Helen sat on the edge of the bed, completely frozen, her mind racing even as her body felt heavy with disbelief. The weight of Dave’s words hung in the air, crushing her with an intensity she couldn’t quite comprehend. “Goodbye Helen, I’ll see you in California.” The finality in his voice echoed in her ears, mingling with the residual sting of his confession.
The anger that had fueled her argument melted away, replaced by a hollow ache in her chest. How could he assume their relationship? How could he walk away so easily, leaving her behind to wrestle with the chaos of it all, tears in his eyes?
She felt like a puppet with all the strings cut, left floundering on a stage she didn’t want to be on. The reality of their fake relationship—its flimsy foundation built on lies and pretense—sank in deeper, and she realized how little ever held them together. Perhaps it had all been just a performance, an act to please the outside world, masking the truth that they had both wanted something more, something real.
Helen barely registered Tommy sigh beside her, his presence a warm contrast to the chilly space that Dave’s absence had created. “Are you okay Helen?” he asked, his voice a soft, sweet, comforting lull that cleared some of the fog clouding her mind. It was an innocent question meant to elicit a simple response, but in that moment, she felt layers of emotions spill out of her like water from an overturned vase.
“No,” she whispered, choking on the word as if it were a bitter pill lodged in her throat. “No… I’m not okay.” The truth tumbled out, raw and unfiltered, a release valve for all the pent-up frustration, anger, and confusion she had suppressed in following the role she was forced to play. “I don’t even know what just happened.” She felt a warm rush of anger flare up again, this time directed at herself. How could she have played along so willingly, allowing a charade to cloud her feelings? But as she sat there, wrapped in her uncertainty, she knew she had to move through it, had to face the tangled threads of emotion that weaved between her and the world around her.
“If you want some space… I can go,” Helen watched Tommy as he spoke, his voice gentle yet hesitant, as if he was tiptoeing around her raw emotions. The offer for space lingered in the air, heavy and loaded with implication. She could feel his uncertainty mirrored in her own heart—the dance of wanting connection and fearing vulnerability was a complicated rhythm she was still trying to master.
She shook her head slowly, her emotions still in a tumble but craving the comfort of someone who understood—even if just a little. “No,— ” it was tumbling out before her ego had time to check the script. “Please don’t go,” she pleaded softly, the words slipping out again before she could second-guess herself. Helen needed someone to anchor her right now, and the thought of being alone felt like a plunge into cold water when she was already trembling at the edges… even as her cheeks heated… maybe it was a bad idea…
Tommy paused, brow furrowing as his phone buzzed again. He glanced down, confusion flickering across his features before he tucked the device back into his pocket. The moment felt suspended between them, a fleeting interruption that momentarily pulled him away from her. She watched him carefully, noticing how he seemed to wrestle with conflicting thoughts, wanting to offer her comfort but distracted by whatever had just captured his attention. “Is everything okay?” she asked, her voice a whisper, curious and slightly concerned. Helen felt an urge to reach out, to close the gap that had suddenly formed between them, but she held back. Instead, she watched as he processed whatever information was running through his mind. She hoped he would come back to her, that he wouldn’t let that distraction pull him too far away.
“It’s okay if you need to check it,” she said, trying to remain calm, though she could feel her heart racing in the silence. “Really, I don’t want to hold you back from something important.” She wondered if this was the universe giving her an out. She hoped it wasn’t.
@ChayChay05 | Tommy | 
Mentioned
@LunaticLeviTheSecond | Dave
@SotaForgotten | Rayla | sorta 