Now What? by Thea Macchi

This story is part of the Summer Lovin' Writing Challenge, where we invited writers to explore the storytelling possibilities of a simple situation. We gave authors free reign to interpret the prompt as they see fit, provided that they give their story a clear ending.

Read on and let the author take you on a ride through their imagination. At the end, don't forget to show them your support.

Note: This story has not yet been proofread.

Now What?

The breeze blew gently tousling her curls, a hint of salt and humidity filling her senses. Summer...a season she adored, a season she looked forward to the most.

A low thud behind her broke her out of her reverie.

"It's only a week, why are you bringing so much stuff?" Elias, her ex-boyfriend of three days, came into the room carrying her luggage.

"It's a week, seven full days, you never know when I might need something."

Exasperated, Elias rolled his shoulders just to relieve the tension from them. "Sure, like you would need a cocktail dress for the beach."

"How did you even know what I packed?"

"It slipped out, I put it back to where it belongs."

"You've been looking through my luggage?"

The banter felt fluid, as natural as breathing. As their eyes made contact, the realization followed. 

Walking up to him, she gently took her bags, murmuring a quick 'thank you'. She could feel his fingers brush against her, seemingly reluctant to let go. For a moment, she was too. Chasing after a fleeting connection with the person who she thought was her entire world.

A few seconds passed, but it felt like forever. Clearing her throat she stepped back. Looking down at her feet, she retreated to her room.

Slumping behind the closed door, she looked back on what transpired in the past few days.

Both Elias and she had been high school sweethearts. They studied together, took college entrance exams together, and are now studying in the same university under different degree programs. Him in Computer Science and her in Chemistry. Their freshman and sophomore years were a breeze. They held each other up whenever one felt low because university was like that. They made you feel dumb, unwanted, and unprepared. But they had each other to lean on, which made it easier. That was until last week happened.

It was past midnight. She sat in the living room. The clock's ticking accompanied her lonely figure. Clutching a pillow to her chest, she stared at the unfinished lab reports on the coffee table, her desk lamp illuminating her glassy eyes. 

It was now 12:30 in the morning of June 5. He forgot...Elias forgot their anniversary. Burying her face in the pillow, she fought back tears, wallowing in sorrow in the dim living room.

By 1am, the front door creaked open and Elias stumbled inside, an unmistakable stench of alcohol trailing behind him.

"Eli...where have you been?" Rising from her seat, she rushed to his side, helping him settle on the sofa.

"The org threw a semesteral ender party. I had to attend to consult the seniors for my thesis proposal. Kept throwing me drinks left and right. My head's spinning." Throwing his head back onto the sofa, he let his rants flow out of him. Becoming more unfiltered by the second due to his drunken state.

Putting aside her feelings, she handed him a bottle of water waiting for him to sober up enough to have a proper conversation. 

The silence was suffocating, she felt like she couldn't breathe, her throat itching to ask him why he forgot but the mouth refused to open. Frustrated, she attended to her reports while waiting for him to regain awareness.

2:30am — she felt his strong arms wrap around her waist, burying his face on her neck. Putting down her pen, she ran her finger through his hair. "Sober now?" A vibration on her neck confirmed her inquiry.

"Eli...we need to talk." The man refused to let her go. "Elias Martin Villaruel. We. Need. To. Talk". Her stern tone finally made him straighten up. 

"What? What's wrong baby? Why are you using my full name?" 

"What date is it today?" Elias frantically pulled out his phone and checked the date displayed on the screen. "June 5." A boyish smile plastered itself across his face, like a child given candy. Seeing his behavior, it made her heart break, she was holding on to a fragile hope that he didn't forget but the proof is now in front of her, mocking her for hoping. 

Biting her lips, she looked down, clutching the pillows for comfort. Noticing her demeanor shift, Elias leaned towards her. "Baby what's wrong? You can tell me? Did your professor grade your reports low again? Was there a quiz you forgot? Come on, you know I'll listen." He started rubbing comforting circles on her shoulder blades, a habit, something that stuck from their years of being together.

She took a deep breath, her voice shaking with emotion. "June 5...Eli, it's June 5."

"Yeah I know baby. I just checked. Today's June 5..." The realization was slow, but it eventually came, he had forgotten, their anniversary of all things. 

"I know we're juniors now but this is not the first time you didn't have any time for me Eli." Tears started streaming down her cheeks. Elias fought every instinct to wipe them away, wallowing in his guilt. "I know you're stressed with your codes, I can hear you complaining about the bugs at 3am..." 

Seeing an opening in her argument, he tried to defend himself. "Yeah, I've been busy. The program's getting more complicated and you're busy with your lab reports too no? You spend six hours daily in the actual lab then write your reports at home. We're both busy people, you have your thesis coming up too."

