IV
(edited.)
"We need to talk."
Just those four words were enough for Carmen to lose sleep the night before after she had talked to James on the phone. Although she had tried her best to hide the heartbreaking news which she knew she would have to tell him one day, she knew that there had to be some differences in her behavior which would alarm him.
Was it possible that he already knew?
Did Abby tell him?
She continued to panic as she walked towards the small cafe where they always met after classes to get a coffee. The ding of the bell above the door surrounded her as she entered, immediately hit with the warmth and comforting smell of coffee.
She looked over at where they usually sat and saw him behind his laptop, two cups of coffee before him. Taking in a deep breath, she walked over to him and sat down across from him.
"Hey," she said.
He finally looked up and smiled at her, his brown eyes sparkling.
"Hey."
He slid her one of the cups and she took a sip, smiling at him once the familiar taste surrounded her. He closed the laptop and intertwined his fingers before looking at her. The smile which was on his face suddenly disappeared, causing her to worry.
He knew.
There was no way he didn't know by now.
"There's something I need to talk to you about and I'm not sure when the right time will be so I'm just going to get it over with," he said. She slowly nodded as her heart beat rapidly, bracing herself for what she was about to hear.
"I'm moving."
A part of her was relieved when he didn't say anything about her current situation. However, that part of her was pushed aside by the part which felt heartbroken at his words.
"What do you mean? How can you move away?" she asked.
"I'm sorry but this wasn't something that I expected. I mean, I went to do the internship over the summer, thinking that maybe I could get a job locally so that I could stay with you but they offered me a position at the headquarters. And as much as I want to stay with you, my future is also important."
"W-what are you saying?" she struggled to ask.
"What I'm saying is," he reached out and held her hand tenderly, "I have to pick between my future and you. And I've already made my decision─"
"And it's not me," she finished his sentence for him, pulling her hand away.
"I can't believe you'd do something like this," she said, wiping away some tears and standing.
"Carmen─"
"Don't you dare say my name."
Upon saying that, she stood up and walked out of the cafe, not looking back once. As she walked down away, the tears continued to flow. Not only because she hadn't been able to tell him about her situation but because of the sense of betrayal she felt from what he had done.
---
"Did you tell him? Is that why you're crying?" Abby asked as soon as she saw her.
Carmen closed the door behind her and slipped out of her shoes, wiping away her tears; only for more to return.
"Can you please leave me alone?" she whispered softly.
"Carm, please talk to me. What's wrong?"
She felt her knees weaken under her and fell onto the ground. Immediately, Abby dropped beside her and wrapped her arms around her.
"Did he find out somehow and break up with you?"
She shook her head.
"Then what's wrong? Please tell me."
"H-he's moving away. He chose his job over me."
"T-that's it?"
"What do you mean 'that's it?'"
"At least he hasn't found out about it yet. And now that he's moving, you don't have to tell him-"
"How can you say that?"
"Believe me, this is for the best."
ns 15.158.61.8da2
