Chapter 18: The Space He Left Behind
377 Words
Five pm came and went.
Elara checked the clock like it had personally offended her. Five ten. Five twenty.
Adrian was never late.
She told herself it did not matter. Good. Great, actually. Fewer arguments. Fewer comments. Fewer looks that made her forget she was exhausted.
She rolled up her sleeves anyway and got to work.
Five forty.
She wiped grease off her hands and glanced toward the entrance again. Empty. No BMW. No perfectly timed footsteps. No voice questioning her methods like he was grading her existence.
“Good,” she muttered. “Peace.”
So why did it feel strange.
By six pm, she had finished two repairs and reorganized a shelf that did not need reorganizing. She caught herself listening for a sound that never came.
Ridiculous.
At six thirty, one of the mechanics nudged her. “Your rich friend not coming today.”
“He is not my friend,” she replied too quickly.
The mechanic shrugged. “Still. He usually shows.”
Elara turned back to the engine in front of her. “People disappear all the time.”
She knew that better than most.
At seven pm, her phone buzzed. A message from her mother.
Are you eating well. You sound tired.
She typed back.
I am fine. Just busy.
She almost asked if Adrian had called the house. She did not.
Eight pm felt heavier. The garage seemed louder without him. She hated that she noticed. Hated that part of her replayed the office scene. His voice. Calm. Certain. Protective.
“You should not have done that,” she whispered to no one.
By eight forty five, she was done. Earlier than usual. She cleaned up slowly, dragging time like it owed her answers.
Still nothing.
As she locked her locker, a thought slipped in uninvited.
What if he got tired.
What if he decided she was too much trouble.
She shook her head hard. “Get a grip,” she told herself.
At nine pm, she stepped outside. Night air cool against her skin. The streetlights flickered on.
She waited one more minute. For no reason.
Then she walked home.
And for the first time since meeting Adrian Carter, his absence followed her louder than his arrogance ever had.
- Writer
