She Sobbed

It was a hot day. She sat on the edge of the ground and sobbed into her hands. Her chest heaved. Her hair was around her face, as if trying to shield her from the outside world. Every muffled sob that he imagined from a few feet away felt like a stab in his heart. Every second that ticked felt like he was going miles deeper towards his own personal hell.

He walked across the hot gravel and past the sandbox that he had loved as a child. His heart thumped louder than the sounds his rigid shoes made on the ground.

The salty breeze was weak, the sun strong. His pits were stained with sweat. He hoped she wouldn’t notice. He almost stopped and turned around. But her sobbing had slowed down, her chest was still. She had heard his footsteps. She waited, head still in her hands, body deathly still.

He stood still, feet sinking further into the ground. Heart jumping into his throat and ears. Pounding louder. Incessantly.

He could taste the salt in the air. It was in his nostrils. It was nice. It was giving him a headache. His fingers tingled. A bead of sweat fell into his eyes. He shook his head. He watched in horror as it landed by her feet. She looked up. Her beautiful eyes rimmed red with the tears, which were also streaming down her face. Drying up. He felt a pang in his heart, a constricting in his chest. He took a deep breath. And sat down by her.

“Are-“ he gulped. His voice went mute. She looked at him expectantly. Openly.

“Ar-“ he tried again. He sat in silence and horror. He closed his mouth, what he imagined mouth open like a fish would look like.

“Areyouokay” the words came out too fast, and he almost slapped himself in the face for asking such a stupid question. She looked a little irritated. Was she irritated? “What I mean is, can I do anything. To help, I mean.” Silence. She stared at him, those beautiful eyes inquisitive, questioning him. His heart thumped faster. He kept talking. Hurriedly. “I just saw you crying and I didn’t... I couldn’t… I don’t know what it is.” He knew exactly what it was and he would kill that madarchod. “But I… I just wanted…” his voice faded away. He realized the more he talked, the less helpful he was being. He was just talking to make the nervousness go away. Now that he was silent, it was gone. A light breeze tickled his fingers. He shifted a little, uncomfortable, looking forwards. She was silent on his right side. He wondered if he should get up and leave. His shirt clung to his back from the sweat. If he moved, it might make that disgusting squelching sound. It wasn’t disgusting. He just thought she might think so. A little shifting on his right. He turned around. Too fast, he berated himself in his head. She smiled at him.