FreeWrite - Prompt: Freedom (took longer than five minutes)
I never understood the concept of letting go to make someone happy.
It was foolish, after all, would you let go of someone you love with all your heart?
I never understood it, until I saw the man I was to marry meeting his first love after years of being separated.
It happened without warning, the meeting, their reunion.
The party was in full swing, everyone was in high spirits after a successful deal was sealed. I wasn’t familiar with a lot of my fiancé’s co-workers, being shy and quiet, I let him introduce me to some but ended up in secluded part of the room, away from the crowd.
Even as I kept to myself, my eyes tracked the figure of fiancé as he chatted with his colleagues. He looked confident and commanding, but at the same time charming and pleasant. Each movement that he made was dignified, his laugh low and mellow to the ear, drawing the attention of both men and women.
I sometimes wondered why he had chosen me.
Quiet and shy, the average girl that’s a dime a dozen, that’s how people would describe me. I was forgettable, the only feature that was interesting about me was my eyes. Clear and deep, they were what my fiancé called, ‘entrancing’, something that I couldn’t understand. He said that my eyes caught his attention.
In my opinion, my patience was the one that probably caught him. I did know him for years, and even stayed by his side after he lost the love of his life.
Yes, I wasn’t the great love of his life. That title belonged to his first love, the person he wanted to marry from the moment he met her. I was there when they first met, I saw the brilliant sparkle of his eyes when he saw her, how his usually calm and cool visage softened into a gentle one. I knew then that it was her, that she would be his ‘the One’.
At that time, he had never been mine, and while it was painful, it was easy to accept that he had fallen in love with someone else. So I quietly stepped aside, watching as their romance grew and become stronger. It was an epic love story, with antagonists trying to separate them, it was full of drama, something that you would find in romantic novels.
But just when it seemed that they were going to get their happy ending, they broke up. It was sudden, and without warning his first love disappeared out of thin air. Some said that she cheated on him, others said that he cheated on her, while there were also rumors that the parents from both sides made them separate.
Until now, I don’t know the truth. When we ended up together, I never asked him and he never told me.
Still, I knew she was important to him, even after all those years. There were times that I would see him take out a faded bookmark that he would stare at for a while before hiding again. It was something that I believe she had given to him early in their relationship.
After that epic romance with his first love, he dated for several girls before we ended up together. Our relationship surprised many, they didn’t expect such a great person to end up with someone like me, an average person.
We both ignored the questions, even when deep down inside I was also wondering why. Was it my patience and constant presence that finally got him to like me? Whenever I asked him he would only smile mysteriously and change the subject, so after a few attempts I stopped asking him.
While thinking about the past, I caught sight of someone that I never expected to see in this lifetime. It was her, the first love of the man I’m about to marry. She looked as beautiful as ever, here mere presence drawing the attention of everyone around her.
Shaken, I looked at his direction and saw his face, anxiety, pain, anger, affection, all those emotions passing through until they settled into a mask of calm. He started moving towards her slowly, each step seeminly in slow motion to me.
I tried to move in his direction, but my limbs were stiff. Even as I was yelling at my body in my mind to move, I could see her, and I could see him. And I could see that after all these years, that deep connection between the two of them had never disappeared.
Painful, the realization that in his heart still had a big part of it that kept her was painful.
The thoughts that raced through my mind were dark, and it scared me.
Did I really want to get in their way if they were meant to be? Was I petty enough to act the villain, to give up my dignity just to keep someone by my side?
As I watched the two of them meet, I knew I was going to let go.
I loved him, and I knew that a part of him loved me, but I wasn’t going to let us both go through the painful process of trying to stay together when I knew his heart wasn’t going to be in it. I also wasn’t going to let myself become bitter and angry.
Quietly, I moved for the door, taking care to keep a low profile.
I could see that their reunion was being observed by a lot of people, and my leaving wasn’t noticed at all.
Before taking that step that would take me out of his life, of their lives, I took a look back.
That single glance broke all ties between us, and as I continued on through the door, all I could think about was ‘freedom’.
I had given him his, and with mine, I decided to let go of it all.
Photo credits goes to Pixabay.
It took me more than five minutes to make this one, my typing speed wasn't up to the challenge.
I didn't write anything about the guy's reaction, I'll just leave in to the reader's imagination.
Let it go, let it go, don't hold it back anymoreee~~~ (me being silly)
Did he get together with his first love? Did her ran after his fiancee? Or neither? Though, bleh, this is such a cliche! Anyway....┐(￣ヘ￣)┌
What a beautiful story, with an open ended ending. I am as curious as the main character here who keeps wondering why was she chosen by the man, however I am also wondering why would she accept him when he didn't even tell her the reason.
In any case, it is an engaging story and keeps me entertained until the end.
Congratulations for your curie vote, tin tin ^_^.
Thank you for reading(=^_^=)
Hmm, about the main character. The guy loves her not because of her looks, it's something else that drew him to her. After all, they've known eah other way before they were together, so he knows her quite a bit.
And as for her, she had loved him for years, so she accepted him despite of her doubts. But that didn't mean that they weren't around, her doubts, that is. Actually they grew more, because she knew that he was a great guy and she was just average.
In a way,letting go of him was freedom from the burdens weighing down her mind about their love. To her, she didn't need to worry anymore about whether they were compatible or not, or if they were a match.
Hey, @tin-tin.
I'm glad you took the extra time to complete the story. The times I've done the five minute freewrite, it always seems like I'm barely getting started when time is up.
And in this case, writing to the end no doubt helped with the curie. Congratulations. :)
You call it cliche here at the end, but the idea of why he might be attracted to our protagonist, when he's very accomplished and she sees herself as a nobody, is a real life common theme. People, and I would say in particular women, can totally identify with it.
