Detached
1027 Words
MINUTES LATER
The hot water beat down on Lucian’s shoulders, sliding down his skin in steady streams. Steam fogged up the glass walls of the shower, wrapping him in quiet warmth. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting the heat wash away the day, the meetings, the long drive, the exhaustion that clung to his chest.
But the silence didn’t stay empty for long. His thoughts drifted again, uninvited, back to Georgia.
He exhaled slowly and rubbed a hand across his jaw. He hadn’t spoken to her properly in days. And now that the water drowned out the world, he couldn’t ignore how heavy that silence felt.
When he stepped out, a thin towel hung loosely around his waist. He walked past the mirror without glancing at it, his reflection the last thing he wanted to face.
He pulled on a black shirt and dark sweatpants, then ran his hand through his damp hair before heading downstairs.
The house was quiet again. Leah had already gone to the guest room. A faint light from the living room lamp painted the walls in soft yellow.
Lucian’s phone sat on the coffee table, face down, screen dark.
He picked it up, unlocked it, and froze.
Five missed calls.
All from Georgia.
He stared at the screen, thumb hovering over her name. Something tight pulled inside his chest, a mix of guilt and confusion.
For a second, he thought about putting the phone down again. Maybe it was better to call her tomorrow, when his mind wasn’t this tangled. But something in him didn’t let him.
He sighed and pressed the call button.
The line rang once. Twice.
No answer.
He tried again.
This time, she picked up on the second ring.
“Hello?” Her voice was soft, quiet, but not calm. There was something behind it, something heavy.
Lucian leaned against the edge of the couch, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Hey,” he said simply. “I saw your missed calls.”
There was a small pause before she spoke again. “Yeah. I just… wanted to know how you were doing.”
Her tone made him pause. It wasn’t her usual voice, no teasing, no warmth. Just tired. Small.
“I’m good,” he said after a beat. “I forgot my phone at home. That’s why I didn’t answer.”
There was a soft sound on the other end, a breath, or maybe a short laugh that didn’t sound happy. “You forgot your phone for two days?”
Lucian glanced at the floor, his hand tightening slightly around the phone. “I was caught up with a lot of things.”
“What kind of things?” she asked gently. “Do you want to tell me?”
Her voice carried something fragile, like she was trying to hold herself together.
But Lucian’s tone stayed flat. “No. It’s nothing important.”
Silence.
Then Georgia’s voice, softer now. “Did you miss me?”
He froze.
For a moment, he didn’t know what to say. He opened his mouth, but no words came. His mind went somewhere else, somewhere darker. To everything that made his chest burn every time he thought about it.
“I didn’t really think about it,” he said finally. His voice came out quiet, but firm. “I had other things on my mind.”
He didn’t mean it to sound harsh. But it did.
Georgia’s breath caught on the other end. There was a small silence before she spoke again, this time with a forced chuckle. “Wow.”
Lucian’s jaw tightened. He could hear the hurt in her tone, but he didn’t know how to fix it, or maybe he just didn’t know if he should.
“Is there something you’d like to tell me?” she asked, her voice shaking slightly now. “Or explain?”
“What do you mean?” he said, his brows drawing together.
“You‘re supposed to know,” she whispered.
Lucian frowned, his tone sharper now. “Well, I don't.”
That made her go silent. Then, after a second, her voice came back, lower, rougher. “What’s with your tone?”
“What?”
“You sound like you don’t even want to talk to me,” she said, frustration creeping into her words. “Why did you even call, Lucian? You could’ve just ignored me like you’ve been doing.”
He sighed quietly, rubbing the back of his neck. “You’re reading too much into this.”
“I’m not!” she snapped. “You don’t even sound like you care.”
Lucian’s voice turned cold. “Then deal with it.”
The silence that followed was long and sharp. He could hear her breathing, shallow, shaky.
Then, a soft, bitter laugh. “You know what, Lucian?”
“What?” he said, his voice low.
“Get the f**k off my phone.”
“Georgia, wait...”
But the line clicked. The call ended.
Lucian lowered the phone slowly, staring at the blank screen. The house felt suddenly too quiet, too still. He sat there for a long moment, the weight of her words still hanging in the air.
He hadn’t meant to sound cold, not really. But everything inside him was a mess. He didn’t know what to say anymore, what to tell her, or how to explain what he didn’t fully understand himself.
He leaned back on the couch, his eyes fixed on the ceiling.
He closed his eyes and took a slow breath.
“Deal with it.” The words echoed back in his head, and this time, they didn’t sound like strength. They sounded like regret.
He placed the phone on the table beside him and rubbed his temples with both hands.
Georgia had always been patient with him, too patient, maybe. And he had just pushed her away with one careless tone, one cold sentence.
He exhaled slowly, but the tightness in his chest didn’t ease.
Maybe he’d call her tomorrow. Maybe he’d fix it. But for now, he couldn’t bring himself to dial her number again.
- Writer
