The window was covered in water now, and the world outside dissolved into nothing, red and green lights all bleeding downward.
I pressed my forehead against the glass. The cold seeped in, and my temples throbbed.
Another text. Another new number.
"Are you coming back or not?"
I stared at those five words.
No "home." No "us." No "I'll wait for you."
Just are you coming back or not.
Like I'd asked him what he wanted for dinner. Like I'd just stepped out to grab something from the store. Like I was throwing some little tantrum and once the rain stopped, I'd slink back on my own.
I typed one word: "No."
Send. Block.
The bus lurched. My stop. I stepped off, and the rain hit me full in the face, drenching. I didn't run. I just walked.
I walked past the barbecue place we always used to go to. The owner was closing up for the night. She spotted me and paused. "Hey, sweetie, all by yourself tonight? Where's that man of yours?"
I gave her a smile and kept walking.