Morning all and welcome to the week before Christmas. All week I will feel like I have forgotten something as I double check every list I have. It is going to be a slightly off balance week. But I should get all my prompts in as the craziness should arrive mid afternoon. So lets get started with the first prompt of the week shall we? Timers at the ready if you are joining in.
I like this. It is darker than I planned to go this morning but sometimes the dark bits make a story so they need to be practiced as well. Going back, I would take more time with the grounding details and fill out the story more to make the end of the scene more ominous. But fifteen minutes started a pretty good framework.
Monday, December 18th: It was a small box.
It was a small box. It sent a flutter of nervousness through her. She and Mike had only been dating a few weeks. He should not be holding anything that looked remotely like a ring box. And yet, that was exactly what she thought the small box was.
‘Don’t freak out,’ she told herself. ‘It doesn’t have to be a ring. And it doesn’t even have to be for you. It is close to the holidays and could be a gift for someone else. Or even a birthday present.’
The options calmed her somewhat. ‘Anything but a ring for me.’
The first few dates she went on with Mike were fine. He was a lot of fun and they had a good time. Lately though, things seemed a little off with him. After the last date she was contemplating breaking it off with him. The problem was that they weren’t officially a couple.
She knew neither of them actually were dating other people, but they had never officially become a couple and Lindsey was trying to find a nice way to simply let him know that she didn’t want to see him any more. It was one thing to end a relationship. Ending something this nebulous was somehow trickier.
It didn’t help that Carrie kept insisting she had to wait until after the holidays because ending a relationship before the holidays was considered bad.
“Just think how sad and lonely you will look without a date on New Year’s.” Carrie kept insisting.
Looking at the slight bulge the small bx made in Mike’s coat and the slight panic it brought made her want to sign on to be the saddest and lonliest looking person at any New Year’s gaterhing. ‘Surely it would be better to end things before he did something they would both regret. Even though she still told herself that the box had to be a gift for someone else, Linsey decided she had to end it.
“Hey there you are,” Mike said. His face was split into a wide grin. “I have such amazing plans for us this evening.”
“Yeah look about that,” Lindsey began. ‘Quick like a band-aid,’ she thought. “I don’t think this is working out.”
“Working out?” Mike repeated. His smile remained but he looked slightly puzzled.
“Yeah I don’t think we are a good fit,”
Mike laughed. “You are just being silly. We are perfect for each other.’
Linsey remembered their last date and she tried not to frown. Since he wasn’t budging, she decided a different tact. “Look maybe it is just me. I don’t think I am in the right place to be in a relationship right now. Any relationship.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Mike shook his head clearly humoring her.
“I’m serious,” Lindsey said. “I want to end things between us. I don’t think we should see each other any more.”
Something dark flashed across his face and his smile faltered. “I think you are mistaken.”
Lindsey took a step towards the door. “No,” she said. “I am not.”
She felt for the doorknob behind her and twisted it. She pushed the door open. “And I am leaving. Goodbye.”
She stepped through the door and closed it behind her. She tried not to feel as though she was running as she stepped away. Behind the door she heard a large crash. Linsey turned and hurried away.
Ten til Midnight 