
PC: Taryn Elliott
A piercing ice-cold wave of loneliness swept over her as she sat in the midst of her classmates.
She gazed at them as though through a veil. Their chatter sounded muffled… distant.
As if in slow motion, she saw Danny throwing a chalk, Ria opening her mouth wide in a hearty laugh, and Ira sharing the latest hottest gossip.
Loneliness had frozen her. If only she could thaw, she could be a part of them.
“You okay?” asked Sunny.
“Uhm… yes…”
“You sure? You look a bit pale” continued Sunny, taking a seat beside her.
She shifted a bit, “I’m fine.”
“Yeah… no, I don’t believe anyone who says they’re fine” chuckled Sunny.
She paused, let out a breath, “You can believe me.”
“I believe what you’re not saying”
“Then why ask at all?”
“Because I want to hear it from you. It’s okay to say you’re not fine. There’s no need to hide, it’s safe to tell me.”
There was a brief silence as he waited patiently.
She braved herself.
A slow lift of her eyelids, a glance into a pair of his warm, understanding eyes.
‘CRACK’ ripped across her frozen void, the veil melted away, and the sounds came alive in her ears.
“I’m not fine” she confessed.
Sunny smiled, “I’m all ears.”
She felt the warmth of sitting in front of a fireplace, steaming cup of coffee in hand, with a cozy blanket wrapping her as she poured out her heart.
Cheers,
Venice 🙂