The Heartbroken - S01 E214

Story 2 years ago

The Heartbroken - S01 E214

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 214

I saw Cedric looking thoughtfully at the screen.

“Miracles, huh?”

The movie went around the concept of “miracles,”

and I found myself holding onto the idea. It was said

that each of us were born with a purpose in this

universe, and sometimes, that purpose is to be

another person’s miracle.

I could tell that Cedric liked it too.

His glistening eyes caught the rays of the sun spilling

from his window, making them seem lighter than

their usual dark brown.

He was beautiful—so beautiful—it was almost too

hard to believe that he was anything but okay.

—

I came home early to help my mom prepare dinner.

I was chopping some of the salad ingredients as she

finished cooking the pasta sauce. We’ve already

prepared the garlic toast, but we hadn’t popped

those in the oven yet. We decided to do that last so

they would still be warm when we eat them.

The brownies were already done and out of the

oven. We were waiting for them to cool, though

I might have already sneaked a few bites here and

there.

I didn’t know why, but I kind of felt the need to dress

up a little, so I did.

As I examined myself in the full-body mirror in my

room, I caught sight of the picture of me and dad in

the reflection. I turned back and picked it up, looking

at the wide smile on my dad’s face, and I recalled

what Mom had told me earlier.

Letting new people in your heart won’t make you

love other people less.

There will always be room for someone new.

Somehow, when the doorbell rang and Mom, who

was taking the garlic toasts out of the oven, asked

me to open the door, this was the thought that

helped me smile genuinely at Norman.

“Hi,” he said. He had close-cropped dark hair and

straight teeth. He was holding a bottle of wine and

his smile had a hint of both confidence and

sheepishness. “You must be Kyla.”

“Yes,” I said, opening the door even wider to

welcome him. “Come on in.”

—

The call came just as I finished washing the dishes.

My mom and Norman were out on the porch eating

what’s left of the brownies. I let them have a few

minutes alone, so I volunteered to do the dishes

while they were out there.

Norman was a physical therapist. He was divorced

and he had a nine-year-old daughter and a dog

named Hunter. He and Mom met through a friend.

They hit it off on their first date and so more dates

ensued.

He was funny and easy to talk to. At first, he seemed

a little uncomfortable, but after a few sips of the wine

he brought, he relaxed and I was able to see what

my mom had seen in him. He must have been

nervous about this too and for some reason, that

was a comforting thought.

I was still drying my hands with a towel when I

heard the unmistakable ringing of my phone from

the dining room. I quickly dashed to it, thinking it

was Cedric, feeling as if something bad must have

happened.

Alyssa.

I answered, slightly befuddled as to why she was

calling at nine in the evening. “Hey.”

“Kyla.” She sounded slightly breathless.

I knew immediately that while it might not be Cedric,

there was something wrong. “What is it?”

“Have you seen Seth?”