Here she was. Phaedra hesitated, but with her stomach in knots and her body shaking, she knocked on the door. She couldn’t understand what was wrong with her, her body had never felt like this before. Her head was swimming, her palms sweaty, and yet she was shivering like if she’d just walked out of an icy river.
A strange woman answered the door, “Can I help you?”
“I’m, uh, looking for Dane,” she implored. Her face must have looked like a puzzled mess as her thoughts betrayed her, automatically thinking the worst, hair crazy and disheveled, shaking like a fool.
“There’s no Dane here, sweetheart,” the gesture was genuine, “Are you lost? Would you care for some hot tea? I was just about to sit down and read, but you look like you could use an ear.”
“I thank you, ma’am, but I really should be going. I’m … looking for someone.”
“When was the last time you saw – Dane, was it? And are you sure it was this apartment?” The kind and nameless lady was starting to get concerned for Phaedra.
That’s when she realized it. He had walked away that night and now, it was nearly two years later. Where had the time gone? “It’s been nearly two years now,” then, in a whisper that even she could barely hear, “I’ve lost him.”
I had my moment, and I let him slip through my grasp, she thought. As she hung her head, she said, “Sorry to have bothered you ma’am. And thanks for the offer, have a great night,” Phaedra managed a weak smile and she turned around then, downtrodden, and found her way out.
If there was any consolation to be had, at least her stomach wasn’t turning anymore, but in that same time-frame, her heart was pulled from her chest.
A Shadow's Embrace 