Theo
SOUTH brONX CLASSICAL
Wednesday Evening
Time dragged on, and before I knew it, a month had passed since our breakup.
But it still felt like it’d just happened.
Seeing Mia didn’t make it any easier. All I could think about was the way she looked at me. She looked like she wanted to stay.
Knowing she wanted this as much as I did should’ve helped, but it didn’t. And it was getting more and more difficult to accept her decision as one day passed into the next.
I walked from the subway, down the street, and into the iron gates that shut South Bronx Classical away from the rest of the world.
Tonight, I was picking my daughter up from rehearsals. I’d wanted to pull her out of the play altogether, but after thinking about it, she decided to keep going.
Despite everything, I felt pretty proud of her then. She went after her goals and didn’t let anyone get in her way. As I turned from hallway to hallway, thinking about it almost made me smile.
The night had a frosty bite to it, but I couldn’t feel it down here, in these dark hallways. The strain in my eyes eased a little, and I shut them for just a minute as I made my way to the amphitheater.
“Owouf.”
Someone small and slight crashed into my chest. I took a step back but held both of us upright as my hands curved around two narrow shoulders. My eyes flew open.
“Sorry,” she muttered, her accent strong. “It’s so dark in here. I was about to turn on the lights–”
She cut herself off with a gasp. In the dark, I could still make out her face–her beautiful, stunned face.
My grip on her arms tightened as she stared at me, and I brought her closer. Close enough that I could graze the tip of my nose against hers.
Another slight gasp, and her hands were on my chest, fingers twining in my shirt, bringing me even closer.
Fuck. I’d missed her so much.