Expressions

Short Story: ‘Expressions’
Jane was never expressive by nature. She always preferred to keep things to herself. She had a hard time expressing her emotions. But fortunately, she developed a creative outlet for herself over some years especially after the death of Ronny. Ronny was her love since third grade and he was murdered on Jane’s 16th birthday eve.

The girl couldn’t even grieve properly due to her own nature and her inability to express herself. But she found her solace in staining the paper of her journal with her emotions. And more recently, she had found another reason to live, her newfound love Alex.

Jane wrote poems for him every single day. But she never had it in her to actually spill out her feelings to him. She once tried to leave a letter on his seat in the classroom but she just couldn’t do it. Jane’s love for Alex kept on gaining strength and after a point, she felt that she had to express herself no matter how.

That day in the class, she overheard Alex talking to his friend that his parents were planning to go out for the weekend. Jane’s eyes gleamed with happiness and her cheeks flushed a bright red. She had followed him a thousand times so she knew exactly where he lived. That night, Jane dressed up as if it was the last day of her life. She looked heaven-sent.

She knocked at the door. Alex opened the door and her heartbeat stopped when he invited her in. Jane could die for him. Shyly, she handed him a piece of paper without saying a word. “Jane! I’m sorry but I don’t feel the same for you.” Alex said while walking to the kitchen. “What do you mean?” Jane followed him into the kitchen. “Jane, I’m seeing someone else.”

Jane felt as if he had stepped on her fragile heart.
Her hand landed on the knife in the knife-stand. Before Alex could sense it, his throat was sliced and his words silenced. His blood stained the letter Jane gave him. But his soul had a memory of Jane from her letter. Poor Ronny didn’t even have something like it.
-Neha