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All Chapters of He Would Hug Another: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

Shawn walked out of the bathroom just as I was still lost in thought over the name Cynthia.We'd lived together for four years, and every single day without fail, he sent her messages.Hundreds, maybe thousands of them, every one marked with a glaring exclamation point.Those unsent messages added up to a Shawn I didn't recognize at all.Wasn't he supposed to be a man of few words?Seeing me sitting alone on the bed, he dried his hands and reached for the pressure point on my forehead, rubbing it the way he always did.It was one of the few times he ever willingly touched me."Headache again? Does this help?"I pulled back a little and looked down. "It's nothing."He didn't say anything else. He dried his hair and lay down beside me.Then, the way he did every night, he picked up the goose plush lying between us, wrapped his arms around it, and turned his back to me to scroll through his phone.After a moment of silence, I asked, staring at the back of his head, "Who's Cynth

Chapter 2

I rarely saw that kind of panic cross Shawn's face.I couldn't help but sneer. "Shawn, I never thought that cold, detached face of yours could look this much like it just got caught red-handed."His face darkened instantly."This isn't a work hour. What do you want? If you need to see me, book an appointment in advance."Book.An appointment.In advance.He seemed to have forgotten he'd once told me I could come find him anytime, day or night, whenever something was wrong.A body could be treated. What about a heart?I laughed coldly. "So what's this patient's condition? Looks to me like the treatment is about to end in a kiss.""You must be Shawn's girlfriend." Cynthia put on an expression of practiced apology. "I nearly fainted at the hospital, and I asked him to take a look at me.""What a coincidence." I turned to look at Shawn. "Isn't that right, Shawn?"His brow furrowed, clearly displeased with how I was reacting."I forgot to introduce myself. I'm one of Shawn's ol

Chapter 3

After I graduated and started working, I was plagued by constant migraines.My mother took me to doctor after doctor, but none of them helped, until she finally pulled some strings and got me in to see Shawn.I kept going back for treatment, and somewhere along the way, with our families nudging us together, neither of us saw a reason to refuse.On our first date, we walked side by side down the street, and I spent the whole time hoping he'd casually reach for my hand.He didn't.He didn't check his phone, he didn't carry anything, and he didn't take my hand either.I figured Shawn was just reserved by nature, and that I'd make the first move myself.I reached for his fingertips, nervous, but the moment we touched, he pulled his hand back.My mind went completely blank.Did he hate me?Realizing how he must have looked, Shawn gave me a gentle smile.He told me he had touch starvation, that he didn't like touching other people, and liked being touched even less.He'd charmed

Chapter 4

I sat alone in my room for a long time.How long did it take to destroy six years of a relationship?Two days?I couldn't wrap my head around it, couldn't accept that a man who'd shared my bed for four years, who wouldn't so much as touch me, who needed a stuffed toy in his arms just to fall asleep, had spent every single night thinking about another woman.Even the one thing he was ever willing to hold was a gift from Cynthia.He'd said, holding it felt like holding her.I stared at the stuffing scattered across the floor and gagged a few times, but nothing came up.My phone rang. I glanced at it without thinking.Cynthia had somehow gotten hold of my number.Cynthia: [Ashley, Shawn says he's heartbroken that you ruined the toy I gave him.]Cynthia: [Being away from me made him sick with grief. All these years together, do you two even kiss? Do you hug? Do you have any idea what he's like with me?]Cynthia: [Want me to show you?]A ringing filled my head, like something ha

Chapter 5

Shawn finished his rounds through the ward as usual.His phone had been on silent all day. He pulled it out to check the time, and the second the screen lit up, dozens of messages flooded in.He assumed it was Ashley again and moved to swipe past them, until he saw who they were actually from and his brow furrowed.Mom.His pulse jumped, and a bad feeling settled in immediately.He hesitated for a few seconds before opening the thread. It was packed with nothing but questions from his mother.Mom: [Shawn, you've grown bold, huh!]Mom: [Who is this woman?]Mom: [What exactly is going on in this photo?!]Mom: [Your father's about to lose his mind, do you understand that? How could you do this to Ashley?!]Mom: [Shawn! Pick up the phone!]His fingertip hovered over the screen for a long moment, but in the end, he couldn't bring himself to open the photo.He typed back: [Mom, I'll explain when I'm home.]He shut off his phone. Behind him came the click of high heels, a sound t

Chapter 6

I swapped my phone for a local SIM card at my destination and stayed for fifteen days.Those fifteen days were the freest I'd ever felt in my life.No worrying about Shawn's condition. No caring about so-called "touch."When I landed back home and switched back to my old SIM card, the signal took over ten seconds to catch up, and then hundreds of messages nearly buried me at once.Shawn: [I'm sorry. I can explain if you'll let me.]Shawn: [Ashley, where did you go? Why aren't you home?]Shawn: [I'm sorry, it was all my fault. Weren't we supposed to leave for our trip today? I'm heading to the airport now. If you don't hurry, we'll miss the flight.]Shawn: [Ashley! I took time off work just to be with you! How could you not show up?]Shawn: [Please don't do anything drastic. Please, don't scare me like this.]Shawn: [I called your mother. She says you're not there either. Where are you?]Shawn: [Why isn't your phone going through? Just see this message and text me back. I'm be

Chapter 7

I got back from my morning run to find Shawn's car already gone from downstairs.I let out a breath and carried the breakfast I'd just bought upstairs.Outside my door, I could hear my mother's voice, loud as ever, but not loud enough to drown out the excited chatter of neighbors inside.I stopped in my tracks."Shawn, what brings you back so suddenly?""Ashley told us you two broke up, but none of us believed it. How could that even be possible!""Exactly. Ashley's not getting any younger, and just look at these gifts he brought. Must've cost a fortune. A quality man like this isn't easy to find these days."My eyebrow twitched.Why couldn't this ghost stay gone.I pushed the door open. Shawn stood surrounded by a ring of neighbors, a modest, gracious smile on his face.I stared hard at that face of his, unable to tell if he'd done it on purpose. The faint pink handprint on his right cheek hadn't faded yet, and it had become the center of everyone's gossip.He had absolutel

Chapter 8

In just half a year, Shawn had grown noticeably thinner, his cheeks hollowed out, a graying stubble making him look years older.His shirt, once crisp and immaculate, hung loose and rumpled on his frame, all its old shine and color gone.He looked down at my cat."That's right, Ashley, didn't you always want a cat? I had someone order you an orange-and-white kitten, only two months old. Didn't you say kittens were the cutest? It can keep your cat company too."I did love kittens. But because he'd never liked being touched, not even by an animal, I'd never gotten one while we were together."Didn't you always want to go to Bosta Tica? I already bought the tickets. It'll be just the two of us. We can hold hands and go wherever shops you want to visit."In six years together, I'd never once gone shopping with him.All because he said the streets were too crowded, and he didn't like it."There's really nothing left between Cynthia and me. My phone password is still your birthday. Y

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