After a long hiatus, I am finally posting again. Hope you enjoy this oneshot, and do leave some feedback!
She stares at him as he stares at the sunrise, and it is at that moment where she knows. Through the way he talks, the way he moves, his every expression, she knows. She can read people like a book, and in the light of day, the cracks in their relationship are showing.
This is the calm before the storm. This is the beginning of the end.
hands
She walks alongside him as they navigate through the crowded, busy streets of Saffron City during rush hour. Around them, people hurry past, clutching briefcases and espressos, court shoes clicking frantically against the paved streets. The roads roar with honking cars and shouting drivers, and the individual sounds merge into a dissonant, chaotic refrain.
The clamour and bustle does little to soothe her harried nerves, as they pace towards the meeting they are late to. She also has an awful headache, the result of the bout of flu she hasn't quite conquered.
Softly, she slips her hand into his, trying to gain some semblance of comfort. But her hand falls limply out of his, as he reaches for his handphone, brushing her away.
feet
They are jogging by the river in mid-morning, following the winding turquoise ribbon that leads back to their house. It is his weekly routine to exercise here, and although she usually stays home, she finds herself asking to join him today.
He is several paces faster than her. Unused to the length of the journey, she fails to match his footfalls, and starts to lag behind.
She hopes that he will notice and wait for her to catch up, but he simply runs further and further, widening the gap. Eventually, she can no longer hear the sound of his footsteps, and she is left chasing a mirage in the distance.
shoulders
He sits in their shared bed, typing out a lengthy email to his staff. The tension in the set of his joints is unmistakable, and his expression is hard and unforgiving. Next to him, she wishes she could do something to help.
Her fingers fall on his shoulders in an attempt to massage the strain away, but he doesn't respond to her actions in the way she intended. Instead, he moves away, countenance unchanged but for a touch of irritation.
She buries her head into his shoulder instead, hiding her expression of pain. Even then, he shrugs her off, before her tears wet his shirt and reveal her true emotions.
ears
They are silent at lunch, apart from the clinking of cutlery and the whirring of the fans. Desperate for some noise, some distraction, she starts a stream of one-sided, light-hearted chatter.
"How was your day? Mine was alright, except for when someone tried to steal my purse. I put him in his place though! Oh, and I also bumped into Yellow today, turns out her floral business is going well..."
He nods absently as he eats, and she takes that as a sign to continue. "Have you seen the new clothes shop that opened around the corner? It-"
"I have to get back to work. See you later."
He never even chided her about her expensive shopping habit. That was when she realised that he was never truly listening to her, and that her words had been easily tuned out as background noise.
nose
She carelessly set the new glass bottle on her vanity as she sped towards her closet. After her lengthy shopping spree, she only had half an hour to prepare for the company event she had to attend with Green.
As she zipped up the midnight blue evening gown with silver spangles, she began her makeup routine. In a few minutes, her eyes had been lined strikingly and her lips reddened, giving her a beauty she did not feel and confidence that she did not have.
Exiting the room, her eyes fell on the vial filled with a pale pink liquid. Shrugging, she spritzed on some of the newly-purchased lily-scented perfume in place of her usual rose scent.
Meeting her long-time boyfriend by the door, she wasn't surprised, but still saddened, to note that he couldn't tell the difference.
lips
She sits on the couch, flipping through a magazine idly while waiting for him to come home. The clock hand inches towards 11p.m., when the sound of the lock turning finally echoes through the house.
Getting up, she helps him remove his coat, and loops her arms around his neck.
She is suddenly nervous, closing her eyes as she lightly kisses him. For a moment, she can sense the spark, the one they'd always had. For a moment, hope seeps into her mind.
But he pulls away coldly, and that hope is shattered in an instant.
eyes
They aren't really doing anything in particular that night, just the typical routine of washing up and getting ready for bed. In the silence that she has become accustomed to, she washes her face and brushes her teeth, stealing occasional glances at him.
She thinks about how much she'll miss this, miss him, and the grief chokes her up slightly.
All of a sudden, he meets her gaze. His forest green eyes, captivating in their intensity, tell her everything he doesn't say.
There are hints of muted emotion, certainty, maybe even a touch of regret. She stands frozen even when he glances away, because she cannot delay the inevitable, but she cannot accept it either.
They stare at the sunset, standing an inch but several worlds apart.
It is at this moment where she knows that the storm is almost upon them.
His hands rest on the balustrade, his feet point away from her, his shoulders are stiff and rigid. His ears no longer hear the words she says, his nose has forgotten her scent, and his lips don't fit right with hers any more. His eyes are distant, contemplating a future without her in it.
The storm breaks.
"Blue... I think we should break up."