Flash Fiction Friday

(Wikimedia commons)

Stormy Weather

by Donna L Martin

Nathan stared at the actor on the screen and knew exactly how he felt. Tired. Alone. No matter how hard that guy tried, the relentless waves still battered his tiny raft from all sides, pushing it back towards the shore. Maybe it was a different kind of fear but Nathan could still feel it just the same. He remembered those first few days after his own stormy weather crashed his relationship on the rocks. He should have seen it coming.  Somehow he should have seen the signs. It wasn't until he walked into the erie silence of an empty apartment that he knew something was terribly wrong. He saw Natalie's note on the mantle saying simply, "I'm done." and he realized he was suddenly drowning with no lifeline to save him.  At first he got through the days. Work helped but the nights dragged on and soon he even stopped hanging out with his buddies after work because he was tired of  the questions in their eyes he refused to answer.

Numbness settled in and kept the hurt shoved into the dark corners of his mind.  As long as he kept moving maybe, just maybe he wouldn't think of her.  That's why he decided to get out tonight and catch the matinee. There was still that occasional call every now and then when someone would invite him to meet a cousin who just happened to be in town. Nathan never knew just what to say and to him running from the truth was beginning to feel normal.  

Realizing the poor schmuck on the screen was never going to get off that island, Nathan headed for the exit. No use waiting to see how that story ended. He already knew the guy would die on that island alone and Nathan didn't feel like watching his life played out on the big screen.

Fumbling for his car keys, Nathan never noticed her standing there until it was too late. Popcorn and keys went flying as he violently bumped into the one person he never thought he would see again.

"Natalie? What are you doing here?"

***Okay, it's your turn! Put your creative cap on and add a sentence or add a paragraph.  Continue my story or start one of your own.  Join the fun and see where this picture prompt takes us!***