Prompt: https://siobhanmuir.com/thursthreads-tying-tales-together-week-490
I turned the volume up and stared straight ahead, failing as usual to keep my expression neutral. Linda tried to catch my eye, but I pretended I couldn’t see her. She always had more patience, though, and eventually I snapped the knob to the left until it clicked.
When she spoke, all I heard was anger. “I’d have thought you’d be happy. Isn’t this what you always wanted?”
I grunted.
“Jim, look at me. Talk to me. I’m here. You pursued me for-fucking-ever, and I’m here. Why the hell do you look like your dog died?”
Barely able to whisper, I gave in. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”
“What the fuck does does that mean?”
“You were supposed to reject me again. Because then I could stop the pain.” Now the tears.
“I had it all planned out. You were going to say no, and I was going to go home, print out my note, and then take a bottle of tranquilizers. I was going to make it easy on anyone who found me. There was an envelope with my will, all my account passwords, and my keys to the office.”
“But you said yes. Why? Why, Linda?” I was shouting, eyes so full of tears I could barely see the road.
Her voice was so choked as to be nearly unrecognizable. “Because I was drowning, Jim. Because I was drowning and you saved me.”
“Will you let me save you?”
243 words
Project Gemini 