CHAPTER ONE
1029 Words
Elara James sat on the bench at the park. Her hair let loose against the cool breeze, and she often had to tuck it behind her ear.
She checked the time again. It was 8:47pm.
He still wasn’t here.
She took a long breath, trying to catch her breath as the tension built in her chest. It was nothing. He could be stuck in traffic. He was just a few minutes late and that bothered her.
Noah was many things. He was funny, sometimes lazy but he was never late.
She adjusted in her seat as she looked out and saw cars moving on the road. Their lights shone bright in the dark. The bookstore was still open and she could see the owner scribbling something down in a note while drinking what she guessed would be coffee.
She looked again and next to the bookstore was a Diner. She saw a couple sitting across from each other having dinner and having a good time. The lady smiled so much that she felt an unexpected pant of discomfort
She checked again. It was 9:00 pm.
He still wasn’t here.
She glanced at the couple once more and wished she were inside the Diner seated in such a beautiful interior but then she was seated at the park where it was quiet and private.
A place where she would not feel watched. Her stomach has been unsettled since morning, not from just nerves but from something deeper that only she knew. Her hands unconsciously moved to her stomach. She rubbed for a few seconds, which stopped.
Tonight wasn’t supposed to be like this. It was supposed to be simple. She would tell him. He would be shocked but they would promise to get through this together. That is how it has always been but tonight she felt very lonely.
“Get a grip, Elara”, she whispered under her breath forcing a smile that didn’t say much of the thought going through her head.
Her phone buzzed. It was a notification.
She checked immediately but calmed when she saw it was a text from Maya.
Maya: Has he arrived?
Elara: No, he hasn’t. I’m worried.
Maya: Don’t be. He’ll come. Noah always does.
Elara: Okay
She stared at the screen for a moment before dialing his number again.
It rang.
Once
Twice
Three times
No answer.
“That’s strange…” she murmured.
Noah never ignored her calls. Not when he knew she would be waiting.
She stared at the phone and called his number again. This time his phone was unreachable.
Her stomach tightened a bit. Why wasn’t he answering his phone?
Maybe his phone was low.
Maybe his phone was unreachable.
Maybe…
She paused her thoughts. Earlier that week something had felt off. She hadn’t paid much attention to it but now it came in pieces and she wished she had. Hi
A conversation in the school hallway.
A tone she didn’t like.
His distant expression.
The unusual silence.
The strange photo on his phone.
She had brushed it aside at the time not wanting to overthink things but now she wasn’t so sure.
Elara shook her head slightly, pushing the thought away.
"No," she said softly. "You're just nervous."
And she was.
Because this wasn't just any conversation.She had spent the entire day rehearsing it.
Different versions. Different approaches.
Noah, I need to tell you something.
I'm pregnant.
Each time she imagined saying it, her heart would race all over again. Her palms would sweat. Her mind would fill with questions she didn't have answers to.
Would he be happy?
Would he panic?
Would he feel trapped?
She didn't know. And that uncertainty bothered her all day.
Still... she had to tell him.
Tonight.
She looked at the entrance hoping to see him walking towards her with that soft smile of his but she saw no one.
It was empty.
She checked the time again. It was 9: 30pm
The silence around her feels louder. It was loud enough to make doubt slip in, no matter how much she tried to push it away or make excuses for him.
She reached for her phone again, staring at his name on the screen.
Noah.
Her thumb hovered over it, but this time, she didn't press call.
Something had shifted.
A quiet, uncomfortable feeling was settling in her chest.
She looked across the street and saw that the couple had left and the waitress was clearing the table. She also saw the bookstore owner closing the doors and leaving holding hands with a gentleman. Their laughter filled the air.
Everyone looked happy
Except her.
It was 9:50 pm
Her thoughts began to wander this time to places she couldn't control.
The way he had been distant lately.
The short replies and unread messages.
The feeling that something was changing, even when she couldn't name it.
Her throat went dry.
"Noah wouldn't just leave me. Would he?” she started, but the words didn't finish.
And once more, without thinking, she placed it gently over her stomach. This time, she didn't pull away.
Her expression softened, just slightly. A quiet, fragile moment in the middle of everything else.
"I was going to tell him tonight..." she whispered.
Her voice was so soft it barely existed.
But the words carried weight.
She blinked, her eyes beginning to water then she screamed because she already knew.
The realization didn't hit her, it came slowly and quietly. It settled in her chest like something cold and permanent.
He wasn't coming.
Elara took a deep breath and she pressed her lips as she took her bag.
She hesitated. Just for a moment hoping that he would walk towards her, slightly out of breath, apologizing, calling her name the way he always did.
But it was already 10:20 pm and the park was empty. She was alone in the vast land.
She stood up.
Her movements are calm. Controlled.
She picked up her bag, her fingers tightening around the strap, and her other hand wiping the tears off her face.
Then she turned and walked away.
This time, she didn't look back.
He never came.
- Writer
