Casualty

A Short Story by Thais Rulich-Maly

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“Whenever I’m alone with you…”

The song swept through the ballroom, like a cool breeze over a meadow, pulling the flowers and long stems of grass in the direction of soft breath and a sweet voice. He looked over at her, with eyes just as red as his. An incredible sadness bound the two together, a fraying string breaking between them. A sad, small smile pulled up the corners of her pink-painted lips, but he knew it was nothing but a sorrowful rendering of happiness. It ended too quickly, only reaching just past the edge of her lips. It was pressed like a makeshift cover over a leak that was fighting to burst. And the look in her eyes was fooling nobody. Let alone him. She never was able to fool him. He reached out for her hand and she took it, her cold fingers wrapping around his, allowing him to pull her out of her seat and walk her towards the dance floor. 

“You make me feel like I am home again…”

He brought her hands around his neck, and she let her forehead fall against his. Both of their eyes looked down to the ground, not brave enough to look at the other. His arms slowly wrapped around her waist, hovering above skin, as if he were asking permission to hold her. Her eyes flittered up to meet his, giving silent permission. He let his arms drift down, holding her against him, swaying to the melody as if this was both their first and last dance.

He watched her eyes train on the floor, the patterns their feet were drawing against the tile floor. She finally looked up at him. Tears were waiting to pour, like water running from a faucet, overflowing out of a cup that sat in the basin. Her lip began quivering and as much as she tried to stop, the quietest sob escaped her throat. Without thinking, he pulled her into him, her head falling onto his shoulder, both holding each other as if it was the last time they’d ever see each other. Tears grew in his eyes too, and one by one they fell down onto the fabric of her green dress like rain falling on grass. 

“However far away, I will always love you…”

He felt her turn her head up, cheek brushing against cheek, moving her lips towards his ear as she whispered, “I’m sorry. I am so sorry.” 

He lowered his head onto her shoulder and her hand came up almost on instinct to hold it against her, massaging his scalp. 

“Please don’t.” He whispered. He felt her body soften against him. “Please don’t say you’re sorry.” 

All around them were couples, happy and rejoicing over love so new, so pure. Yet, in the middle stood two people whose hearts were turning blue, whose love was running cold. The warmth, joy, and excitement in that room had touched every person but left these two unscathed. 

“Whatever words I say, I will always love you…”

This time, she whispered those words into his ear: “Whatever words I say, I will always love you.” She closed her eyes, letting the gates clatter to the ground and pure sadness release as if it had been waiting there for years. As he felt her body shake, he moved up, putting both hands on her face, wiping away her tears. They were in sync, and there was tenderness in every movement. But there was only so much they could do. Only so much they could say. And so they stood there, in the eye of the hurricane.  

“I will always love you…”

“I will always love you,” he whispered, repeating them over and over as he brought her into his arms one last time. As the music faded out, the beginning melody repeating itself, and they stood in each other’s arms, holding on with the knowledge that as soon as they let go, it would have all ended. The closing notes would act as the closing ceremonies, sending them off into lives without the other. They did not have the energy to let go. And so even as a song, upbeat and happy, began to play, they still stood there, arms around the other, swaying to the rhythm of a song over and tired. For the most fleeting of moments, as the rest of the world fell apart around them, they were simply together. And they held onto that, knowing soon it would be taken away.