Status: active
The Last Time
I
“Mal, don’t be mad at me but I have to cancel tonight. I’m sorry babe, I know I promised we’d go out and do something special but I had a thing come up. I’ll make it up to you, swear.” Mallory sighed and slid left to delete the most recent voice mail that was left on her iphone. She would feel reassured if this hadn’t been the fourth time in two weeks that she has listened basically the same message.
She pulled the first drawer on her work desk out and dropped her phone back into it. Her eyes momentarily caught the old faded Polaroid that was tacked to the wall of her cubicle, and her heart ached for a simpler time.
“You ever plan on putting an updated picture up there, that thing has seen some better days Ms.Lennon” Mallory turned her head to see her favorite co-worker, John, eyeing the tattered polaroid. She gave a half-hearted shrug in response “I like it”’ she simply stated under John’s knowing gaze.
“Paradise is rocky then.” He didn’t ask, he never did. John had a way of just knowing things, he could read peoples body language like a second language. Mallory hated that about him, but his empathy in the long run was always there and he kept Mallory level headed, so she could deal with his one annoying trait.
“What did you need, John?” Mallory huffed, her patience with the day wearing thin and it was only 11 AM.
John laughed at his curly haired co-worker, “lighten up, Mal, we both know you need someone to talk to. Let’s plan on drinks tonight at your place. I’ll buy the alcohol if you provide the food.
“John” Mallory pushed, her blue eyes narrowed into glaring slits.
John held his hands up in fake surrender “Okay! Okay! Cameron needs you to get that wedding planning piece edited and sent back to publishing by five pm on the dot, not a second later” he emphasized. It was no secret in the office that Mallory was perpetually late with everything but her attention to detail and ability to edit a piece until it was immaculate is what kept her from getting fired.
“ I’ll get it in early” Mallory reassured, in which John just barked out a laugh and walked away but not before Mallory called out “my place at after work, I’ll grab some pizza.”
John raised his hand up to his forehead to salute Mallory as he ducked into his own cubicle. With one last fleeting glance at the Polaroid, Mallory shook her computer mouse to wake her desktop up, determined to actually deliver on her word and get the piece to the publishing office before the deadline.
By 4:58 PM Mallory was packing up her bag with a smile on her face, she did it. She got the piece in on time and couldn’t wait to rub it in John’s face that she is capable of making deadlines. However, before she could even get her bag on her shoulder and leave her cubicle, John was shouting “You did it!” and tossing shredded neon sticky notes in her face.
“I’m beginning to think you were put on this earth to test me” Mallory grumbled under her breath and threw a punch at John’s shoulder.
John ignored her comment and wrapped his left arm around her shoulders, guiding her to the elevator. “So, we gonna talk about Alex now or do I need to get you drunk first?” He asked nonchalantly as they entered the elevator and he pressed the ground level button. Mallory wrapped her arms around his thin waist and sighed, “seven years...”
John didn’t say anything, he already knew what today was and he honestly wasn’t too surprised that Alex had forgotten.
“Even just five years ago we were such different people and I wouldn’t have cared if he canceled, y’know”
John shook his head “Oh Mallory, you’re so wrong. Seven years ago he took you to that cheesy spring fair and told you he loved you when he took that god damn polaroid, you cared just as much five years ago as you do now. The only difference is, five years ago he showed up.”
The elevator doors opened as the reached the ground level of the building. They quickly shuffled out of the small space and headed towards the main doors. John bid a “ Night, Larry” to the over night security guard and swiped his badge to sign out for the day
Mallory bit her lip, she didn’t want to admit the truth in John’s words. Her heart would only ache more if she let herself believe that. She swiped her employee badge behind John and waited for the green light to signal it had been accepted.
“He’s busier now that the band is really taking off, I just have to adjust” She quietly defended, catching back up to John who was patiently holding the door open.
“He was busy with the band then too and managed to remember you” John spitefully retorted, the venom in his words made Mallory stop in her spot.
Mallory idly played with her fingers, a habit she had picked up when she was an anxious teenager. She pulled at a sore scab on her finger, hissing at the pain that shot through her hand after she prodded the spot for too long. She stopped when she felt John’s hand wrapping around hers.
“I’m sorry, that wasn’t fair” John apologized, his cheeks red with guilt.
