Page 58 of A World Without You
“Are you groveling?” he asks, repulsion laced in between each word.
“Are you listening?” I offer a smile. One he doesn’t reciprocate. “I want to talk. Can we please just talk? Dinner. A walk. Anything.”
The three seconds that pass beat at a sloth’s pace.
“No,” he says.
I feel like he stomped on my heart like a cigarette, and ground it into the gravel with each word. “Oh...” It’s more of a breath than a word. “That makes sense.”
His watchful eyes roam all over my face. At first, they’re still. Then they’re empathetic. And then—and maybe it’s just me hoping—his eyes turn regretful. I step back until my back is against the office door.
“If you change your mind,” I say. “I’d love to talk.”
He nods and looks away, and I turn to leave without another word.
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AFTER I CLOCK OUT,I leave the building and turn the corner, quickly realizing the sidewalk is blocked off with yellow caution tape. There are police cars blocking off the road and redirecting both vehicle and foot traffic. I strain my neck to see what’s going on, but my heart hammers because I already know. I saw it in my dream last night.
A couple of dirtied-up construction workers are in earshot, so I ask, “Do you know what happened?”
“Water line burst,” the shorter one says. “Flooded the street and made a section of the road implode.”
“The Seattle Freeze isn’t just how people act,” the taller one laughs. “This cold weather has been crazy.”
I force a polite smile and nod in agreement before turning away, the frigid air whipping at my cheeks and making my eyes water.
First, the unexpected snowfall on Thanksgiving. Celiac disease. And now the burst water line flooding the streets.
My dreams aren’t just dreams. They’re an alternate reality.Myalternate reality. It isn’t just what I wish for deep down in my conscience. It’s proof that I’m still Colin’s in another world, and he’s still mine.
THIRTEEN
DREAM 5
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