It's five and I'm just getting off of work. I take the bus and walk into the apartment that feels lonely the second I walk in. The phone beeps telling me I have messages, but I ignore them until I'm dressed in a pair of black shorts and a red t-shirt. I press play as I move around the kitchen to prepare my noodles and salad for dinner.
The first message is from my mom who tells me we haven't talked in a week and that I should call her. I make a mental note to call in the morning as the second message starts, my sister tells me about the latest adorable thing that my nephew did and I smile and continue to place the salad in the bowl and stir the noodles. My whole body freezes
when her voice floats through the speakers.
"Hey, I got your message that you stopped by the apartment. No worries leave your things here for one more day." She pauses and I can tell she's trying not to get too emotional. "I don't know why this happened; my life is dark as hell without you. The room feels so much colder since you went away." I feel my heart break and melt at the same time by the pain I hear in her voice. "Quinn, I don't want this. Why can't we sit and talk this through? I'm losing sleep and I need you to come back home to me now." She clears her throat before speaking again. "Since your sister's birthday's Friday I sent a card from both of us the day before there was no us. How was I to know?" I laughed in spite of the sadness in my heart; she was always remembering things better than me. "Don't worry about your clothes and all, maybe I will pack them up. Make this easier on both of us, well, just for you." I felt a tear drop as I realized she was always trying to take care of me over herself. "Cause everything is breaking down, now since you've been gone. I don't even know the days; I don't know where to start. I'm in agony. There are times I can't breathe . . . now." I hear the tears in her voice and fin my sobs matching her own. I hear a sniffle and a cough before she finishes, "So, I guess that's it. I'm sorry for this message. Your bags will all be waiting, when you arrive. I hope you're doing well now."
I feel my legs give out and I sob on the floor until I have no tears left. I pick myself up and try to stay composed as I can and continue what I was doing. My pride tells me to stay, but I can feel a tension building in my veins until my body moves to grab my purse and hail a taxi before my brain can even register. I get to the apartment Rachel and I used to share and walk to the door before my stomach starts jumping and my mind starts to ask why I was doing this. I start to pace on the porch when the door opens and I see a light stream through to reveal Rachel standing with fresh tears in her eyes dressed in a ragged t-shirt and sweats, but still looking beautiful.
"I saw you pacing. I'm not done packing your stuff." She says quietly.
"Can we talk?" I ask and she steps to the side. I walk in and feel a warmth course through me that I didn't realize I was missing. I look around and notice she hasn't taken down the last picture we took together when we had just moved in three months before.
"What are you doing here, Quinn?" she asks sounding small. I look away from the picture to meet her eyes and see something I've never seen before that I can only assume is fear.
"I think I was wrong." I state simply and she looks at me confused.
"Wrong about what?" I hear her voice shake and her vulnerability is obvious.
"Wrong about leaving. I don't even remember what we fought about." From the look on her face I can tell she knows that was a lie so I correct myself. "Ok, I do. I just don't care anymore."
She takes a step closer to me and her voice gets stronger as she says, "What do you care about, Quinn?" Her tone indicated she was giving me one last chance. We had broken up because I was more worried about my career than her and now it was my chance to prove otherwise.
"I care about the fact that I can't sleep because my bed is cold. I care about the fact that every song I hear I compare their voice to yours and most of all I care about the fact that nothing in my life matters unless you're by my side." She smiles and I know I've won. I feel her body slide against mine and my next thought is lost with sensation of her lips on mine.
"I'm sorry I ever made you doubt it." I say when she pulls away.
"I don't care anymore." She says kissing me again softly.
"What do you care about, Rachel?" I ask mimicking her and she smirks.
"I care that I've missed you and want you to take me into our bedroom and make love to me so much that my legs don't work in the morning." I smile and carry her bridle style into the bedroom and make promises to her through our bodies until we are too tired to keep our eyes open.