The Red Thread

Austin pulled absentmindedly at the loose red thread hanging from her sleeve, staring hard at the phone. Her hand reached out to pick it up, before hastily pulling back.

What would she say? What excuse could she use for leaving it so long to call him? It had been almost a year since she had packed her bags and walked out the door. She had needed time to sort herself out, to work out what she really wanted. She’d needed to clear her mind. And now she knew. It was him; it had always been him.

Would he hang up on her? Would another woman answer the phone? Had he moved on and left her behind? All the questions scrambled through her mind, her body shaking with nausea at the thought of losing him again.

Picking up the phone, she dialled the number she still knew off by heart.  Listening to the ringing tone, she took a deep breath. Not once, not twice, but three times. Her heart constricted when she heard his voice on his machine, a voice she heard so many times in her dreams.

‘If you’re calling about the car, I sold it. If you’ve got something to sell, you’re wasting your time I’m not buying. If it’s anybody else, wait for the tone you know what to do…P.S if this is Austin, I still love you.’

She dropped the phone to the counter, her heart speeding up as she stared in disbelief. After all this time, he still loved her. He still wanted her. Picking up the phone again she took a deep breath and dialled his number again. Listening to the message again, her face lit up with a radiant smile.

Speaking huskily, her voice barely a whisper she left her number but not another word. Sitting down she waited by the phone, her fingers trembling as they played with the loose red thread.

She didn’t have to wait long. An hour later, the phone rang and she picked it up, hearing his voice on the other end, the tears slid down her cheeks as she said softly ‘Hello Blake, this is Austin…’