Mallory looked up with glazed eyes “maybe we skip the drinking and you just keep me company for a little while tonight?” she quietly requested.
John pulled her into his body and wrapped his arms tightly around her. His lips connected with her head as he promised “for you, anything m’dear.” The pair walked to Mallory’s car in silence, the jingling of her keys provided the only sound as she passed them off to John whom silently agreed to drive for her. The ride to her house was filled with the sound of Andrew McMahon’s voice serenading through the speakers with both John and Mallory quietly singing along.
An hour later Mallory found herself with her head on John’s shoulder and a warm mug of salted caramel tea nestled in her hands. John idly twirled the ends of her chestnut hair around his finger before letting it fall back down onto her shoulders.
“I don’t think I’m what he wants anymore” Mallory quietly admitted as she leaned forward to place the mug onto the coffee table and opted for wrapping her arms around her legs instead. “I just want him to be happy and I don’t think I do that for him anymore.”
“C’mon, Mallory. You said it yourself, the band is taking off you just have to get through this adjustment time is all...and so does he. Soon enough he’ll get it all figured out and the two of you will be as annoyingly in love as ever”
"Why does he do this to me? Why am I at the bottom of his list?" Mallory choked out a sob in response to John’s words, they were what she wanted to hear but deep inside she didn’t feel that way. She felt like everything in Alex's life had gained importance over he, she was a constant in his life that he didn't need anymore.
“Hey now, dont. Don’t cry, Mal” John swiped the pads of his thumbs under the girls eyes, collecting her tears before they could fall. He pulled the small girl into his lap and quietly shushed her cries. He hated seeing anyone cry, but Mallory especially; she had a spark in her and he refused to ever let anyone extinguish it. John had met Mallory in college their freshman year at a local coffee shop that she used to perform at and the two almost instantly became best friends. Mallory brought light with her wherever she went, she was always bringing out the best in people. It wasn’t until Alex came around that John noticed that light started to dim a little with each passing year of their relationship.
Within twenty minutes Mallory was softly snoring against John’s shoulder, exhausted from her build up of emotions. He maneuvered her off of his lap and laid her down onto the couch, he pulled the throw blanket down over her body. John grabbed her phone from the coffee table and set her alarm for 7:00 AM, half an hour earlier than he knows she normally sets it for in an attempt to actually prod her to getting to work on time.
She pulled the first drawer on her work desk out and dropped her phone back into it. Her eyes momentarily caught the old faded Polaroid that was tacked to the wall of her cubicle, and her heart ached for a simpler time.
“You ever plan on putting an updated picture up there, that thing has seen some better days Ms.Lennon” Mallory turned her head to see her favorite co-worker, John, eyeing the tattered polaroid. She gave a half-hearted shrug in response “I like it”’ she simply stated under John’s knowing gaze.
“Paradise is rocky then.” He didn’t ask, he never did. John had a way of just knowing things, he could read peoples body language like a second language. Mallory hated that about him, but his empathy in the long run was always there and he kept Mallory level headed, so she could deal with his one annoying trait.
“What did you need, John?” Mallory huffed, her patience with the day wearing thin and it was only 11 AM.
John laughed at his curly haired co-worker, “lighten up, Mal, we both know you need someone to talk to. Let’s plan on drinks tonight at your place. I’ll buy the alcohol if you provide the food.
“John” Mallory pushed, her blue eyes narrowed into glaring slits.
John held his hands up in fake surrender “Okay! Okay! Cameron needs you to get that wedding planning piece edited and sent back to publishing by five pm on the dot, not a second later” he emphasized. It was no secret in the office that Mallory was perpetually late with everything but her attention to detail and ability to edit a piece until it was immaculate is what kept her from getting fired.
“ I’ll get it in early” Mallory reassured, in which John just barked out a laugh and walked away but not before Mallory called out “my place at after work, I’ll grab some pizza.”
John raised his hand up to his forehead to salute Mallory as he ducked into his own cubicle. With one last fleeting glance at the Polaroid, Mallory shook her computer mouse to wake her desktop up, determined to actually deliver on her word and get the piece to the publishing office before the deadline.
By 4:58 PM Mallory was packing up her bag with a smile on her face, she did it. She got the piece in on time and couldn’t wait to rub it in John’s face that she is capable of making deadlines. However, before she could even get her bag on her shoulder and leave her cubicle, John was shouting “You did it!” and tossing shredded neon sticky notes in her face.
