Page 12 (1/2)

"Good-bye," she said quietly

9

Haven walked blindly down the long hallway, the boxes in her ar to catch a gliht into Dia

Haven setically but Dia simply waved it off as she pulled out a set of keys and opened her door Haven juggled the boxes onceelse as she walked into the small, quiet apartht, illu her Photos covered every surface, blanketing the paint like wallpaper

Haven had been here before, once, on her eighteenth birthday She forgot Dia wanted to be a photographer

Her eyes scanned the pictures instinctively, recognizing son to her except one Straight in front of her, on the wall above the couch, was an old photo of her and Car the sea of colorful memories, but this one was different This one called to her, silently screa her name above the others Neither had even known the photo was being taken as they stared at each other that Christmas day more than a year before Their love had been new, untainted and na&iunorance shone frouish on the horizon

Dia kicked the door shut, the sla Haven flinch It suddenly felt as if thein on her The boxes slipped fro the floor with a thud

Stepping around therabbed the photo, wordlessly yanking it off the wall

"Sorry," Dia said, setting the other boxes down "I should’ve reminded youwarned you"

Haven closed her eyes Warning her they were there would have done nothing to dull the ache It resided deep inside her, infecting her tissues and seeping into her bones, clenching her heart as it took over her chest Her lungs felt stiff, like brand-new leather, stubbornly refusing to expand as she took a deep breath She was suffocating from the pressure of what could have been

"It’s okay," she whispered, forcing the words out "I’ else, but Haven didn’t wait to hear She walked away, slipping into the spare bedrooainst it as she clutched the photo to her chest

Sleep evaded Haven that night as she lay in bed, ringing in the New Year by staring out the foggyFireworks went off in the distance, noise per the air as people in Charlotte celebrated, but Haven did nothing

She hardly evensun started to peek through, she gave up on finding sleep and quietly crept to the living rooone, the crealow enveloping the apartment froht, a few stray pieces of tape reether in a ball in her pal as her friend strolled out of a bedrooe polka-dotted pajamas, her hair knotted at the top of her head She rubbed her eyes and yawned as she made her way toward the tiny kitchen

"Goodback at the eone"

"Yeah, I thought it would be easier if you didn’t have to see the out a jug of lass and saturated it with a ry? I think I have some cereal around here somewhere"

Haven shook her head as Dia started toward her again "No, thank you"

"Well, if you get hungry, help yourself to anything in the kitchen," she said "I don’t have roceries on my way home"

Haven eyed her curiously "Way ho froister for my classes today and buy my books"

"Oh"

"I’d stay with you, but I technically already istration, so it’s my last chance," she continued "But if you don’t want to be alone, I can--"

"It’s fine," Haven said, cutting her off She didn’t want to be a burden "I have things to do today anyway You know, like unpacking andthings"

Haven forced a sether when I get home Maybe order a pizza and watch a irl talk"

"Yeah, sure," Haven said "Sounds great"

Dia s about herroo the sers Once Dia left, Haven headed back into the bedroos in the boxes in the living rooht No irl talk There wasn’t even sleep

Days passed in a blur of inso Haven deeper into depression The nights were tortuous but the days weren’t much better as Haven walked around in a stupor She felt like she was drowning, slowly slipping away as she grasped desperately to the surface, just waiting for so Haven kneell She had always had a high tolerance for it, keeping her head held high as she faced uni inside of her noas different The heart-clenching, suffocating dread was enough to knock her off her feet She had been frightened before, certainly, but this was the first time she truly felt lost Until then, her life had been an endless cycle of do-this-and-do-that; there was always a task, always a purpose, always a point But not anymore Her future was empty A blank canvas There was nowhere for her to escape fro for her

She was free, she realized, and freedom terrified her

Luna Rossa sat back off the highway, partially shielded by rows of trees The brick building, massive in size while subtle in style, blended into the surroundings of the quiet south Chicago neighborhood The rustic tan sign above the door displayed the name in deep red cursive letters, the only indicator of its true nature the word lounge below it in gold No flashing lights or neon signs atte visitors inside