Short Story

LAST MOON

9/4/2015 – ALJ

The music faded into the background. As I looked up at him, I could feel the distance between us grow. The sadness in his eyes took me by surprise. It was a look I had never seen before. And I was the one who had put it there.

Another song began to play, but his hands were already slipping away. I tried to speak, but it only pushed him away faster. I stood for a moment as he turned away. I bit back the tears and boldly took a step forward.

“David.”

The word so softly spoken I wasn’t sure if I had said it out loud.

“David.”

This time the word came out a little louder, a little stronger. But still he moved away.

I followed him outside, watching as he leaned on the rail. A weight on his shoulders as he hunched over. The door shut behind me, closing the music inside. It was deadly quiet outside. My racing heart beating wildly in my chest as I stood waiting. I waited for what seemed like minutes, but it was only moments.

I reached forward.

“David.”

He pulled away from my hand as it softly caressed his back.

“Don’t,” he pleaded, almost fighting back tears.

With a deep breath, he recomposed himself to meet me. I opened my mouth to speak, but his face pleaded for me to stop. We stood there for what seemed an eternity. I waited, hoping he would speak.

But the words never came. So I turned away, determined to say my part, knowing that was only possible if I looked away.

“It was the right thing to say," was my only defense.

“But it was the wrong time to say it," he replied.

His words cut back at me like a knife to the gut. But he was right. And that made it only that much harder to bear.

“Is it over then?”

The question escaped my lips though I knew the answer before it was even asked.

I turned back to him in the silence. 

He was looking up at the moon. And I moved to his side, joining him as he gazed. I rested my head on his shoulder like I had done so many other nights before. And though he cringed for a second, he did not pull away. His arm reached around my shoulder and he gently held me there.

“Yes,” he replied, placing a soft kiss on my hair as we stared up at the moon.

Our last moon together.