Drag Me To The Grave

I woke up to find myself alone in the bed. I sat up, groggy, yawning and stretching, looking around the room. Where the hell was Juliet?
I got up from the bed and went into the bathroom to grab a quick shower. I thought maybe she'd just gone for some coffee and breakfast. I knew we were out and needed to go grocery shopping again. Maybe that's where she was.
When I came out of the shower about thirty minutes later, dressed and drying my hair, I noticed a piece of paper lying on the nightstand that I hadn't noticed before. Frowning, I lay the towel on the empty desk chair and picked up the paper. After reading it, I sat on the edge of the bed, my heart in my throat, feeling like I was going to be sick.

Juliet was gone. She'd taken off to Florida to stay with her parents for a bit...and I didn't know if she was ever coming back.

I don't know how long I sat there, mulling over everything in my mind. I loved Juliet more than life itself, but all this with Maya had driven us apart and now I didn't know if I'd ever see my dragonfly again. With Jinxx's life in the balance of everything as well, I didn't know how I could just pick up and take off after her like I desperately wanted to do. I wanted to prove to her how much I loved her, but one of my best friends was dying.
I heard a knock on the door, and the buzz of the mind on the other side told me it was Maya. "Come in, Maya," I said.
Maya opened the door and stepped inside. "Everything okay?" she asked. "Your mind was really buzzing a few minutes ago."
I sighed. "Juliet's gone. She took off for Florida while I was still asleep."
"I know. I saw her leave." Maya was silent for a moment, contemplating whether she could come over to the bed and sit down next to me or whether she should stay where she was. She opted for staying where she was. "She'll be back, Andy."
"Will she?"
Maya nodded. "Of course. She loves you. She's just hurt right now. She'll realize that she doesn't really have anything to worry about and she'll come back."
I met her gaze. "I'm not so sure that she will, Maya. Because...well..."
Maya's gaze turned hard. "Andy, no. You don't feel that way. You can't."
"But...I do, Maya. I've been warring with this ever since I saw you at the airport."
"But you love Juliet. She's your dragonfly. She's everything to you. You've been together for almost four years now. You can't just throw all that away for some old flame from the past. What we had, Andy...That's gone now. It doesn't exist anymore."
"What if it does?"
"It doesn't. Because...I don't love you anymore. I...I fell for someone else when I went back to Cincinnati, and he and I are pretty serious. We've moved in together. We're talking about getting married. I can't just throw all of that away for you. And you can't throw away what you have with Juliet for me. We both have something amazing, Andy. And even though you may still have feelings for me that's making you confused as hell, you know I'm right." Maya started toward the door, and I went over and grabbed her arm. She turned toward me. "Andy, let me go. I'll stay with Ashley until this war with F.E.A.R. is over. You can fix things with Juliet and everything will go back to normal."
I pulled her toward me and kissed her. She pulled back immediately and slapped me. "What are you thinking, Andy?! Did you hear nothing I just said?!" she said angrily. She pulled her arm out of my grip and left the room. I heard her throwing things into her suitcase and a few minutes later I heard the front door open and shut. I stood there for another few minutes before, groaning, I threw on some shoes, grabbed my keys, and headed out of the door after her, locking it behind me.
Maya turned toward me as I came out of the door. "What are you doing?" she asked.
"Well if you're going to Ashley's, the least I could do is drive you there," I said. I grabbed her suitcase and put it in the trunk of my car. "Come on. Get in."
Maya hesitated for a moment before climbing into the passenger seat. "I'm sorry for slapping you," she said quietly as I started the engine.
"Don't be. You were right. I was being a dick. I wouldn't blame Juliet for never coming back. She deserves better."
Maya sighed and turned toward me. "You are what she deserves, Andy. She loves you and you love her. You just had a lapse in judgment, that's all. And it was just a kiss. Let's just forget about it and get me to Ashley's. Take the temptation away from you so that you can think clearly."

Notes