Indignantly, she shook her head. "But you're an active member of your organization. I filed for inactivity Eli. To make time for you, for us. You did not just forget our anniversary. You took my presence for granted." 

"I did not! We were both busy. We had meals together, we had dates, was that not enough?"

"Half of those dates were unfinished because your organization had to call you away for last minute meetings. Eli...you know, with our schedule, matching free times are rare then you..." Burying her face into her palms, her sobs echoed in the dim living room. 

Elias had no idea how to proceed. His arms hovered around her frame, unsure if she would welcome his embrace. 

"I don't want to do this anymore..." Seven words, but it was enough for Elias' world to stand still, it was enough for him to panic. Pulling her into his lap, he held her close, frantically murmuring his apologies.

"Baby don't be like this, I'll make it up to you, I promise. Please, amour, we can fix this." The French endearment slipped, his French classes that she happily pushed him to take took its influence.

"You had five months, Elias. Five whole months... I'm tired of hoping, the constant waiting is exhausting."

"But...the trip. We spent months saving for this trip. The cancellation fee is triple the price. Amour, we can work this through." Trying to plead his way through logic, something he knew they both valued greatly.

Unfortunately, logic could no longer salvage this wreckage that they caused. For once in their life, their hearts grew heavier than their minds could handle. Burying her face into his neck. "I love you Eli...I loved you so much..." 

The way her tone shifted midway had set things into stone. That was it. Nine years of growth together, nine years of happiness, nine years of challenges — it was a chapter coming to an end. Elias could do nothing but listen, savoring the last few moments of contact, refusing to let her go.

"Eli..." She gently nudged herself out of his hold, slowly stepping away to gather her things on the coffee table. "We'll still go. It's a two bedroom cabin anyway. We can make it work." The dim light from the desk lamp illuminated her face enough to reveal the small, fragile smile she wore like armor. Seeing her fragile facade, Elias fought every cell in his being from pulling her into his arms again, never planning on letting go. With a nod, he saw her off, watching her turn her back on their nine years of history. 

She opened her eyes to a knock on the door. The freshly varnished wood of the cabin greeted her view. "Andrea, I bought some food. Come outside to eat." 

"Coming." Standing upright, she lightly brushed her sundress, before taking a deep breath. Drinking the complimentary water from the staff on the headboard, she gingerly wrapped her fingers around the doorknob. "Well...let the show begin."

Stepping into the dining area, she saw Elias already seated, fiddling with his phone. "Oysters? Those aren't even in season yet."

With a shrug, Elias pocketed his phone, pulling a chair for her to sit. "Found them when I went for a walk. It's your favorite, no?" 

Laughing softly, she settled down and they both enjoyed their meal. "Right, we have seven days here. We planned an itinerary, right?" Nodding, Elias pulled out his phone again, opening his memo app before sliding it across the table. 

"We came quite some distance so we agreed to just take it easy for Day 1. I already checked and the Smart TV has Netflix on it. Even the pantry is stocked with snacks. We can just watch and chill. Or even bedrot if you want." 

"Since when did you add bedrot in your vocabulary?"

"Since you started adding it to your Instagram notes."

They fell into seamless banter, a familiar comfort. The wound was too fresh to take into account. Old habits die hard, as they say. 

Walking to the fridge to get some water, Andrea cleaned up their finished plates before taking them to the sink to wash them. Elias naturally fell into step. She rinsed and washed while Elias dried the dishes and put them back to where they belonged.

After they cleaned up, she picked up a bowl and poured a stash of chocolate and candy before making her way to the sofa. She picked up the remote, setting up the TV for their Netflix watch party. 

"Drive to Survive? Really? You're just watching 22 grown men racing around tracks." Elias followed her to the sofa carrying glasses and a bottle of cola.

"I have the remote. I hold the authority to decide Elias." Rolling her eyes with a wide grin to which Elias just shook his head at. 

"Whatever the master decides then it shall be followed." His own carefree laugh echoed before he settled beside her. Domestic, natural. Something that's not supposed to be theirs. The realization hit midway, making her abruptly jump from his side. 

"What's wrong Andy?" Andy...his nickname for her, something they shouldn't use anymore. "Elias... we're being domestic again..." She could see the realization creeping up to him too. "Oh..."

She sighed, her shoulders falling. "Six more days of this..."

Elias managed a small nod. "...six more days.” He nervously shifted in his seat. “This is fine, no?”

Looking at his nervous stance, Andrea, hesitant, but agreed. “I think so…”

Nine years. Almost a decade. When you spend that amount of time depending on a person, holding them close, letting them in to see your most precious secrets, what happens when it all comes crashing down?

Now what?

Maybe they'll figure it out.

Want to support this story?

You can vote by:

• Clicking the like button below

• Liking this story’s teaser post on Instagram and TikTok

Every like counts toward the final results.