When Opportunity Comes Running ...
Chiamaka Eze@chiamakaeze425179
11 months ago
𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑜𝑓 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑙𝑦 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 ...
The heavy thumping in my chest combined with my shallow breathing as I run down the concrete sidewalk in the golden glow of the dusk sunset have no effect on how far my memory can go to hurt me.
𝐼 𝑐𝑎𝑛'𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑊𝑦𝑎𝑡𝑡.
The words stamped in my mind flow out with a flourish that slowly engulf me with the feeling of being drowned.
𝐼 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑐𝑎𝑛'𝑡 … 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑦'𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑜 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔. 𝐼 𝑐𝑎𝑛'𝑡 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑢𝑝 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑊𝑦𝑎𝑡𝑡, Ris had said with a single tear betraying her.
I could have fought to keep her, to keep us, but of course I didn't.
Now, her 𝑊𝑦𝑎𝑡𝑡 haunt me.
The tears-laden 𝑊𝑦𝑎𝑡𝑡 that held so much more than she was letting me have.
“Wyatt!”
That voice I have grown to crave, the voice that did things to me I never would have thought realistically possible, come across to me fleetingly.
I'm positive of being neck deep in hallucinations. When there aren't any hands circling my arm, I conclude that I actually am and shake my head, bidding myself to run faster as I'm gripped by embarrassment.
“Wyatt!”
My name floats to me in an almost ragged whisper having me slow my pace to a jog as I try to clear my head, rid it of all hallucinations.
“Wyatt!”
I swivel on my heel this time without further thought, my chest heaving as I do.
Ris is right in front of me, hair tousled and mouth open in a pant like she's been trying to catch up with my run.
For a longer moment than intended I stay fixed in a daze, trying to make sense of Ris being in front of me.
There's a quaver on her lips and I immediately snap out of my reverie.
My legs carry me out of habit to her but I think better of it and make an abrupt stop, the air between us turning awkward.
A tear slips from her eyes and I rub my itchy palms down the length of my bare arms.
“Ris —” my voice comes out cracked, putting my weakness right in front of her to see, and I clear my throat.
“Is there a problem?” I ask.
She replies with a slight shake of her head and tears slide down her cheeks from both eyes.
I don't hold myself as I close the distance between us, ignoring the blare of her previous 𝐼 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑜 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑜𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑜𝑟 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑡 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑒𝑑 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑤𝑒 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑑. 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑢𝑠 … 𝑛𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 in my head.
“Ris,” I softly call as I rub her arms covered with the sleeves of the sunflower yellow knit sweater I got her the day we broke up.
“I'm sorry Wyatt, for everything I said to you. Honestly, I didn't mean to.
“It's just … I was just … Really, I don't know what I was doing or … Actually I do know—” a hiccup interrupt her ramble and I rub her back, trying to calm her down.
“Breathe Ris, breathe for me,” I tell her as I maintain eye contact.
For a moment, I feel the air still and the brown pool that is Ris’ eyes search mine.
She shudders and before I can ask anything she sobs, confusing me.
“I never meant for things to end between us,” she says without any hiccups and I feel my back go rigid.
“Everything I told you was made up, Wyatt. I loved every time spent with you, I had every moment we created together imprinted into my mind. I refused to let any bit go. I …” she hesitates, “I couldn't let any bit go.”
“These last three days have been hellish. It's so ironical having brought it upon myself.” She lets out a wet laugh.
“It was worth it while it lasted though. In the very least, it got your mum and Victoria off my back. I didn't seem to be a target anymore.”
“What?” I ask, feeling my brow furrow as Ris shrugs.
“She told me all about your planned wedding with Victoria—”
“Excuse me?” I cut her off.
“I felt like an idiot,” she says. “I was so embarrased that I was the other woman in your life, that I was …”
She doesn't continue and I rush out with an “I think I would know about my own wedding, Ris.”
