Reconcilation
620 Words
Chapter 6
Two days passed. Two damned days. I didn’t eat well, I didn’t sleep well, and worst of all: I wasn’t thinking straight. I had a thousand things I wanted to tell him. But none of them fit in my mouth. Everything got stuck in my throat.
That night, the world was shut off. Me, in bed with the TV on just so I wouldn’t have to hear myself think. Until someone knocked on the door.
Two dry little knocks. I hesitated about opening it. I stood up. Sat down again. Stood up again.
I opened it. And there he was. With his "I messed up" face and a bag in his hand. He wasn’t even looking at me properly.
— Can I come in? — he said quietly.
— I don’t know.
— I brought something.
I gestured with my head. He came in, but didn’t walk very far. He stayed by the entrance, like he wasn’t sure if he had permission for more. He handed me the bag. I took it without saying anything.
— What is this?
— Open it.
I opened it. A book. My book. The one I’d always wanted. The limited edition, the one I’d mentioned in passing once while we talked about everything and nothing. I opened it. First page: a signature. And a dedication.
"For the one who doesn’t need to shout to be heard."
I felt something inside me break, but this time not from pain. It was something else. It was like the anger was melting away in a corner I didn’t even know was still waiting for him.
— How long have you had it?
— I bought it months ago. I was going to give it to you for your birthday, but... I don’t know. Today it felt more necessary. I looked at him. He was still standing there quietly, waiting.
— You didn’t have to come with a gift — I told him.
— It’s not a gift — he said, finally looking up — It’s an apology... in disguise. Because I know I wasn’t fair.
— You weren’t.
Silence. An uncomfortable one. A necessary one. Then a deep breath.
— I didn’t come to fix everything tonight. I just came to say that what happened hurt me too. That even though I said it wrong, I meant it... I want to stay and build this right.
I didn’t say anything. I just got closer. I rested my head on his chest, where everything was still beating fast.
— I’m tired of fighting with you — I whispered to him.
— Then let’s not fight. Let’s talk. Even if our voices shake.
And that’s where we stayed, not knowing what we were, but knowing that at least for now, we weren’t going to let go.
I talked a bit with my friends Lara and Lizy. They already knew everything that had happened and Lizy told us she had something to tell us, so we made a call.
— Hi girls — said Lizy
— Hi — says Lara
— Hi, what happened? — I said
— Matías and I are in a relationship — she blurted out. I felt Lara let out a huge scream, and I couldn’t believe it either. Mati in love with Lizy. No wonder the two of them had been acting weird.
— Wow. "Congratulations Lizy, you two kept that really well hidden" — I said
— It was something that happened out of nowhere — she mentioned
— I think I’m still in shock — said Lara
— I’m so happy for you guys.
— Should we do something to celebrate on Sunday? — I said.
— YES — said Lara.
- Writer
