When You Stop Reaching Out First Novels & Stories

I take a deep breath and close my eyes. What do I do? How do I stop this? I open my phone and see another message from Geoffrey. “We need to meet up. You can’t ignore me forever.”

I said. "No," she said. "Because the reaching expression is what finds the territories the outreach does not reach." She paused. "That is what it is for." She paused. "The function's awareness of the bloodline landscape beyond the direct network's range." She paused. "This is exactly what the original reaching expression was designed to do."

I set the phone down and stared at the ceiling, listening to a house that no longer listened back. Distance had arrived. Not as a threat…..Not as an ending. As a discipline. And for the first time in my life, I understood something I’d never learned to practice before. Staying doesn’t always mean standing still. Sometimes it means holding your ground while the person you love walks forward and choosing, every day, to meet them where they are.

“If you ask them, they’ll make time for you.” “They’ll be very busy,” I countered. “They won’t be busy if it’s for you, with you, you know that.” I shook my head as if she could see me. “The thought of imposing on their lives seems inappropriate. I feel shy about it.” “But if they’re your true friends, they’ll understand,” she persisted. “Sometimes, you just have to take courage and reach out to them. Don’t hesitate. You are important to them, Sasha. Don’t forget that.” She sighed. “If you are back to being friends—just friends—then reconnect with them, no matter how daunting it seems.”

"I can give up everything, but I can't lose you. I mean it. I've cut things off with Maddy. Not just her. I won't touch another woman again. Just trust me one more time." He sounded sincere. "Seven years," I said quietly. He looked at me, confused. "We've known each other for 12 years, been together for 7. You had so many chances to change." A faint laugh slipped out of me. "You don't love me. You just can't stand losing me. It's the thrill of the chase again. Something new to conquer." He shook his head quickly. "No. That's not true. I love you. I really do."

I want to stop people from saying such things about you. But when you're acting like this... How am I supposed to do that? How am I supposed to stay away when your kindness keeps pulling me closer with every passing day? My heart ached unbearably. What am I supposed to do, Adrian? Slowly, I closed the message. I didn't reply. But I couldn't keep my phone down for so much longer. As if not replying to a message need more effort than actually replying it. __________________________________ Today, I ate outside again.

"You said it would not be the last." "It will not," he said. "Then what happens when they contact me again?" "You do not respond," he said. I shook my head slightly. "That is not realistic." "It is necessary," he said. "It is avoidance," I said. "Ignoring contact from people who have already demonstrated they can find me does not make me less findable. It just reduces the information I have about what they want." "It reduces your exposure," he said. "Or it escalates their approach," I said. "If they do not hear from me, they try differently. They do not stop. You already told me they do not stop."

Trying to separate the feeling. Trying to figure out Is this me? Or is this them? The answer didn’t come clean. It blurred. Because now It wasn’t just one or the other. It was both. And that was the real problem. I opened my eyes. “…we can’t keep doing this blindly.” “No,” he agreed. “So what do we do?” A pause. Then “We stop following.” I blinked. “What?” His gaze stayed steady. “Up until now, you’ve been reacting. Following the pull. Letting it lead.”

One which could mean the end to magic on your plane, spreading outward to others until it consumes the Universe. Then what do I have to do to stop it? My hands have clenched into angry fists at my sides, beating against my thighs over and over. I feel the impact, though barely, as though my body is far away. Be open, Iepa sends. And say yes to them when they come to you. Their safety is paramount.