Charlotte was so excited to finally be able to book a weekend getaway just for the two of them. They had finally planned a trip after talking for over a year. They had both previously been in long-term relationships, so doing something like this was new for them. She texted Brian to see if he had checked in for their flight and was all packed up. His response was delayed and short. “I’ll do it soon. Still packing.”

She tried not to read too much into it. After all, she’d only booked the trip because Brian said if she planned it, he would go. Now he sounded like it wasn’t something he wanted to do. “Have things changed and you no longer want to go?” Charlotte texted. A weekend in New Orleans should have warranted a better reaction. “Charlotte, you’re overreacting. I’ll meet you at the airport tomorrow,” Brian replied quickly. “Yay! Ok! Can’t wait! See you soon! 😘”

The next day arrived and Charlotte made her way to the airport. Every few minutes, she checked her phone, then scanned the terminal for Brian. She made several calls which were left unanswered and texts that solely read Delivered but never Read. Her boarding group was called. Still no Brian. Charlotte looked toward the entrance one last time before stepping into line. He wasn’t coming.

She didn’t know why he would leave her high and dry. She thought she made it easy for him by buying his ticket. She had paid for the entire trip. His flight. The hotel. Everything. All because she wanted two uninterrupted days with him. What Charlotte thought was progress in their relationship was beginning to look more like a relationship she had progressed all by herself. Clearly she wanted this to work more than he did and his silence was all the confirmation she needed.

Right before takeoff and before her phone was switched to airplane mode, her phone vibrated. A text from Brian. “Sorry I can’t make it. Have fun without me. Can’t wait to hear all about it.” Charlotte was furious! She had expected him not to show being that she was on the flight by herself but the lack of real care or apology bewildered her.

Charlotte stared at his message until the flight attendant reminded everyone to switch their phones to airplane mode. She didn’t have a chance to reply before takeoff, however she didn’t have anything she really wanted to say to him. She had spent over a year making room for Brian in a relationship he never seemed interested in fully showing up for. New Orleans was still waiting for her. Brian wasn’t. And somehow, that finally felt like enough.

Read more

“I like this. What we have. How it feels. I hope you do as well.”

Nah. That sounds too sentimental. I’m a thug, Kristen thought as she deleted the text. She hated starting over in relationships and having to get to know someone new. It all felt cliché and repetitive. She just wanted to skip these steps and get to the serious parts of a relationship, the comfort, stability, and longevity.

Usually, words came easily to Kristen. But this was Theo. And she really liked Theo. Maybe that was the problem. She wanted the message to be right. However, she didn’t necessarily know what that looked or sounded like. She decided that she would just put it all out there and hoped he heard her heart and understood what she meant.

She started typing “Hey! Hope your day is going well. Just following up with you as promised. Sorry to keep you waiting. Honestly, reading your message was a lot. A lot of mixed emotions to process.

I like this, I like you, but this also scares me. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I just needed to take the time to really sit with what was said and navigate through these feelings. To answer your question, yes, I would love to make this official and to see what a future together looks like. I just ask for patience as we figure this out together.

This isn’t easy for me, being vulnerable and opening my life up to someone else. It’s just been me for a while so you’ve seen the walls that I have up. So just bear with me as I learn to trust and potentially love again.”

Kristen stared at the message. It was definitely more than what she expected to write, but she needed him to know her truth.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Exhaled. Then sent it.

Delivered. Seconds passed. Read 5:19 PM. The typing bubble appeared. Kristen exhaled again, this time with relief. She set the phone down and waited for Theo’s reply. A minute passed. Nothing. She picked up the phone. The typing bubble was gone.

All that remained was her message.

Read 5:19 PM.

This is supposed to help me create more, be more inspired, and simply share my gift with the world. I generally write about romance and all the complexities surrounding it. I live vicariously through at least one character in each of my stories. Pieces of my real life are woven into different stories. Each one takes you on an emotional journey of love.

I also have a coming-of-age story that I would love to turn into a whole book series. I just have to find the motivation to keep writing, posting and creating on Substack. This is supposed to be the first step to getting my work out. So far, I’ve had this account created for several months and have yet to post anything. That wasn’t the plan. But somewhere along the way, fear took over. Add in some personal matters, and the timing never seemed right to release anything.

So, I guess this is me finally doing it. Posting unfinished pieces. The complete ones. The ones that might make you look at me a little differently. And hopefully introducing you to a few characters you won't be ready to let go of. Happy Reading!