AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Well, snap out of it,” Artie says firmly. “We’re going to find Susan. And we’re going to bring her back.”
“She left by her own choice,” Ollie says. “She said whatever we shared wasn’t real.”
“It was very fucking real for me, and I know it was for her too,” I say.
Ollie blinks in shock at my outburst. I feel like I’m going through all the stages of grief at once.
“We pushed her away,” Artie says.
“How is that—” Ollie begins before he catches his breath.
“What is it?” Artie says.
Ollie rakes a hand through his hair in frustration. “The day before yesterday, I went down to the bar and things got heated between me and a girl.”
“You fucked her?” I ask.
Ollie cringes and shudders. “Of course not. I would never betray Susan like that. No, I left before anything happened, but I thought I should tell Susan about my moment of weakness. I thought it was only fair.”
“That wasn’t the only thing she was upset at, though,” Artie says. “Remember when you mentioned the project, and she just shut down? She thought I was giving up on it because of the baby and her.”
“Yes,” I murmur. All of these things together worked in tangent and ultimately pushed her away from us. I shake my head. “I can’t believe I’m an idiot who didn’t see it before.”
“We didn’t either,” Artie says. “Maybe because we’re not used to a woman like Susan. We never even knew when she burrowed her way into our hearts.”
Ollie and I are silent for a moment. “I love her,” I say finally.
“And I love her as well,” Ollie says. “I just wish we had told her that. If Susan knew, maybe she wouldn’t have taken such a drastic step.”
“Well, we have to tell her,” I say.
“But for that, we need to find her first,” Artie points out.
* * *
Each day blursinto the next as we tirelessly search for any sign of Susan. Our lives become consumed by the quest to find her, leaving little room for anything else. Together, we make multiple trips to New York and follow every lead we can find.
Susan is like a ghost. She’s a reclusive writer who hasn’t updated her social handles for three years. Artie finds her agent’s name and emails her but gets no response.
“I’m not surprised,” he says afterward. “There are probably a lot of weirdos out there trying to get in touch with her.”
Days turn into weeks, and weeks turn into months, but we refuse to give up.
The months blend into a tapestry of missed connections, false leads, and dashed hopes. There are people on Instagram who offer to get us in touch with Susan, but instead they try to scam us.
Finally, one day, Artie comes running up to me. It’s been five months since Susan left us. The snow from the mountain above us has mostly melted, leading to a pleasant climate. I’m out in our backyard, painting the crib. I’m thinking of donating it to an orphanage or foster care one day.
“I found her,” Artie says.
At first, I’m not sure I hear him correctly. Ollie, who has been working in the shed, comes out. “Excuse me?”
“I found her, I found Susan,” Artie says, waving his phone in the air.
I spring to my feet. “Show me.”
Artie nods, beckoning me to come inside. “It’s better I show you on my laptop.”
Ollie and I follow him inside. The suspense is killing me. Artie pushes his laptop toward us and plays something.
