sunday_reveries prompt
Image prompt.
He's trying. About two months ago Clark found a letter. The letter was from Chloe and it was from six years ago. If he was a better man, he would have put it back where he found it, he would have let it go and never looked at it again.
But he wasn't.
He held on to it, he kept it in his bedroom, hidden and although he didn't look at it often, he did think about it. He thought about it every day, he thought about it every time he thought of Chloe, every time he talked to Chloe. He wanted to tell her, to be honest with her about seeing it, but he knew he couldn't.
Chloe was engaged to Jimmy, she was going to marry Jimmy, she loved Jimmy and most importantly: Chloe was happy. She was happy, she was happy with Jimmy. Being with Jimmy would probably be Chloe's best chance at having a normal, less dangerous life. She wouldn't spend as much time with him, wouldn't spend as much time around the things that would hurt her.
He should be happy for her. She was his best friend, he should be happy that things had finally worked out for her, with all the things Chloe had been through, usually because of him. But as hard as he tried, he couldn't help but wonder, wonder what things would have been like now if he had known, if he had paid attention to Chloe's feelings for him, if he had had the courage to ask her out, to ask her what she thought about them.
But he hadn't, he had let her go more times than he would like to admit. Let her go because he needed her in his life, he couldn't risk losing her, couldn't risk messing up things between them. And now he was going to lose her anyway. Lose her for Jimmy, lose her for her marriage, lose her for her new life. A life that wouldn't include him. Not the way her life included him now.
But it was her choice. Not his. He missed his opportunity years ago, before he even knew what he was losing. And now it was too late.
He's trying. About two months ago Clark found a letter. The letter was from Chloe and it was from six years ago. If he was a better man, he would have put it back where he found it, he would have let it go and never looked at it again.
But he wasn't.
He held on to it, he kept it in his bedroom, hidden and although he didn't look at it often, he did think about it. He thought about it every day, he thought about it every time he thought of Chloe, every time he talked to Chloe. He wanted to tell her, to be honest with her about seeing it, but he knew he couldn't.
Chloe was engaged to Jimmy, she was going to marry Jimmy, she loved Jimmy and most importantly: Chloe was happy. She was happy, she was happy with Jimmy. Being with Jimmy would probably be Chloe's best chance at having a normal, less dangerous life. She wouldn't spend as much time with him, wouldn't spend as much time around the things that would hurt her.
He should be happy for her. She was his best friend, he should be happy that things had finally worked out for her, with all the things Chloe had been through, usually because of him. But as hard as he tried, he couldn't help but wonder, wonder what things would have been like now if he had known, if he had paid attention to Chloe's feelings for him, if he had had the courage to ask her out, to ask her what she thought about them.
But he hadn't, he had let her go more times than he would like to admit. Let her go because he needed her in his life, he couldn't risk losing her, couldn't risk messing up things between them. And now he was going to lose her anyway. Lose her for Jimmy, lose her for her marriage, lose her for her new life. A life that wouldn't include him. Not the way her life included him now.
But it was her choice. Not his. He missed his opportunity years ago, before he even knew what he was losing. And now it was too late.