Chapter 4: Stay Away from Her
379 Words
Claire was humming when she arrived the next night, a grocery bag in one arm and her camera bag in the other. “We’re filming a new segment at the care home,” she said as she unpacked vegetables onto my kitchen counter. “Guess who volunteered to sing for the residents?”
I already knew the answer.
She didn’t notice my silence. "It’s so heartwarming, she went on. You’ve really changed. I don’t know
What sparked it, but it’s like you’ve rediscovered yourself?
My throat tightened. I wanted to tell her.
Wanted to say: That wasn’t me.
But I couldn’t. Not yet.
We ate dinner together. She talked about the footage she captured that day. How the residents smiled when he sang. How Mr. Chen said he hadn’t felt this happy in years.
Claire rested her head on my shoulders afterward. “I’m proud of you, Liam.”
That night, I lay awake long after she’d fallen asleep beside me. Her breathing was soft, steady. But my mind was anything but.
In the morning, I left early and returned to the care home.
I didn’t go inside. I waited by the fence, under the ginkgo tree. I knew he’d come.
And he did.
Leo walked toward me with that same calm expression, as if none of this was strange. As if he hadn’t been living my life.
“You said three days,” I said.
He shrugged. “It’s not over yet.”
“She’s not part of this,” I snapped.
He raised an eyebrow. “Claire? She’s already in it. And she’s happy. Isn’t that what matters?”
“She thinks you’re me.”
He studied me. “And you think telling her the truth will make her happier?”
I had no answer.
“She deserves to know,” I muttered.
Leo’s voice dropped. “Or maybe she already has. Maybe she’s just choosing the version of you she prefers.”
That hit harder than I expected.
He stepped closer. You said I could take your place. For three days.
I’m doing that. I’m not pretending to be better than you, Liam.
I’m just... better at being you.
The words rang in my head long after he left.
Better at being me.
Was he right?
- Writer
