AllFreeNovel
Share Us
That’s what hurts the most. Despite all we’ve been through, she doesn’t want anything to do with me. She told me I’d won, when in fact, I’ve lost everything.
It isn’t a competition, it’s our lives at stake.
And without her in mine, it’s pointless to move on.
Chapter Twenty-One
“When he feels like home,
that’s how you know he’s the one.”
~ Emerson Chase
“And... cut!”
This was the hardest episode I have filmed. Not only did I have to tell Wesley on camera that things had to end between us, but it will be the last time we’re together in this apartment.
Saying goodbye is never easy, even when it’s what you so desperately need to happen to move on. It’s hard to tell if Wesley’s equally affected, but I gather through his late nights and excessive drinking he isn’t coping well either.
The camera crew and Cliff pack up their equipment, along with the makeup artists, wardrobe, and assistants. We started filming at 6:00 a.m. and finish five hours later.
It’s bittersweet in so many ways, yet finally, it’s time to wrap up this difficult season.
“So, this is it?”
“This is it.” I choke back the tears with my wavering voice barely heard amongst the silence. Even George looks sad, his face is planted on the floor with his paws strategically covering his face.
“I never really expected us to be here, Em. It’s odd, you know? Three years of our lives together and now what?”
“We go on. It’s for the best. We were never meant to be, Wes.” I sigh loudly. “George will miss you.”
He bends down, patting George’s head and squeezing his mouth in the palm of his hand. “It’ll be nice to leave my shoes out without having to worry about them being eaten.”
I smile, gently. “He’ll have to move on to stinky soccer boots or something.”
The small smile that graces his worn-out face disappears.
What happened between us has taken a toll on his well-being, a reason I didn’t pressure or push him out of my life like he deserves.
“So, you’re together?”
I shake my head, sullen and withdrawn. “No, but I love him. If it’s meant to happen, it’ll happen.”
The answer is enough to ease his tension. Leaning into where I stand, he asks for a goodbye hug. It isn’t the greatest of ideas given the circumstances, but I don’t want to upset him further and find the courage to say goodbye properly to someone who was a huge part of my life.
Inside the arms of the man I once loved, I realize what I need to do. We pull apart and I grab my purse with George’s leash linked in my hand.
I scan the apartment one more time, there’s boxes stacked high and ready to go.
This was never my home, it was a place where we enjoyed our time. Made memories, good and bad.
But now, someone else can make the memories for themselves.
I have to go back to where it all began.
***
The trip to Connecticut is exhausting and long and gave me time to think...
