be friends anymore.”
There was a long pause.
“What?”
“You heard me, Alex. We just should not see each other anymore.”
“Is this because of the other night? Because, that doesn’t have to have happened,” Alex is saying, pleading her. Her mind swims with the possibility of never seeing Alex. This can’t be happening, she thinks. He was even worse that the sociopath. “We can forget it altogether.”
“No, Alex. We can’t. We just need to, uhm, we need to stop.”
“Please.”
“I’m sorry.”
He must’ve heard her desperation and sighed. He whispered, “Well, there will always be a place on my pillow, if you need the rest.”
“Thank you,” she whispered in response and then clicked off. She looked up at Darren who nodded and took the phone from her.
“Good girl.”
He left her in the kitchen, staring at her hands and fighting back tears. She hoped that Alex knew that she didn’t mean any of it. She wanted to tear the phone out of Darren’s hands and promise Alex that he still meant that world to her, that she wanted nothing more than to live with him, sleeping in his bed.
Darren left their apartment, forcing her into a kiss before he left.
She could feel her heart breaking, the sensation of being ripped in half from the inside. It was accompanied by wet tears running down her cheeks. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t think. She had essentially just lost her best friend, because some jerk told her to cut him off. She lay down on the cold tile floors and cried, for the second time in as many days. She was pathetic, and she needed Alex.
Then, just as it was about to cut to the answering machine, Alex answered.
“Hello?”
“Alex? It’s Polly.” She kept her voice monotone so it didn’t shake or give away home much this was killing her.
“Polly? What’s the matter? Listen, we need to talk about the other night.”
“I can’t see you anymore, Alex. We shouldn’t be friends anymore.”
There was a long pause.
“What?”
“You heard me, Alex. We just should not see each other anymore.”
“Is this because of the other night? Because, that doesn’t have to have happened,” Alex is saying, pleading her. Her mind swims with the possibility of never seeing Alex. This can’t be happening, she thinks. He was even worse that the sociopath. “We can forget it altogether.”
“No, Alex. We can’t. We just need to, uhm, we need to stop.”
“Please.”
“I’m sorry.”
He must’ve heard her desperation and sighed. He whispered, “Well, there will always be a place on my pillow, if you need the rest.”
“Thank you,” she whispered in response and then clicked off. She looked up at Darren who nodded and took the phone from her.
“Good girl.”
He left her in the kitchen, staring at her hands and fighting back tears. She hoped that Alex knew that she didn’t mean any of it. She wanted to tear the phone out of Darren’s hands and promise Alex that he still meant that world to her, that she wanted nothing more than to live with him, sleeping in his bed.
Darren left their apartment, forcing her into a kiss before he left.
She could feel her heart breaking, the sensation of being ripped in half from the inside. It was accompanied by wet tears running down her cheeks. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t think. She had essentially just lost her best friend, because some jerk told her to cut him off. She lay down on the cold tile floors and cried, for the second time in as many days. She was pathetic, and she needed Alex.