Shattered tears & wet glass.

His blue eyes pierce her brown ones.

She shivers and looks away.

An ugly silence hangs between them;

The type of silence that whispers

About the past & will tease about tomorrows,

And yet, shies away from the present.

He glances at her again,

Hoping to catch her eyes.

He takes in her hunched shoulders,

Hair cascading over her down-turned face.

She doesn’t move.

He suppress a scoff and stares at her,

His mind firing at her. Yelling. Demanding.

“WHY WON’T YOU TRUST US?

TRUST ME? WE CAN MAKE IT! TOGETHER!

I DON’T CARE WHAT PEOPLE THINK! YOU NEVER HAVE!

WHY NOW? WHY? I LOVE YOU, DAMNIT!

AND YOU LOVE ME! Right?”

With this final thought, a lump forms in his throat.

Doubt unnerves him and he sways on his feet.

He collects himself and clutches a piece of their broken dream around his white fingers.

Before he turns away, he looks at her hand.

The warm brown hand he’d held so many times.

Finally, she feels his eyes peel away from her.

She sighs inwardly and turns to him.

His hand is on his hip and his face is stony.

She knows that face. Indignant. Proud. Stubborn.

A smile nearly escapes her lips, but she catches it.

The demons within her begin their play again.

“They don’t approve. It would never work.”

“Who cares? I love him. We’d make it work.”

She rubs her temple, her head throbbing.

It wasn’t supposed to end like this.

It was never supposed to be like this.

Sure, she’d agreed to one date.

He’d been so charming that it turned into two.

Now, 3 years had passed and a shiny rock glistened on her finger.

She stands suddenly,

The matching piece of broken dream falling from her hand.

It falls soundlessly to the wooden floor.

She turns and opens her mouth. Helpless. “I…”

He moves toward her. Arms outstretched.

They hold each other until their hearts beat in unison,

And the last drop of glass dries.