The Replaced Lover's Thirty-Day Silent Escape

and every ounce of my heart into my boyfriend

always carried a torch for, returned from London

etheart liked mangoes, he ordered a

faked concern for

keeper. She's sensible.

hing but a substitute, a bed-warme

a scene. I didn't beg for his attention

thirty-day

's time to

pte

ia's

without reservation. It wasn't until Blake Cross decided to return from L

at JFK, Damian completely forg

n't even bother with a decent excuse, and merely s

g room window, pressing

tle voice crossed six time zones,

art, have you de

yesterday. They want your signed accep

ss, watching the reflect

Mom," I sa

ng back t

eath came thr

d," she w

rest of your life. We'll get the guest room ready right away, and your

to all that trouble," I sai

to put an e

eart. Just come home.

e, and the scr

n the pitch-black living room, listen

d no more

ugh, it stops burning an

vy sound of the front door loc

and the harsh hallw

ppers the way I had every night for

blinking against

her shoes and tossed his k

e on the sof

n the dark?" he asked

oward me. He did

," I repl

wered a single m

s silk tie and unb

ashed before five," he said sm

the junior engineers all night,

uch practiced ease. He was ce

aped it over the armchair, and

, and the sound of running wat

e, his personal ph

ations buzzed, vibrating

ere steady, not a single tr

s privacy and never touched his s

y on the lock screen.

en, right in the ce

eled with nothing b

much for tonight," t

You even remembered I like white lilies on the kitchen co

ld as I scrolled up th

om Blake had been answe

on, he replied: "I'm

et lag, he replied: "Got your favorit

icken soup for dinner, his reply to her was:

back to our

but my green message bubbles, a o

ou eate

o take your

be home b

single

ponse was a single

gap between the

absurd enoug

building with all its windows smashed ou

one numb. It had finished

h my sleeve, set the phone back exactly where it had

first met Damian on c

nce prodigy, favored by professors, the objec

always cold and distant, as if noth

chasing him for

ront row without fail at every robotics competition. When his roommate was away on spring bre

riend three years ago, I thought my

meone who didn't know how

is laptop hard drive crashed and I sen

ars ago, there were thousan

e train, wrapped in Damian's jacket. Blake holding bo

high school friends, bought him a few bee

, Damian had been hopele

on to pursue her fashion dream, telling hi

eft the country, Damian f

er his gi

der in an empty classroom, waiting for the

was back

silent countdown w