“I’m beginning to think you were put on this earth to test me” Mallory grumbled under her breath and threw a punch at John’s shoulder.
John ignored her comment and wrapped his left arm around her shoulders, guiding her to the elevator. “So, we gonna talk about Alex now or do I need to get you drunk first?” He asked nonchalantly as they entered the elevator and he pressed the ground level button. Mallory wrapped her arms around his thin waist and sighed, “seven years...”
John didn’t say anything, he already knew what today was and he honestly wasn’t too surprised that Alex had forgotten.
“Even just five years ago we were such different people and I wouldn’t have cared if he canceled, y’know”
John shook his head “Oh Mallory, you’re so wrong. Seven years ago he took you to that cheesy spring fair and told you he loved you when he took that god damn polaroid, you cared just as much five years ago as you do now. The only difference is, five years ago he showed up.”
The elevator doors opened as the reached the ground level of the building. They quickly shuffled out of the small space and headed towards the main doors. John bid a “ Night, Larry” to the over night security guard and swiped his badge to sign out for the day
Mallory bit her lip, she didn’t want to admit the truth in John’s words. Her heart would only ache more if she let herself believe that. She swiped her employee badge behind John and waited for the green light to signal it had been accepted.
“He’s busier now that the band is really taking off, I just have to adjust” She quietly defended, catching back up to John who was patiently holding the door open.
“He was busy with the band then too and managed to remember you” John spitefully retorted, the venom in his words made Mallory stop in her spot.
Mallory idly played with her fingers, a habit she had picked up when she was an anxious teenager. She pulled at a sore scab on her finger, hissing at the pain that shot through her hand after she prodded the spot for too long. She stopped when she felt John’s hand wrapping around hers.
“I’m sorry, that wasn’t fair” John apologized, his cheeks red with guilt.
Mallory looked up with glazed eyes “maybe we skip the drinking and you just keep me company for a little while tonight?” she quietly requested.
John pulled her into his body and wrapped his arms tightly around her. His lips connected with her head as he promised “for you, anything m’dear.” The pair walked to Mallory’s car in silence, the jingling of her keys provided the only sound as she passed them off to John whom silently agreed to drive for her. The ride to her house was filled with the sound of Andrew McMahon’s voice serenading through the speakers with both John and Mallory quietly singing along.
An hour later Mallory found herself with her head on John’s shoulder and a warm mug of salted caramel tea nestled in her hands. John idly twirled the ends of her chestnut hair around his finger before letting it fall back down onto her shoulders.
“I don’t think I’m what he wants anymore” Mallory quietly admitted as she leaned forward to place the mug onto the coffee table and opted for wrapping her arms around her legs instead. “I just want him to be happy and I don’t think I do that for him anymore.”
“C’mon, Mallory. You said it yourself, the band is taking off you just have to get through this adjustment time is all...and so does he. Soon enough he’ll get it all figured out and the two of you will be as annoyingly in love as ever”
"Why does he do this to me? Why am I at the bottom of his list?" Mallory choked out a sob in response to John’s words, they were what she wanted to hear but deep inside she didn’t feel that way. She felt like everything in Alex's life had gained importance over he, she was a constant in his life that he didn't need anymore.
“Hey now, dont. Don’t cry, Mal” John swiped the pads of his thumbs under the girls eyes, collecting her tears before they could fall. He pulled the small girl into his lap and quietly shushed her cries. He hated seeing anyone cry, but Mallory especially; she had a spark in her and he refused to ever let anyone extinguish it. John had met Mallory in college their freshman year at a local coffee shop that she used to perform at and the two almost instantly became best friends. Mallory brought light with her wherever she went, she was always bringing out the best in people. It wasn’t until Alex came around that John noticed that light started to dim a little with each passing year of their relationship.
Within twenty minutes Mallory was softly snoring against John’s shoulder, exhausted from her build up of emotions. He maneuvered her off of his lap and laid her down onto the couch, he pulled the throw blanket down over her body. John grabbed her phone from the coffee table and set her alarm for 7:00 AM, half an hour earlier than he knows she normally sets it for in an attempt to actually prod her to getting to work on time.