Calling Quits

A woman is doing dishes when a man walks into the kitchen. He digs into the refrigerator making noise as he pulls items out to make a sand which. With every sound he makes it angers her. She starts slamming the dishes into the drain board and in return he slams the fridge door putting the food back.

He sits down at the table messily eating his food. She finishes the dishes and turns her back against the sink drying her hands. She watched as he dirtied the table she just cleaned.
“That’s it” she screamed tossing the kitchen towel across the room.
“I can’t do this any more” she said on her way out of the room.

“So, that’s it. Your just gonna turn your back on us” he said.
She turns back around.
“I don’t know if you noticed Jared but we haven’t been an us for a while” she shot back.
“And who’s fault is that Shay” he said.

Shay walks up to him.
“As far as I’m concerned…yours” she pushes him. “I was fine being just friends and 2 years ago you had to go and confess your feelings”.
Jared gets up set.
“I’m sorry…but are you really gonna act like I was the only one with feelings. You were in love with me just as much as I was with you”.
“Were being the key word here” she said.
Jared grabs his chest like the words she uttered hurt him. He sat on the kitchen floor with his back against the fridge. Shay felt his pain and she sat on the floor across from him.

They both sat there in silence for a long time.
“We been friends for 5 years Shay. Just talk to me” he pleaded.
“I’m scared to talk to you” she admitted.
“WHY? WHY?” He moved closer to her. “Look at me” he said grabbing her chin.
“Why are you scared” he asked staring into her eyes?
She pulled away. “Because this relationship it’s so precious to me. The bond that we shared before we even fell in love I miss it. Everything has been so tense between us lately. I’m scared that once we talk….say all the hard things. I don’t want to ruin it. I don’t want to lose you”.

“Maybe what we need is to clear the air” he suggests.
She takes a deep breath.
“I really need you to start helping out more. I’m stressed after work and then I have to cook and clean”.
Jared nods his head.
“I agree. And I’m sorry if I haven’t been much appreciative as i could be”.
He takes a breath.
“I can’t deal with all the yelling. When you don’t like what I do you have to curse me out. I don’t feel like wanting to help out after that” he admitted.
“I’m sorry. I know I have a bit of an anger issue” she said.
“A bit” he joked back. They both laugh having a sense of familiarity then Shay’s smile fell and they both remembered.
She looks down and Jared uncomfortably looks away.

“You’ve been distant. You go to work and stay late. I lie awake in tears wondering….is he with her. Or maybe he’s with her”.
Feeling ashamed he gathered his thoughts before he spoke. His voice cracked.
“Yeah, I think deep down I’ve been punishing you”. She looks confused.
“But why” she asked?
Jared takes a deep breath before he answered.
“When my brother died it broke me. Like broke me broke me. He was my older brother. He practically raised me”. A tear rolled down his cheek.
“And the way you pushed me to move on so quickly. Felt like because I’m a man I wasn’t allowed to feel my feelings. It was unfair Shay. That really hurt to feel like for once you couldn’t be there for me”.
He wiped his tears away feeling uncomfortably vulnerable.

Shay took a minute. She almost couldn’t breathe by how hurt she was by how badly she unintentionally hurt Jared. She puts her hand on his knee.
“Look at me! I never meant to make you feel like you couldn’t be sad about your brother. You know I’m weird about death. Not that’s an excuse. It was so scary watching you dwell in the past. You didn’t eat. You slept all day. You didn’t see what it was doing to you. To us. I thought pushing you to move forward you would stop looking back.”
He looked in her eyes and felt like she was sincere but he moved her hand off of him and she moved back feeling offended.

They sat in silence again afraid to speak.
“Listen, I’m not getting up from this floor until we figure us out” she said.
“I get how you were trying your best to help and I’m so sorry I disappeared on you”.
Jared said moving closer to her.
Shay tells him what she wants “I need you to be present with me. I need a equal partner. I don’t want to feel like a mother. I need you to talk to me when you have a problem don’t shut me out. We’ve never had a problem talking before; let’s not start now.”

Jared clenches his jaw and nods his head.
“And I need you to be more understanding and compassionate. If I feel like I can trust my feelings will be acknowledged I will be more open to talk and let you in. Don’t be so impatient give me a chance to explain or do what you ask instead of getting mad. You don’t wanna feel like a mother, don’t yell at me like one. You always got me like no one else; don’t stop now”.
Shay was listening taking it all in agreeing with what Jared was telling her.
“So….What do you think? We calling it quits or…” he asked?
Shay moved in closer to Jared “I think if we put effort into what we just told each other and keep our friendship strong I believe we will be okay”.
Jared smiles.
“Yeah”.
He leans in to kiss her. A spark reignited within the both of them.
Jared nods his head.
“Yeah. We’ll be okay”.