Teine sat on the edge of the couch, staring down at the cup of tea that had gone cold in her hands. Ryan’s sat untouched on the coffee table, and across from that he sat stiffly, awkwardly. He’d asked if they could “talk”, but now they’d been sitting in silence for almost fifteen minutes.
She knew that things had been rough lately. She’d been working more to support them after Ryan got laid off, but he was back on his feet now - she thought things were getting better.
Then he said the words that shattered her world.
“I just…. I just don’t love you anymore.”
The cup slipped from her fingers, landing on the carpet with a dull thud. The tea spilling in a slow, widening stain. Teine barely noticed.
“What?” Her voice came out in a choked whisper, barely audible over the roaring in her ears.
“Come on, you must have noticed it too… things are just different now.”
Her stomach twisted with the betrayal - before he lost his job, they’d been talking about marriage. And now this?
She tried to find something, anything, to hold on to. “We can fix this,” she said desperately. “We can—”
“No, Teine.” His voice was firm, final. “I don’t want to fix it.”
And there it was. The words that turned her bones to glass and shattered her from the inside out.
Teine had given this man everything - even the parts of herself she didn’t share with anyone else. Her unconditional support during the hardest time of his life, depleting her own savings to keep them above water. They were supposed to have a life together, a love to last until the end.
But he didn’t love her anymore.
She felt small, fragile, as if the floor beneath her had cracked wide open, and she was free-falling into a place where nothing made sense.
“What did I do wrong?” she choked out.
“You didn’t do anything wrong.”
She shook her head, refusing to accept that answer. “Then why? Why are you giving up on us?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted, and somehow, that made it worse. If there had been a reason, a mistake she had made, at least she could have fixed it. But this? This was just him slipping away, just her being powerless to stop it.
Ryan stared down at his cup, still untouched on the table, refusing to meet her eyes. “I think it might be best for me to go now - I can come gather my things this weekend, if that works for you.”
The finality of it crushed her.
Teine watched as he stood up, his achingly familiar frame moving toward the door. He hesitated, as if waiting for her to say something, but she had nothing left.
And then he was gone.
The apartment was silent except for the sound of her own breathing, ragged and uneven.
She sat there for a long time, staring at the stain on the carpet, unable to move.
What do you do when your world is collapsing around you, and the only thing you can do is watch? For a lot of her life, that was how Avira felt. When those around her when in distresss she would try to offer her words, but often times they felt like hollow words no matter how much she meant them. If her words couldn’t help, the. What good were they really? As she watched the one who killed her mothers spirit, even if it in the literal sense, go on and to paint themselves not just as a victor, but but as the hero, the one who was wronged all along, she felt the most powerless she had even felt in her life.
Sometimes she forgot why it hurt so much. It wasn’t just her mother who had be hurt, it was her whole family. Avira herself had also been hurt by the same family friend, on such a deep personal level. The worst that this ever was, the most helpless she ever felt, was when the family all had to come tougher for the sake of a loved one who had fallen ill. Avira had to put the past behind her for the sake of that loved one, who still wanted the family friend around. All the while that same family friend continued to spin their yarn of lies. The only thing Avira really had to get he trough it all was the little sliver of hope that one day maybe, things would change. Until then though she would do her best to guide her love ones and herself through these trouble times, bringing light to the darkest places whenever she could.
The one time that Willow felt helpless was when she couldn't help her friend. Her friend seemed to be feeling down and unable to get out of those feelings. She tried a lot of things to help her friend, even just being there or checking up on them on the days they didn't call or respond to her. She knew there wasn't a lot that could be done unless her friend wanted to feel better on their own so she stood by them as much as she could and showed they weren't alone no matter how much they possibly felt so. She tried to coax her friend to open up and talk to her about anything and everything, no matter how bad it could be. Sometimes she'd get to hear about the feelings of the day for them and help her friend work through it to see the good things even with all the bad. She always hopes her words will support her friend when she needs them or feels low in the moment. - May add more(174 words)
fallenfishy Staff Member
Reply here to enter for Will-O-Whisper GK-0016
2025-02-08 20:57:32 (Edited 2025-02-08 20:57:35)
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Sunnyside Staff Member
Teine sat on the edge of the couch, staring down at the cup of tea that had gone cold in her hands. Ryan’s sat untouched on the coffee table, and across from that he sat stiffly, awkwardly. He’d asked if they could “talk”, but now they’d been sitting in silence for almost fifteen minutes.
