I thought I'd share with you the first three chapters of Three Way over the next three days. Hope you enjoy them.
I glance at the three piles of
clothes sitting on my bed.
Pile One: Underwear
Pile
Two: Tops, dresses, skirts
Pile
Three: Jackets and coats
In
the corner, a stack of shoe boxes. My eyes hone in on a pair of Birkenstocks,
scuffed and dirtied with sand. Svetla walks in, her eyes deliberately not
catching mine. She bends down and picks up her iPhone charger.
‘Okay,
think that’s everything,’ she says. I glance at the piles of clothes, then back
to her. Her shoulder-length blonde Scandinavian hair is tied back roughly. She
wears lose tracky bottoms and a baggy T-shirt. Honestly, she’s looked better.
Her eyes are tired from crying. My fault. Hours of pleading, arguing, shouting
and now this. Quiet observing. Acutely aware neither of us can change what’s
been said and done.
‘What
about these?’ I say, indicating the piles of clothes.
‘Charity,’
she replies.
‘You
want me to take these to the charity shop?’ I ask, frowning.
‘No,
Ollie, I’ll do it. Just leave them somewhere and I’ll do it when I have time,’
she replies in a cold voice. I nod slowly. She picks up her bulky pink rucksack
and throws it over her shoulder.
‘Let
me help you-’ I say, stepping forward.
‘NO.
No, thank you,’ she replies, correcting her tone. She walks out into the
hallway. I follow her to the front door, a zombie. I put on a pair of old
slippers and we walk out to her car. She goes around to the boot and throws the
rucksack on top of the rest of her things, pushing it down hard. I go to help
her, she shoves me away. I hold my hands up and step back. I watch her struggle
to close the boot but eventually she succeeds and slams it shut. She turns to
face me but doesn’t make eye contact.
‘Okay,
so…bye,’ she says.
‘Svetla-’
‘No.
We’ve said everything we need to say. Let’s say goodbye like adults,’ she
replies, holding out her hand. Two and a half years we’ve been together and she
wants to shake my hand. I look at her palm then up to her eyes. She blinks fast
then turns away. There are so many things I want to say. So many apologies for
all the stupid things I’ve said and done. Sorry for being me. She opens the car
door.
‘Hey,’
I say, walking round to her. She turns to face me, tears in her eyes. When I see
them my heart melts. What the hell are we doing? ‘You sure there’s nothing more
we can do?’
‘We’ve
done everything. You’re miserable with me. I’m miserable with you. We gave it a
good shot and it didn’t work. Time for something else,’ she says, staring
straight into my eyes.
‘Okay
well, I just…’ my voice crumbles, ‘…I just wanted to say that I…really loved
you and although I didn’t show it very often…I hope you’re happy somewhere
else.’ Do I mean any of the words I’m saying or are they just some ploy to
persuade her I am a genuinely nice guy? A tear rolls down her cheek. I move to
hug her, she lets me but I feel her tense up. No warmth. No affection. Hugging
a statue. I release her. She looks down and turns as the tear drops from her
face to the ground. She quickly wipes her cheek and sniffs, getting into her
car and closing the door. I stand back, my hands finding their way into my
pockets. She starts the engine and pulls away. I stand, rooted, imprinting
every part of this into my psyche. She indicates left at the road and slowly
pulls away. I hear the car disappear into the distance and then…nothing except
the sound of birds singing. The end.
I
turn and walk back inside my flat. My mind is still processing what’s just
happened. The girl I love has just left me. The girl I thought I was going to
marry no longer lives with me. I walk into my bedroom and sit down on the bed.
A tear runs down my face, I blink it away. I take a cardigan from the pile and
smell her smell, closing my eyes. What have I done?
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