Chapter 27:We Start Learning Not to Pretend in Front of Others
1053 Words
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Chapter 27:We Start Learning Not to Pretend in Front of Others
They started learning not to pretend in front of others.
Not all at once, but like taking off a tight shirt — first you undo the buttons, then slowly pull it off.
They went to a friend’s gathering.
“Are you nervous?” Sable asked.
“No,” Elara said. “But I’m not sure how to introduce you.”
“How did you introduce me before?” Sable asked.
“I said you were… a friend,” Elara said.
“Now?” Sable asked.
“Now you’re… a friend,” Elara paused. “But more than that.”
“That sounds like you,” Sable said. “But this time you didn’t say ‘don’t ask’.”
“I don’t want to say that anymore,” Elara said. “I want to say something else.”
“Like what?” Sable asked.
“Like, ‘This is my girlfriend’,” Elara said.
“That sounds like you,” Sable smiled. “But this time you didn’t hesitate.”
“I did hesitate,” Elara said. “I just want to learn not to.”
“Then you’ll have to practice,” Sable said.
“Will you practice with me?” Elara asked.
“I’ve always been here,” Sable said. “You just didn’t let me be.”
“Now I do,” Elara said.
“Then I’ll say something too,” Sable said. “Like, ‘This is my girlfriend’.”
“That sounds like you,” Elara said. “But this time you didn’t steal my line.”
“I’ve learned,” Sable smiled.
“You’ve also gotten worse,” Elara said.
“Then come be worse with me,” Sable said.
“I’ve been bad all along,” Elara said. “You just didn’t look.”
“Now I do,” Sable said.
“Now I do,” Elara repeated.
They were learning how to “introduce themselves” —
not through labels,
but through tone.
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At the party, someone asked, “How did you two meet?”
“Through cooking,” Elara said.
“She cried when I cut the onion,” Sable added.
“You didn’t even comfort me,” Sable said, looking at Elara.
“I thought you looked cute crying over an onion,” Elara said.
“What about now?” someone asked.
“Now I think you were fragile back then,” Sable said.
“Now I think you wouldn’t break if I touched you,” Elara said.
“And now?” Sable asked.
“Now I touched you,” Elara said. “And you didn’t break.”
“That sounds like you both survived,” someone else said.
“We did,” Sable nodded. “But we survived differently.”
“How so?” the person asked.
“She survived by talking,” Elara said. “I survived by keeping things inside.”
“And now?” the person asked.
“Now I want to learn to talk,” Elara said. “But you have to teach me.”
“You’re not bad at it,” Sable said. “You’re just scared.”
“Yes,” Elara said. “I am.”
“Then I’ll stay with you,” Sable said. “Until you’re not.”
“That sounds like you,” Elara said. “But this time you didn’t say ‘I’ll stay,’ you said ‘until you’re not scared.’”
“I’ve learned,” Sable smiled.
“You’ve also gotten worse,” Elara said.
“Then come be worse with me,” Sable said.
“I’ve been bad all along,” Elara said. “You just didn’t look.”
“Now I do,” Sable said.
“Now I do,” Elara repeated.
They were learning how to be “seen” —
not through performance,
but through honesty.
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On the way home, they were quiet for a long time.
“Do you think I talked too much?” Elara asked.
“No,” Sable said. “You just talked more than before.”
“Will you get tired of it?” Elara asked.
“No,” Sable said. “I was just thinking about how you dared to say it.”
“I don’t know either,” Elara said. “I just didn’t want anyone to guess anymore.”
“Will you say it again next time?” Sable asked.
“I’ll try,” Elara said. “But I can’t promise I’ll get it right every time.”
“Then start with ‘I’ll try’,” Sable said.
“That sounds like you,” Elara said. “But this time you didn’t say ‘don’t be afraid of failing’.”
“I did,” Sable said. “Just not directly.”
“Then you’ve gotten worse too,” Elara laughed.
“We’ll be worse together,” Sable said.
“Together,” Elara nodded.
They were learning how to be “worse together” —
not through instinct,
but through practice.
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That night, they lay in bed.
“You said ‘this is my girlfriend’ today,” Sable said.
“So did you,” Elara said.
“Did you think I said it too fast?” Sable asked.
“No,” Elara said. “I just didn’t expect you to say it.”
“I didn’t expect me to either,” Sable said. “I used to be scared of what people would think.”
“And now?” Elara asked.
“Now I’m more scared of you not hearing it,” Sable said.
“I heard it,” Elara said. “I want to hear it again.”
“You want me to say it again?” Sable asked.
“I want to hear it a lot more,” Elara said.
“Then I’ll say it again,” Sable said. “This is my girlfriend.”
“That sounds like you,” Elara said. “But this time you didn’t hide.”
“I didn’t,” Sable said. “I just… learned not to.”
“Then let’s keep learning,” Sable said.
“Together,” Elara said.
They were learning how to “learn together” —
not through habit,
but through choice.
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- Writer
