Four People. Three Clay Figures. I Stopped Being The One Left Out Chapter 03

Four People. Three Clay Figures. I Stopped Being The One Left Out Chapter 03

Evening. Damon took me to the imperial kiln.

“Let this morning go.”

He wrapped my scarf for me. His voice had softened.

“Tonight i’ll watch the kiln opening with you. Just us.”

Ten years ago, the first gift he gave me was a crooked ceramic rabbit.

He held my hand and said, when we grow up, he’d watch a real kiln fire with me.

I held onto that for ten years.

Now the kiln was right behind the door. And he was finally standing beside me.

But before we could get through the gate, adrian called.

“Damon. Vivian’s figure broke.”

“She locked herself in the break room. Won’t open the door for anyone.”

Damon’s face changed.

“How did you let that happen?”

“I said a few words to her. Now she can’t breathe from crying. Get back here.”

The call barely ended. Damon turned to leave.

I grabbed his sleeve without thinking.

“It starts in five minutes.”

“Go in first.”

“You said you’d stay with me.”

He looked down at my hand. His brow tightened, bit by bit.

“Vivian locked herself in.”

“Adrian’s with her.”

“Adrian can’t talk her down!”

His voice rose. People turned to look.

Damon took a breath. Like he was forcing down his temper.

“Blair. I’ve already given you today. What more do you want?”

That afternoon, he’d been fixing vivian’s figure the whole time.

But in his mouth, it became a whole day sacrificed for me.

I let go. Slowly.

“Go.”

Damon shoved the ticket into my palm. His voice went cold,

“Don’t give me that look again.”

“If you have something to say, say it. No one’s forcing you to swallow everything.”

Then he flagged a cab. Disappeared around the corner.

The ticket taker looked at the two tickets in my hand.

“Is the other person still coming?”

The kiln door opened slowly. The heat lit half the night sky.

I only thought about what he’d said.

No one’s forcing you to swallow everything.

But when i said a figure was missing, they told me not to make a fuss.

When i said our memory piece wasn’t finished, they told me to wait.

Now i just wanted him to watch a kiln fire with me.

And he asked what more i wanted.

“Not coming.”

I handed both tickets back.

—

Back at the inn, i started packing.

9:30. Damon sent a photo.

Vivian’s eyes were swollen. The broken figure had been glued back together.

Damon and adrian stood on either side of her. Like they’d just completed something important.

Under the photo, two messages.

[why didn’t you stay?]

[whatever. We’ll talk when you’re back.]

Ten minutes later, voices downstairs.

Vivian, choked up. “Did blair leave because of me?”

Adrian snorted.

“Don’t flatter yourself.”

“She just can’t stand us surrounding you.”

Then damon, tired.

“She’s been getting a worse temper lately.”

“When the trip’s over, i’ll talk to her.”

Vivian tried to say something else. He cut her off.

“Don’t mention her. Ruins the mood.”

The last two words drifted upstairs. Light. Careless.

No one came up.

The apartment key. The travel journal i’d kept ten years. I packed them both.

Then zipped my suitcase. Turned off the light.

I wasn’t going to be the forgotten one again.

No matter how long the relationship.

If it’s gone bad, i don’t want it.