She knew that things had been rough lately. She’d been working more to support them after Ryan got laid off, but he was back on his feet now - she thought things were getting better.
Then he said the words that shattered her world.
“I just…. I just don’t love you anymore.”
The cup slipped from her fingers, landing on the carpet with a dull thud. The tea spilling in a slow, widening stain. Teine barely noticed.
“What?” Her voice came out in a choked whisper, barely audible over the roaring in her ears.
“Come on, you must have noticed it too… things are just different now.”
Her stomach twisted with the betrayal - before he lost his job, they’d been talking about marriage. And now this?
She tried to find something, anything, to hold on to. “We can fix this,” she said desperately. “We can—”
“No, Teine.” His voice was firm, final. “I don’t want to fix it.”
And there it was. The words that turned her bones to glass and shattered her from the inside out.
Teine had given this man everything - even the parts of herself she didn’t share with anyone else. Her unconditional support during the hardest time of his life, depleting her own savings to keep them above water. They were supposed to have a life together, a love to last until the end.
But he didn’t love her anymore.
She felt small, fragile, as if the floor beneath her had cracked wide open, and she was free-falling into a place where nothing made sense.
“What did I do wrong?” she choked out.
“You didn’t do anything wrong.”
She shook her head, refusing to accept that answer. “Then why? Why are you giving up on us?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted, and somehow, that made it worse. If there had been a reason, a mistake she had made, at least she could have fixed it. But this? This was just him slipping away, just her being powerless to stop it.
Ryan stared down at his cup, still untouched on the table, refusing to meet her eyes. “I think it might be best for me to go now - I can come gather my things this weekend, if that works for you.”
The finality of it crushed her.
Teine watched as he stood up, his achingly familiar frame moving toward the door. He hesitated, as if waiting for her to say something, but she had nothing left.
And then he was gone.
The apartment was silent except for the sound of her own breathing, ragged and uneven.
She sat there for a long time, staring at the stain on the carpet, unable to move.
2025-02-16 04:15:03 (Edited 2025-02-23 18:17:29)
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fallenfishy Staff Member
Winner winner chicken dinner!
2025-02-23 18:17:48
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Thereddestweasel
What do you do when your world is collapsing around you, and the only thing you can do is watch? For a lot of her life, that was how Avira felt. When those around her when in distresss she would try to offer her words, but often times they felt like hollow words no matter how much she meant them. If her words couldn’t help, the. What good were they really? As she watched the one who killed her mothers spirit, even if it in the literal sense, go on and to paint themselves not just as a victor, but but as the hero, the one who was wronged all along, she felt the most powerless she had even felt in her life.
Sometimes she forgot why it hurt so much. It wasn’t just her mother who had be hurt, it was her whole family. Avira herself had also been hurt by the same family friend, on such a deep personal level. The worst that this ever was, the most helpless she ever felt, was when the family all had to come tougher for the sake of a loved one who had fallen ill. Avira had to put the past behind her for the sake of that loved one, who still wanted the family friend around. All the while that same family friend continued to spin their yarn of lies. The only thing Avira really had to get he trough it all was the little sliver of hope that one day maybe, things would change. Until then though she would do her best to guide her love ones and herself through these trouble times, bringing light to the darkest places whenever she could.
2025-02-14 04:59:23
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DeathStarPrincess
The one time that Willow felt helpless was when she couldn't help her friend. Her friend seemed to be feeling down and unable to get out of those feelings. She tried a lot of things to help her friend, even just being there or checking up on them on the days they didn't call or respond to her. She knew there wasn't a lot that could be done unless her friend wanted to feel better on their own so she stood by them as much as she could and showed they weren't alone no matter how much they possibly felt so. She tried to coax her friend to open up and talk to her about anything and everything, no matter how bad it could be. Sometimes she'd get to hear about the feelings of the day for them and help her friend work through it to see the good things even with all the bad. She always hopes her words will support her friend when she needs them or feels low in the moment. - May add more(174 words)
2025-02-10 14:12:05
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