22

Elise

WE continued to walk. The house was getting nearer.

It was a three-story rustic-designed house constructed in both wood and bricks and looked both pretty and a little imposing at night. I appreciated the design despite how I felt about its owners at the moment.

I trembled from the cold again.

I felt his arm land on my shoulders to carefully pull me to him to share his heat in a brotherly manner.

“I’m here,” he started softly, “not only because you haven’t been here before, okay? I’m here because I got your back.”

“I know.”

“Good.”

“It’s not going to be that hard,” I said after a moment passed, and it was heavy with things that didn’t need to be said.

I always knew I had his back. That, I could never doubt even if I tried.

“It’s not like it’s a sudden and impulsive decision. I’ve been thinking about this for a while now. I should be grateful this is the only reason I was breaking up with him... that he’s away so many times and for too long that I’ve fallen out of love. It’s… at l