The View From Here

A short story by PenName Protection

The glow of the city at night made everything seem softer, like the world was painted with watercolors. The hum of cars, distant and constant, murmured beneath the cool breeze that fluttered through her open window. It was a noise so familiar that it almost became silence, a background to her thoughts —which today felt particularly loud.

Ella leaned on the windowsill, fingers absently tracing the grain of the old wood. The breeze brought with it a scent of rain from earlier in the evening, a reminder of freshness and renewal that seemed almost ironic in her current state. He was still there, lingering in her mind like an echo she couldn’t quite shake, no matter how many times she told herself the past needed to stay behind her.

He was all she could think about, despite how determined she was to move on. Even when she threw herself into work, into conversations, into books and hobbies, the image of his face would flash behind her eyes. She saw his half-smile, that confident spark in his eyes that once made her feel invincible, like anything was possible when they were together. The memory twisted something inside her. How long had it been now since their last conversation? Too long.

Beyond the window, the city glistened under the quiet luminescence of streetlights. A couple strolled down the sidewalk, their laughter soft and floating, like bubbles carried away by the wind. The leaves of a nearby tree rustled gently, dancing to a rhythm only they seemed to know. The sky was a deep, endless indigo, dotted with stars that seemed to blink with knowing eyes. Everything outside moved in serene harmony, oblivious to the storm that simmered in Ella’s chest. The world was at peace, untroubled and unbroken, contrasting the weight of memories that anchored her to the past.

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A storm of questions churned within her. Did he ever pause, mid-thought, and think of her too? Did he remember their long talks that would stretch into the early hours, the shared jokes, the comfortable silence? Did he still think of her as the intelligent, passionate force she had once been, the woman who matched his wit with ease, who listened intently, who spoke with fire? Or had she become just another chapter in his story, a character in a tale that no longer mattered? She wasn’t the girl who clung desperately anymore, she reminded herself. No, that girl had grown up, she had learned to stand tall even when her heart felt small.

Still, she couldn’t ignore the ache, the small, shameful sting of abandonment. He had raised his defenses so suddenly that it was like running into an invisible wall. And then he was gone, the space he left behind feeling vast and hollow. She had cried; she had whispered apologies to the night sky; she had pressed her face into her pillow, wondering what she had done wrong. But with time, the grief ebbed, leaving her with resolve.

Ella’s hand tightened on the window frame. Somewhere out there, she thought, he was living his life, an untethered soul moving confidently through the world. He was always so stoic, so independent. It was one of the things she had admired about him, but it was also what kept him alone, unreachable. A runner, she thought, someone who wouldn’t let anyone catch up, even if he wanted to be caught.

Did he feel the same pull, the same fleeting moments where her name crossed his mind unbidden? Or was she merely another fleeting memory that had already faded? She would never ask him these questions; she would never break her own promise and reach out first…not again, not this time. It wasn’t her place anymore, and she had long since grown tired of chasing shadows.

She pulled herself away from the window and let out a breath that felt like it had been trapped inside her for too long. Life would move on. It always did. Yet the secret hope, buried somewhere deep, whispered that maybe one day, their paths would cross again. Maybe then, she’d see in his eyes that flicker of recognition, an acknowledgment of what they had shared, and maybe she wouldn’t feel so alone in remembering.

But for now, Ella walked away from the window, leaving the questions unanswered, the past where it belonged—behind her.

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