What I always find tragic about this is, the person who wonders "Why me?" is often more competent, beautiful, accomplished, etc, than they ever give themselves credit for. And even if they are truly eclipsed by their love interest, it's probably not the things that the accomplished person has that attracts them to the one who is 'lesser.' It's what they lack, need, desire, and maybe avoiding the spotlight is part of it.
To answer your questions, I think it would be great if they got back together, but that would be more of the Hallmark movie solution. Instead, it would probably be more interesting if the fiancee did not end up with his first love or with our protagonist, and that our protagonist ended up growing in some way, becoming more confident or sure of herself, without necessarily turning into a great and influential person. She learns to be happy and content with who she is, but aspires to being more (however that is measured).
Thanks a lot for reading!
Your comment actually hit some points on the story that were not really obvious. For example, the 'Why me?' feeling of the main character. She loves him, she knows that in some way he does love her, but the thing is, she does not trust in his love, she feels insecure. And this is one of the things that led to her letting go, even before the 'incident', she was already, in her heart, waiting for things to go south. Didn't you realize that she never even bothered to ask him, and just assumed?
Relationships are not perfect, but in theirs, their communication is obviously not good.
And the guy never made the girl feel secure, because he thought that she understood the things he never said, which is a typical trope of romance stories though in the end the couples still end up together despite that.
I guess one of the things I wanted to show when I wrote it was that romance is not really picture perfect. Individuals can give up despite loving someone, and someone could lose out on love because of miscommunication.
I've been thinking if I should write something on the guy's POV, but I feel more inclined to leave the story as it is.
Thanks again for reading and the comment!ヾ(＾∇＾)
Very much agree with what you said here, particularly about communication and romance stories. It's amazing to me how little can be said and yet all turns out great in the romance novels, even though all the while you're following the female leads thoughts of insecurity and wondering what's going on etcetera, and in some cases, where the male gets literally abusive.
My wife and I are coming up on our thirtieth wedding anniversary, and I can't imagine being together this long without talking about many things, and had we had any past loves that were yet to be forgotten (thankfully, neither of us did) that would have been high on the priority list, at least for me.
Your characters, though, do exactly what they would do if they were real, with the same personalities, insecurities and expectations. I think there's a lot there in what you wrote as it is. And I'm also in agreement that the guy's point of view wouldn't really add to the story. This is about her and what she feels is happening and how she deals/copes with it. Or doesn't. :)
A lot of romance novels have plot holes. Well, they're read for entertainment and not for advice and inspiration, but sadly, many take them as ideals. Not a lot of people like arrogant CEOs in real life, and there are girls who won't stoop to evil schemes to take back old loves.
A lot of relationships actually break because there's no proper communication, so misunderstandings, doubts, all those negative things occur. And not only in romantic relationships but also in familial ones, ones between friends...
The world would be a better place if everyone knows how to communicate with each other properly....
@tin-tin ! you write so nicely :D i can almost feel like i was watching one of those asian dramas, from one of the side character's point of view, as she watched (and let go) when the main dude finally gets together with the main dudette ....
Really nice !! You should totally write more, @tin-tin :D :D :D
(ノ^∇^) Thanks for dropping by to read this!
When you mentioned asian drama, it's kind of connected to that but not exactly. I've been reading some translated Chinese dramas online. Hmm, maybe it's because of those. Chinese dramas like tragedy, and I'm kind of in a tragedy reading phase right now (which is why the couple didn't end up together!).
I've been thinking about writing more, though reading seems more tempting...(º﹃º)
read a bit and then................ WRITE MORE FOR US !!!!!!
HAHAHAHAHA
Hahaha, I always read (not much writing though).
So sad for the other lady. But really, sometimes letting go is the best way out. It saves us from so many heartaches and bitterness.
Thanks for reading＾ω＾
Yup, there are times when letting go is better rather than fighting the inevitable.
This feels so real, I'd swear it was memoir, not fiction. And I hope it's only fiction. To feel plain and unworthy of the guy who's a great catch - no no no, please no! - toward the end I kept hoping he would come to his senses and be true to the "plain Jane" who hasn't cheated on him (as his first love allegedly may have done). Well, letting go without bitterness is achievement enough for one story, I know, I know, but I always hope for that happy ending. Well done, @tin-tin!
I don't see a source for your photo. It reminds me of the famed million-dollar-purchase that shredded itself.
Ah, I guess the photo credits at the bottom can be overlooked. Maybe I shouldn't have left it there(・・；)
My bad! It was there all along!
Thank you for reading!（＾∀＾）
It's fiction, fiction. I've never experienced any romance before, just through reading novels.
I think we yearn for happy endings, but I guess there are times when they just don't happen. I kind of didn't want the main character to act like a lovesick person. Who knows, maybe she'll think it over, maybe he'll come after her. After all, the main character doesn't have an idea about what her fiance is thinking about. I left it to the imagination of the readers.
（＾∀＾）
Thank you for sharing this story, I like the style, there are a lot of emotions, caring feeling, wisdom that sometimes goes to background and our passion and anger comes in front when we are facing such situation. I love you explained the background story and it is easy to understand what has driven the main character to let go when you love. Wonderfully written, heart breaking story, but the same time the reader has a chance to think how he would react in such situation :)
Thank you(∩_∩)
That was what I was actually going for, to also make them think 'what if?'.
I'm curous though, what do you think about the fiance? Do you think he truly, truly loves her enough to go after her?
I do not think the fiance will go after her, because he lost his first love first time that is why he will not do it again, that is very human we are egoists in nature :)
There's truth in that!
Hi tin-tin,
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