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Shannon’s POV
Still feeling a little overwhelmed, I looked up at Clayton, and the moment our eyes met, the warmth in his gaze brought a flood of memories rushing back.”
It had been ten years. Time had left its marks on me, but Clayton looked just like I remembered, gentle, kind, effortlessly handsome. When Rusty’s voice rang out from the phone, sharp and demanding, a shadow flickered through Clayton’s eyes. He leaned in slightly and said softly, trying to calm my nerves.”
“Shannon, is that guy giving you trouble? Do you need help?”
His words snapped me out of my daze. I quickly shook my head and turned my gaze coldly toward Rusty.
“Rusty, we’ve both signed the divorce papers. Whatever you have to say now doesn’t matter anymore. If there’s anything left to discuss, my lawyer will be in touch. As for us, there’s no reason to keep in contact.”
I paused, then added, “Oh, and give my best to Gale. I wish you two all the happiness in the world. When you get married, be sure to let me know. I’ve got a special gift for you.”
Without waiting for a reply, I ended the call and blocked him on every platform.
Only after doing all that did I realize how awkward the situation must look. My mind was scrambling for the right words to explain this whole mess to Clayton. But thankfully, he didn’t ask.
As the plane took off and soared into the sky, I stared out the window at the clouds and let out a quiet sigh. The emotional rollercoaster had left me drained to even talk with Clayton.}]
Making up some excuse to sleep, I closed my eyes and tried to rest. But Rusty’s face crept back into my mind.
We had gone to the same university, though we hadn’t known each other at first.
One night, after finishing my part–time shift, I took a shortcut back to the dorms, hoping to beat curfew. I didn’t realize someone had been following me until I was cornered in a dark alley. I cried and begged for help, terrified out of my mind.
That was when Rusty appeared, like some kind of superhero. He beat the guy off, dragged him to the police station with me, and when I couldn’t get back into my dorm, he stayed up with me the whole night, talking.
From then on, we saw each other more and more. I don’t know who fell first. We even confessed our feelings at the same time.” We made it through graduation and got married. Life felt full of promise.}
But then, the man who had followed me that one night was released from prison. Bent on revenge, he waited for us outside our new apartment. As soon as we stepped out, he rushed at Rusty with a baseball bat. I saw it and, in panic, I shoved Rusty out of the way. But in doing so, I took the hit myself.
Yes, I survived. But the blow caused a blood clot in my brain, and it pressed against my optic nerve, causing my blindness.
Miserable and desperate, I planned to jump off the building to end it all. But Rusty held onto me with all his strength and fearfully sobbed, “Shannon, if you die, I won’t survive either. Please, live for me. If you can’t see, I’ll be your eyes.”
But people change. The man who once loved me was the same man who betrayed me.”
Sometime during that fog of memory, I unknowingly fell asleep.
When i woke up, there was a blanket draped over me and a small chocolate pastry in front of me. I blinked, confused, and turned to Clayton.
He smiled gently, kindness etched into every line of his face.
“Your favorite,” he said. “Chocolate bread. Have a bite. We’ll be landing in about an hour.”
I was surprised that he still remembered what I liked, even after ten years.
For the rest of the flight, we spent time talking, steering clear of the painful memories of our last goodbye. He kept the conversation light and familiar, like we were back in those carefree days when we told each other everything.
When we finally landed and the plane taxied to the gate, I realized where we were.}
He had brought me back to my mother’s hometown, the very place where we had grown close and flirted with the idea of love.
As we walked back to the old neighborhood together, the moment we stepped inside the gate, the neighbors swarmed us.
Seeing I was overwhelmed, Clayton instinctively stepped in front of me, shielding me from the onslaught of greetings and questions.!! Grateful, I reached out to take the luggage from his hand.
Just then, someone nearby commented with a laugh, “Well, I’ll be! Looks like you childhood sweethearts finally tied the knot after all.” Wait, what?
