When asked to catch up, Melinda initially found no harm in the simple interaction, yet she found her mind riddled with worry by each passing minute she spent sitting in her car right outside of Jackson’s apartment. Scribbled notes on the back of an old receipt revealed a pros and cons list she created in a panic to ease her anxiety. Much to her disappointment, the cons portion won by a landslide. She read the words she wrote for herself just moments prior: You’re engaged. Don’t do anything stupid.
Her nerves were frayed to the quick. In her building anxiety, she constructed elaborate rationalizations for why everything would turn out alright, but the nagging voice in the back of her mind spoke nothing but regret ahead.
In her stubborn nature, she ignored what her conscience deemed to be morally right, crumpled the list in her hand, and approached Jackson’s apartment. Her breathing picked up as she studied her familiar surroundings, feeling odd to return to a place she knew so well given her circumstances. Her body moved much more rapidly than her mind and before she could blink, she was at his doorstep.
For a moment, she stared blankly at the door, knowing that at any moment she could escape yet again and never speak to the man she loved dearly. Though, the voice in her head reappeared, prompting her to rap her knuckles gently against the firm door.