Shadows of Us

Word on the street in Hereshire was that the young heir of the Chesters had a thing for eighteen-year-olds. However, Willow Croyton was twenty-one when she got with Roy Chester, and they were together for nearly three years. One evening, Willow received a call from Roy. He told her he would be back in Hereshire that night and was craving short ribs. Willow spent the next two hours cooking up a storm, but Roy was nowhere to be found. Around eight that night, she called to check on him. The line was noisy, filled with chatter and card shuffling of a poker game.“I’m at the Red Lounge. I’ll send the driver to pick you up.” “I thought you were coming back for dinner,” Willow replied. “Haven’t you had dinner? What do you fancy? Come over, and I’ll get the kitchen to make something for you,” Roy said without a care.Willow fell silent for a moment. Right before she took up on his offer, a boisterous voice interrupted the call. “Royal flush!” Amid the crackling sounds, someone p

“Get in.” Roy released Willow’s hand and approached the driver’s seat. As Willow drew close, Sierra got out of the car in a fluster. “I’m sorry, Willow. I didn’t mean to make him drive me around like a chauffeur. I should get out of the front passenger seat. I’ll switch with you right now–” “Hold still! You have a sprained ankle!” Roy stopped Sierra. Before Roy could say another word, Willow opened the door to the back seat and climbed in. As the car drove off, Roy appeared annoyed, so silence hung heavy in the car. Moments later, Sierra cocked her head back and said bashfully, “Are you upset, Willow? Roy gave me a ride to school to submit my work because I hurt my ankle. That’s all.” Before, Willow would snap back with a smile, saying, “I thought it’s compulsory for freshmen to live on campus.” Today, however, she could not be bothered to engage with Sierra. Roy said, “She’s having a bad day. Don’t blame yourself or worry too much, kiddo.” Sierra grinned shyly and po

Since that day, Roy did not contact Willow again, nor did he go home. Willow knew that Roy was angry. He was punishing her for her defiance. Usually, she would cave in to him within three days. However, this time, Willow glanced at the calendar and decided to give herself a break. The weather turned dreary on the last day of October. That evening, Willow got a call from Roy. He gave her an address and told her to dress up. Though the nature of the event was not spoken of, Willow knew that Roy’s best friend, Adrian Cavill was celebrating his birthday. From the day Willow got together with Roy, she had taken note of all the important dates of his friends. Willow agreed to go, and none of them brought up the last fight they had. As she had been wearing slip-ons at home to let her foot heal, her foot protested as she wedged it into stilettos to match her evening gown. At the party, Willow was surprised to see Roy’s mother. The poised woman took Roy’s arm and brushed past Willow,

Outside the hospital, Roy stared at his phone in disbelief. He could not believe that Willow hung up on him. Willow never terminated his call. She would always make sure to pick up right away. As such, Roy dialed her number again. The call connected moments later, but it was quiet on the other end of the line. Roy, not one to cave in, said nothing. A tense silence lingered in the air, broken only by their breathing. Roy felt bad as it just occurred to him that Willow’s foot was bleeding when he left. He was going to get her patched up. However, Willow was stubborn, as always. Despite her kind heart, she was headstrong. No one knew her better than Roy. At the time, her uncompromising stance had rubbed him the wrong way. Hence, he said nothing and took Sierra away. “Your foot–” “It’s over between us, Roy.” They talked over each other. Roy paused for a minute before sneering. “What did you say, Willow?” Willow remained indifferent. “If there’s anything between us, to be

Roy had one too many drinks that night. Usually, he would have a good measure of his intake and stay tipsy, or sometimes, he would pretend to be wasted just to tease Willow. However, he got hammered pretty quickly that night. Either the booze was kicking in or his friends kept filling his glass, but he felt like crap halfway through. Roy hurled his phone to Adrian. “Call Willow to pick me up.” Silence weighed heavily in the air. Roy looked up to Adrian spacing out, his phone in hand. “I’ll do it.” Another friend snatched the phone from Adrian and said with a smile, “Willow will be here in no time, but you’re giving her an excuse to come back, Roy. She’ll hold on tight to you and refuse to let go.” The remark cleared Roy’s head. It hit him that Willow had broken up with him, and it had been two weeks since they got in touch. “Remember how Willow first forced herself into Roy’s life by staging an encounter at the café?” One of his friends teased. “It was so cheesy, but hey,