When Never Comes Novels & Stories

Not ever. ---

“Don’t worry. This time, no one’s going to bully you ever again.” A few days later, Caleb brought me to a high-profile charity gala, and for the first time in a long while, I ran into Matteo.

Not now. Not ever.

"In Cafetaria." "I'm coming!" "But I'm...", he hung up on me. "Who's that?", Senior asked with curiosity. I said, "Sven.My brother. He said he's coming here." I thought he would say something but he didn't instead he nodded and continues eating. After some time, my brother came and sat with us. My brother and Senior shared some fierce starring for a moment. I felt weird. My brother asked me, "So... How long will this show go on?"

After working endlessly over a few nights, I got promoted. Mother's call came out of the blue, and her words were sugar-sweet. "Celine, why didn't you come visit? I miss your cooking. Come and visit me, you know well you're the only person I like." After hurting me so badly, Mother tried to mend my broken heart. I sneered, "But Mother, I've taken care of you for such a long time. Didn't Belle come to take care of you?"

I've never not been by her side on her day. It took me a while but I've managed to turn my whole mood around, partly because I'm finally graduating. Four years of absolute torture and I'm ready to be an adult. "Oh c'mon sweetheart, you haven't been home in god knows how long and Cody all of a sudden stopped visiting too? I'm old but not that old." He continues with a shrug getting me slightly out of my daze. I mean I wasn't expecting him to throw a party at the news but was the shrug really necessary?

and you never let go. No matter what.

But his eyes — just for a heartbeat — met mine, and in that instant everything we could not say hung between us, heavy and unspoken. I lowered my gaze and kept walking. Some nights are marked not by what is taken, but by what must be endured. That night, I learned how heavy love becomes when it is carried in silence — and how unbearable it is to watch duty unfold at the expense of hearts that never asked to be involved.

“Nina, how could you be so selfish? Do you have any idea what you’ve done? You killed…” I interrupted her with an ironic smirk. “What I did is none of your business. You should be more worried about what you’ll give birth to two months from now.” Rachel turned pale and took a step back, her hand holding her stomach while panic flooded her eyes. “What are you talking about?! I-I…” I could not be bothered to watch her act. I glanced past the other people in the room, my gaze eventually settling on my parents’ furious faces. As I thought, they had come here too.

Ten minutes later, her text popped up on my phone. [Lincoln, I have to stay with Gurney to meet his parents. I'll definitely visit your mom the next time!] I was not even surprised. In the past two years, I had lost count of how many times I heard that same phrase. 'Next time, for sure'. Missed our anniversary? 'Next time, for sure'. Bailed on visiting my mother? 'Next time, for sure'. Too busy to go get our marriage registered? 'Tomorrow, for sure'.