writing_shadows

He had been sat in the pub for a good couple of hours after his meeting with the Darkling nursing the same pint. The other empty glasses that the pair of them had drunk had been gathered up and whisked away a long while ago by the barmaid. She had looked at him oddly and still did occasionally as he sat there quietly in one corner away from other people but he ignored her questioning glances.

Some guy had joined him for a bit but had soon gotten up and left him alone, moving to another table as soon it became available. Stitches did not even notice he was gone for a long time, his gaze fixed on the mobile phone that was on the table in front of him.

Every so often it would flash brightly, the annoying musical ring tone accompanied by the rattling of plastic on wood as it vibrated on the table. Every time it did, he took a sip of his now flat lager and considered answering it but never actually did. The last time he had gone to answer it and it had stopped ringing just as his hand was about to pick it up. He sat there watching it and waited for it to inevitably ring again.

The seconds seemed to tick past slower and slower the longer time dragged on but after an age it burst into life again. This time he picked it up after draining what was left in his glass and answered it trying to keep his voice level.

“Hello?”

“It took longer than expected, sorry.”

It was hard lying to her. He knew she would be able to tell it was a lie but he did it anyway. He’d never done that before and the horrendous guilt he suddenly felt turned his stomach inside out.

“It would have helped if your number came up on the phone rather than it just flashing number unknown. Or maybe left a message or something.”

He ran a hand through his hair and closed his eyes as he listened to the soft response.

“Yeah. Okay. I understand. Sorry” he replied apologetically.

After a quiet lull in the conversation, he eventually ventured.

“Everything alright?”

He sat there and listened to her talk, his head bowed slightly and his eyes closed as he tried to not let the hurt and pain he could hear her trying to hide in her voice get to him. It was hard. Even after all this time it was hard. It would always be hard. He breathed in deeply and was quiet for a moment before responding to the last words she spoke.

“I know you do. I still do...just...not like before. A lots happened. You know that as well as I do. I’m not the same person as I was before.”

He could hear the tears that were falling down her face at the other end of the line and his heart wrenched itself within his chest. He took another deep breath and tried to keep his own pain and sorrow out of his voice.

“I’m sorry. We shouldn’t even be talking. It’s not good for...for...either of us.”

He was quiet for a long time as he listened to her sob, trying to work out what to say to her.

“Please Claire...don’t...”

The phone went silent and he slowly put it back down on the table and wiped his teary eyes dry with the back of his other hand.

He stared at the mobile, the screen black with a thin crack across it and the numbers on the keypad worn away from use. He held down one of the buttons and after a moment it flared back into life, the battery life showing full as he put it in his pocket and stood up to leave.