Moving On

The familiar weight of the front door unlocking unrestricted echoed through the empty house, a sound that typically brought a sense of comfort, but today, it felt like a thud against Julie’s heart. She walked by, her shoulders drooped, the remnants of the evening adhering to her like a damp fog. The aroma of hot coffee and a memorial of the disastrous date, hung in the air, thick and unpleasant.

Five years since Den had walked out of her life, leaving an ocean of heartache that she had only just begun to mend. And now, here he was, back in her life, a whirlwind of success and wealth, but still the same fascinating and infuriating, insufferable man she had fallen for all those years agone.

The silence of the house was broken only by the ticking of the grandfather timepiece in the hallway, its slow and steady meter mocking her distress. The setting sun cast long shadows across the living room, painting the space in tones of orange, a reflection of the mixed feelings swirling inside her.