I'd Go Left

“This is so stupid,” she groaned, pushing her chair back and stretching her arms. It was getting late, and the workers at the coffee shop had already made it abundantly clear that they should leave. He had been gently suggesting the same thing, but she had to submit this paper on “The Lady or the Tiger?” by tomorrow, and three and a half hours and four lattes had only added about a paragraph to her computer screen. “How is it even a question? Imagine it’s us; I tell you to go right, there’s going to be a lady behind that door, no matter how pretty she is. It doesn’t matter what I want, if it saves your life, and if you get some shot at happiness, isn’t it worth it? Watching you with someone else would hurt, but at least you’d be alive.” Her rant was met with silence, which stretched so long that she had to ask, “What? Would you do something differently?”

“I’d go left,” he said, his voice even and sure, almost daring her to question him. “I’d go left because I know you’d try to save me, but I’d rather die than dedicate my life to someone who isn’t you.” He didn’t know what had prompted the declaration. Maybe he was going insane from sitting still in the coffee shop for so long. Still, he knew every word he said was true. He’d stay here forever with her if he had to. He wanted to spend his life with her. His hand went to his pocket, where the ring was hidden. ‘Soon,’ he told himself, ‘I’ll ask her soon.’

Sections: For School, Happy, Short Stories, Stubborn