FLASH FICTION

Hold My Hand and Take a Step

Now or whenever

In her crinkled, decade-old pajamas, Drew barged into Brooke’s room empty-handed. Wearing a look of urgency, she sat down on the corner of the bed.

What’s up?

I need to talk to you.

Can’t it wait?

You have to listen to me. Hear the words coming out of my mouth; process them with all your faculties before storing them in your brain. I’m saying no. No, to your longing stares, no to acting up during uncomfortable situations, and no to pulling away, only to mope in secret. I can’t take it anymore.

I don’t know what you’re talking about.

You do. And I see you. You’re scared of something real, of someone who can see right through you, of not being able to play self-deflecting mind games.

What I’m proposing is not easy, and I am fully aware that living in the depths of this reality is not for the faint-hearted. But this is it, Brooke. If I didn’t think you could meet me halfway, I wouldn’t endure the pain of saying this. I would move on and start imagining my life alone. It would make sense to let go.

It’s too much. You know what I feel about you, Drew. But, thinking about it for more than a few seconds at a time is painful. I also fear it’s not good enough.

I’m not enough.

I’m not asking you to be perfect; I want you — the real you, to be with me. Opening yourself up, being vulnerable, and giving someone the potential power to destroy you…is worse than death. But we’ve known each other for an eternity, and I would never do that to you. You know that.

I wish I could promise you the moon, Brooke, and that everything is going to be okay. The truth is, it’s not. Things are going to be messy, boring even, and often challenging to work through. We may need to remind ourselves why we started. We can’t just chase the good experiences, but every moment of every day, share ourselves, commit — without knowing the future.

What if I ask for time? Say I’m not ready? I am not a strong woman like you.

I’ll wait for you forever. But, I have a condition.

When you make your way towards me, you need to hold my hand. From that point onwards, we are together. We grow side by side, laugh at ironies, and cry in unison. There’s room for you, me, and us in my story.

You need to want to write it with me.

There are no guarantees in love, but I’ll give you one. If you take a step, I’ll take one too, and we’ll create something magical, beautiful, and lasting.

It’s this or nothing, Brooke. There’s no one called destiny, compatibility, or laws of attraction whom we can call upon to make it work between us.

We need to make a choice.

Discover more of my work, if you happen to like this bit, here.

Want to engage with countless articles from other writers and me? Then get yourself a membership here. It supports us directly, and I will be earning a small commission.