“I was given an invite,” she says, staring me dead in the eyes. “I was sent receipts for the renting of your wedding venue and for the rings. They— they couldn't have been all fake.”
“Ris, they couldn't have been at all real if I knew nothing about it,” I say in ragged breath. “Can we sit, and talk this through?”
“No!” Ris exclaims a tad too loudly. She shuts her eyes and exhales softly.
“If we move,” she says in a whisper, “I might lose the courage to continue. And that would kill me, Wyatt.”
I nod and she gives out a shaky breath.
“Your mother came to my workplace a week after we met Victoria outside the cinema. She was straight to the point with how I was trying to destroy your perfectly set out life with Victoria and how it would be demeaning to let me wreck your life,” she lets out a sigh and I feel myself weaken.
“She gave me an invite to the wedding and promised she'd let me sit in the front row if I wouldn't be a catastrophy.
“She wasn't wrong. You look great with Victoria. The all-knowing model of the decade and hot CEO has always been a trope I love. It would kill me—”
“Stop,” I whisper.
“—to see you go,” she says doing a terrible job at hiding the tremble of her voice.
“Then don't. Don't freaking let me go Ris,” I breathe out.
“But your mum …” she stops for a breather. “Actually , I can support you in this new chapter of yours. I definitely won't be a catastroph—”
I don't let her go on as I meld her lips with mine, taking all of her in with a palm at the back of her head.
She mumbles the rest of her words in my mouth with shut eyes. When I don't let go, she raises herself on her toes and melt into me, a lone tear taking its time down her face.
When I feel her slipping away, I lower myself and she relaxes on her feet, her palms splayed on my chest.
I lick the wall of her mouth, the corner of my lips lifting in what would probably come of a weak attempt at a smirk.
“Can I have your attention now, please?” I ask when I finally put inches between our faces.
Her eyes shoot open and for a moment she says nothing, just stares me in the eyes.
I take that as a positive answer and speak.
“I don't know what my mother told you or what Victoria told you or what any other person told you but there has to be a glitch in the programme for a reality where I marry Victoria or anybody else to exist, really.”
I search her eyes, letting my words sink in.
“Why didn't you say something Ris? Why did you keep this burden all to yourself? I was right there, always there, to have whatever you'd spare me,” I say so quietly in contrast to how loud I want to be right now.
I tuck the strands of hair matted to her face with sweat and tears behind her ear.
“I love you Carissa, I always have. From the night you shooed me off your sleeping friend in the bar even in your drunken stupor, I had known I wanted you to be mine.
“Honestly Carissa, I still want you to be mine … if only you'd let me ha—”
I feel myself jerked down by the neck and immediately taste salt as my lips meet Ris'.
Her breath tickles my face in our position and I pull her closer to me by the waist, her palms dropping to my back from my neck.
She breaks our kiss, a smile spread on her lips.
“I doubt there's a universe where I wouldn't want to be in love with you,” Ris says and I feel a bubble swell in my chest, her breath pleasantly warming my face.
#Nirclestory
#fiction
#romance
#shortstory
#storywriting
#contentcreation
𝐷𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑁𝑖𝑟𝑐𝑙𝑒 𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒, ℎ𝑜𝑤'𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜𝑑𝑎𝑦?
𝐼'𝑚 ℎ𝑜𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑔 “𝐺𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡!” 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡.
𝐼 𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑝𝑖𝑒𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑓𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑛.
𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡'𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠?
𝐷𝑖𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑒𝑛𝑗𝑜𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑? 𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑐𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎 ♥️ 𝑖𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑑𝑖𝑑.
𝐼𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢'𝑣𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑠𝑢𝑔𝑔𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑜𝑟 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑠𝑚𝑠, 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘 — 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠' 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛.
𝐼𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢'𝑟𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑦 𝑝𝑎𝑔𝑒 ... 𝑊𝑒𝑙𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒!!! 😘
𝐷𝑜𝑛'𝑡 ℎ𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑖𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑏𝑢𝑡𝑡𝑜𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠.
