Page 4 of Falling for My Ex Next Door

Reaching the porch, I retrieved the key from where the attorney had indicated, then inserted it into the keyhole, all the while watching Jacob disappear into the neighboring house.

As if running into him wasn’t tormenting enough, now we were neighbors. It felt like an undeserved punishment.

Pushing the door open, I flicked on the light, revealing the sight of scattered boxes strewn across the dusty floor. Closing the door behind me, I began to peel off my clothes, only to let out a loud sneeze resulting from the chilly air and the swirling dust.

I made my way around the boxes, pulling my miniature travel bag behind me until I got to the wooden staircase.

Sitting on the stairs hugging my feet, I shivered, partly from the cold and partly from the memory of bumping into him. I can remember the look on his face; it was utter shock. He wouldn’t have dared imagine, I thought to myself, that we would cross paths in Sunnyvale, of all places. I wanted to let my thoughts rush over and segue to other things, but I was unsuccessful.

The case worsened when the hurtful memory of our breakup came gallivanting in my head. For so long, I had tried to repress those awful memories, but I guess I was too traumatized to lose them if that made any sense at all.

Rainy days weren’t my favorite days, but I have pretty delightful memories of them. However, on this day, I could not compose such memories.

“We have to break up.”

Those words were sharper than a two-edged sword. He had brutally stabbed me with them, not caring how I would feel. He had been selfish, and it hurt to know.

I thought I had moved on without him. Here in Sunnyvale, I thought I would start anew after three years of our breakup. I sniffled. Perhaps I had begun crying; maybe it was the cold. I didn’t know.

Looking around me, I saw that I had a lot more than I had imagined to do. The house was a beautiful mess, with dust bunnies stationed like sentries in different corners, elaborately spun webs on the ceiling and between things, and the covered clothes thickened by masses of dirt.

I sneezed.

Perhaps I needed something warm first.

The kitchen was just right in the next room. I would have coffee, I had brought some along with me, and I would begin the house cleaning.

“Ah, neighbors!” I said out loud, still curious about Jacob Bradley’s sudden reappearance in my life. He couldn’t have followed me here.

“Enough thinking about him,” I said to myself. “You have a lot to do”. I dropped my cup of coffee, resolved.

I grabbed the vacuum cleaner and a dust cloth. Hastily, I rolled my hair into a rough bun and started cleaning.

Initially, I thought it wasn’t a big deal, and that I was perfectly fine. Nothing could stop me from taking care of the house. Still, when my eyes kept looking out the window, and the sound of the rain on the rooftop collided with my thumping heart, I was sure I would sit down to rest soon.

A wave of sadness devoured me, and it was heavier than ever before. I was consumed. I couldn’t think straight; it was as if I was back again to when he had walked away.

“What do you mean by that? Why do we need a break?”

“It’s not you, Clara, it’s me. It’s all me. I cannot shirk duty, Clara. I have to be responsible for the company in California, or it will be shut down.”

“I still can’t see how that affects our relationship.”

“Look, Clara,” his voice broke as I stared right into his eyes as if searching his soul.

What had come over him? I had begun to break inside. How could he do that to us?

“I’m sorry,” was what followed.

“Hmm! What are you sorry for? I’m hating this right now. We were fine, Jacob, and we are fine. We have been the best couple so far, and I -I- “

I was whimpering.

The determination was in his eyes; he had already made his decision. He was sorry, my ice cream was melting away, and I was breathing heavily alongside the gust of wind, causing strands of my hair to wisp about. I wanted to shove the ice cream into his face.

I didn’t, luckily, before he walked away.

And that night had been miserable. It was a bright night, illuminated by a round, full moon, but it had been miserable. And so was the following morning, and the one to come after, and the ones to come after.

---