CHAPTER 5: WHEN MEMORIES WALK BACK IN.
661 Words
The afternoon light slipped through the curtains in thin, weak lines, landing on the boxes scattered around the room. Chloe sat on the rug with two folded sweaters in her lap, but she hadn’t actually moved in a while. Her breathing felt slow and tired, like even that was too much work.
Every tiny sound in the house felt extra loud.
The cabinet creaked.
The wall clock kept ticking like it was annoyed.
Even the house itself let out those weird empty-house noises.
She didn’t even know how long she’d been sitting there until a knock echoed down the hallway.
Not loud.
Not urgent.
Just soft.
Chloe wiped her face with her sleeve and dragged herself up. When she opened the door, Marcy and Brenda—her neighbors—were standing there. The same women who held her the day everything fell apart.
The moment they saw her, their faces changed.
“Hi, sweetheart,” Marcy whispered. “We just came to check on you.”
“I’m fine,” Chloe said automatically, but her voice cracked like it didn’t believe her either.
They didn’t argue with her. They just stepped inside quietly, looking around at the half-packed boxes and the cold cup of tea sitting untouched on the table.
Brenda put a gentle hand on her shoulder. “You’re doing your best. That’s more than enough.”
They stayed for a little bit, talking about random, normal things. Nothing heavy.
The weather.
The neighbor’s dog that wouldn’t shut up last night.
Brenda’s washing machine that apparently “hates her with passion.”
For a moment, Chloe actually felt… almost normal.
When they were about to leave, Marcy took her hands and squeezed them.
“We’re right next door. Call us for anything. Even if you just need company.”
Chloe nodded, and once the door closed behind them, the quiet came back. Still heavy, but not as sharp as before.
She went back to the bedroom, sank to the floor beside the open suitcase, and picked up one of Frank’s shirts.
The smell hit her immediately.
His cologne.
Soft… fading… but still there.
Her chest tightened.
She hugged the shirt to herself and laid down on the carpet, staring at the ceiling as a memory slipped into her mind—slow and gentle.
---
The first day she met Frank.
She’d been standing in line at a tiny coffee shop, already late for work and stressed out. Frank stood behind her, humming some song she didn’t know. She’d turned around ready to snap, but he just smiled at her like an awkward puppy.
“I think the machine is broken,” he whispered, pointing at the coffee maker the barista kept banging like it owed her money.
Chloe remembered rolling her eyes. “Of course it is. Today just keeps getting better.”
Frank had laughed softly.
“You look like someone who needs a donut more than coffee.”
She blinked at him like, what?
He held up a chocolate donut. “Take it. I got two.”
She refused at first.
He insisted.
She took it.
And somehow, that stupid donut turned into them showing up at the same café every day until friendship slowly turned into something real.
---
When the memory faded, Chloe let out a shaky breath. It didn’t stab the way it used to, but the heaviness was still there—deep and dull, sitting right behind her ribs.
She sat up and folded the shirt, placing it gently into the suitcase.
Her hand lingered.
“I miss you,” she whispered.
Outside, the sky was already getting darker.
Inside, she turned off the lights and crawled onto the bed.
She didn’t cry this time.
She just stared into the dim room, letting the quiet wrap around her like a thin blanket she wished was thicker.
Eventually, sleep pulled her in.
Not peaceful.
Not happy.
Just quiet.
And honestly… that was enough for today.
- Writer
