The Draft

She turned away from the computer. Something like this required more of a personal touch. Raising her pen to her lips, she chewed on the end thoughtfully.

This moment shouldn't have come as a surprise to either of them. They had a good thing going in college. But time and distance had driven a wedge between them that love alone couldn't conquer.

Living together this summer taught her a lot. She wore his ring on her finger, but her heart firmly resided with another. She couldn't marry Jeff and couldn't find the right words to tell him.

His insecurity had been palpable. He hid her mail, deleted her phone messages. He checked her email, read IMs over her shoulder. They fought bitterly as he tried to control her every action. Where he used to make her feel so safe, she now dreaded being in his presence. Leaving their apartment each day freed her.

Returning from her internship at the end of the day, it was an effort to walk through the door. Her chest got tight. Panic attacks struck frequently. There was no way this could be her life.

She was so grateful when the summer ended and she returned to school. Safely 10 hours away, the tightness in her chest loosened. For the first time in months, she felt like she could breathe. The relief she felt with each mile she put between them solidified the inevitable.

It was over.

Putting pen to paper, she began to write. The words flowed freely as she poured her heart out onto those pages. One page quickly became seven. Signing her name with a flourish, she stopped to survey her work.

The draft was disjointed at best, incoherent ramblings filling the pages. She alternated between anger and sadness. Rage and pity. They had both taken a risk with each other after the trauma of their past relationships. She never wanted to hurt him but couldn't bear hurting herself any longer.

Slowly, she slid his ring off her finger. No tears fell. It felt right. Like a weight had suddenly been lifted, she felt lighter than she had all summer.

Taking the draft into steady hands, she tore it to shreds. Her hand reached for the phone a split second before it rang. Knowing it was him before a single word was spoken, she answered, "Jeff, we need to talk."

The conversation pained them both. When they hung up the phone, they may have both been heartbroken. But they were free - to find happiness, to find the one they were meant to be with and to find a happily ever after they were never meant to share together.

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This week's theme was "draft." Check out the other Theme Thursday posts here.