The rain pounded heavily on the car windows; the loud, thundering rhythm only being disrupted by the thudding beat of the window wipers. The car roared into life and pulled out of the driveway, the radio playing a tinny song about love as the car drove down the dark street. Two figures sat in the shadow of the car, occasionally being lit up by the headlights of the oncoming vehicles that gave a menacing growl as they passed. They both looked straight ahead out the windscreen, one concentrating on the road and the other concentrating on nothing, just listening to the slow song with empty insides. She was trying to concentrate on the lyrics of the song, but it was proving difficult to hear anything over the audible silence that filled the car.

It had been such a nice day. The picnic in the woods had gone perfectly; the food eaten in the shade of the wonderfully warm sun with the seclusion for her and her boyfriend to talk deeply and express their love. They had laughed and talked the hours away until the sun had set and she realised how late it was. It was so easy to talk to him before, not even a few hours before, and now it seemed to be impossible. There was only the silence and the dark rain.

“Julia.” His voice! His beautifully strong voice! She turned to him, her heart leaping at hearing him speak her name, yet there was a sickening turn in her stomach as she anticipated what would come next. “Julia,” he began again, “it looks like it’s all out in the open now, the affair that is.” He said, looking intently at the road. Julia turned back and faced the front with a blank stare, wishing for stop talking so she could hear the static of the radio and the pounding of the rain. He glanced at her for a moment, trying to take in her reaction. “You seem pretty distraught.”

She had to suppress a sarcastic laugh. Of course Allan, I am distraught, she thought bitterly. Who wouldn’t be in her situation? The last hour was spent sitting on a couch, watching her three year relationship fall apart around her ears. They had visited Allan’s friend in her new house on the way home, only to stop in and drop off a quick gift, but they had ended up staying a lot longer than originally planned.

“I was denying it and denying it so vehemently, but when she brought out the receipts and bills I couldn’t deny it any longer.” He was talking more to himself than to Julia, a strange smile on his face as he watched the road. “I mean, how can you deny something when there’s concrete evidence against it? How can you deny it when there is hard, physical evidence against it?”

Julia looked out the side window, hiding the look of disgust that flickered over her face for a moment. Sleazy hotels and cheap dinners out, the receipts and credit card bills told it all. Dates stretching back to three months previous, including Valentines Day. She managed a quick, wry smile; he was working on Valentines Day. He had looked into her eyes, pleading with her, telling her it wasn’t true, “It can’t be true,” he said, his eyes shining with the threat of tears, “It can’t be, I love you.” He repeated it over and over, not listening to his friend until she finally brought out the hard evidence. He fell silent after that, and had stayed that way until they had stepped into the car.

It was over, it had to be. Nothing could come back from this. An affair! she thought to herself, how could… How could you come back from something like that? They had to. Three years couldn’t just be thrown away. But they had been thrown away, thrown away for a double bed with dirty sheets. She remembered their first date and how it had gone dreadfully wrong. She had tripped over her own feet in an attempt to kiss him, breaking her leg in the process. He visited her every day in the hospital over the next week, bringing her flowers and gifts before talking with her until visiting hours ended. He had kissed her on her last day in the hospital, leaning over the bed, the bright sun lighting up his beautiful face. The vivid memory made her chest explode, just like they exploded when her lips touched his.

Her thoughts were interrupted as the car slowed to a stop, Allan twisting the wheel to pull over onto the curb. He turned off the radio, so only the thud of window wipers and the deafening silence remained. Julia sat there in the thick stillness, wishing for Allan to speak while nursing a small hope that things could be alright again, that things could go back to the way they used to be.

“Get out.” He said flatly, staring straight ahead as always with that damned smile still on his face and continuously not looking at her. She looked at him, tears streaming down her face from the memory, mouthing words that she had no strength to speak. “Out. Our relationship is obviously over, this is pretty unforgivable. It’s not too long a walk to your place.” His voice was cold and emotionless, not a hint of compassion or regret. The power and direction behind his voice compelled Julia, her hand automatically reaching for the door. She opened the door slightly, the light inside the car blinking on as a cold gust of air rushed into the warmth. She had to leave.

“Julia,” she turned to Allan again, a glimmer of hope rising in her chest that things could be alright again. She could change, be better than before. But as she looked at him in the light of the car, seeing his knuckles white as they gripped the steering wheel and his face wet with tears, she knew that it was truly over. “Goodbye,” he said, his emotionless voice cracking and wavering, “I hope you know, you were the best thing that ever happened to me. I’m going to miss you. Bye Julia.”

She paused, staring at him and trying her best to find the words to speak, but all that came out was more tears and the shuddering of suppressed sobs. Pushing the door open, she stumbled onto the pavement, regaining her balance in time to see Allan reaching over and closing the door, looking at the pavement. She stood tall and stable until the car was nothing more than faded red brake lights, disappearing in the downpour that engulfed her and threatened to drown her. She fell to her knees sobbing and crying in hysterics, her tears becoming lost among the rain. After a while she calmed down slightly and pulled a mobile phone out of her handbag, clumsily pressing the numbers before putting it to her ear. She began sobbing again as soon as it was picked up, crying down the phone and not making any sense. For the first ten minutes, the recipient could only make out one phrase, repeated over and over.

“He found out.”