He crossed paths with his ex-wife, and jealousy painted his cheeks an unnatural shade of green.
William spotted his ex-wife, and envy turned his cheeks a sickly emerald. He slammed the fridge door so hard its contents rattled. One of the magnets peeled away with a dull thud and tumbled to the floor.
Eleanor stood before him, pale, her fists clenched.
“Better now, are you?” she said, tilting her chin up.
“Youre doing my head in,” William replied, voice shaky despite his effort to stay calm. “What kind of life is this? No joy, no future.”
“So, its still all my fault?” Eleanor gave a bitter smile. “Of course. Nothing ever lives up to your fantasies.”
William tried to retort but only waved a hand dismissively. He grabbed a bottle of sparkling water, took a swig straight from the neck, then slammed it back onto the table.
“William, dont just sit there in silence,” Eleanor said, her voice trembling. “For once, tell me whats really eating at you.”
“Whats there to say?” he grumbled. “Im fed up. Sod it all.”
They stared at each other in silence for a long moment. Finally, Eleanor took a deep breath and turned toward the bathroom. William slumped heavily onto the sofa. The sound of running water seeped through the doorno doubt Eleanor had turned the tap on to drown out her tears. But none of it mattered to him anymore.
A Life Slipping into Routine
Three years earlier, theyd married. At first, they lived in Eleanors flatinherited from her parentsbefore moving to a countryside house, leaving the flat in their daughters name. Their home was spacious but dated, the furniture still clinging to another era.
At first, William was content. City centre, easy commute. But with time, everything gnawed at him. Eleanor adored her “family refuge” with its faded brown wallpaper and antique sideboard. To William, it was stagnation.
“Eleanor, be honest,” hed say. “Dont you ever want to tear up that hideous yellow linoleum? Modernise the place?”
“William, we dont exactly have the funds for renovations,” shed reply evenly. “I want change too, but well have to wait for bonuses.”
“Wait?! Thats your whole philosophyjust sit around and wait!”
William often remembered how hed fallen for Eleanor. Back then, shed been a shy student, her blue eyes honest, her smile warm. Hed told his friends, *”Shes a budstill waiting to bloom.”* But now, it felt like that flower never had, already wilting on the vine.
Eleanor didnt think herself invisible. She just lived as she saw fit, finding joy in small thingsa cup of mint tea, a new tablecloth, a quiet evening with a book. William saw only tedium.
They didnt rush to divorceWilliam refused to move back in with his parents, and separate living wasnt an option yet. Eleanors mother, Margaret, always took her daughters side:
“Son, Eleanors a good girl. Be grateful youve got a flat at all.”
“Mum, you dont get it,” William would snap.
His father just shrugged. “Let him sort himself out.”
At home, though, William grew colder. *”Shes like a shadow, a grey ghost,”* hed think. During one row, hed shouted,
“I thought you were going to be this glorious flower! Now? Im stuck with a frozen bud.”
That was the first time in months Eleanor had cried.
And that same night, as everything crumbled, William whispered,
“Eleanor, Im exhausted.”
“By what?” she asked.
“By this life. This endless bloody routine.”
Eleanor picked up her bag and left. William hoped shed return, beg him to staybut she simply said,
“Maybe you should live alone properly. Move out.”
William exploded.
“Im not leaving!”
“Its my parents flat,” Eleanor said coldly. “And I wont live with someone who sees me as a burden.”
William had no choice. He left. Weeks later, the divorce was final.
*The Encounter That Changed Everything*
Three years passed. William still lived with his parents, chasing a fresh start but never catching it. His job paid poorly, only small comforts breaking the monotony.
One spring evening, as he wandered the streets, he passed a caféand froze. There, through the window, was Eleanor.
But not the Eleanor hed known. This woman was confident, her hair styled, wearing a smart coat, car keys dangling from her fingers.
“Eleanor?” William blurted.
She turned, recognised him, and smiled.
“William? Hello. How are you?”
“Erfine,” he stammered, unable to look away.
“And you?” she asked, calm.
“Seems like youre doing well… Still at the same job?”
“No,” she said. “I opened my own flower studio. It was terrifying, but I had someone to help.”
“Who?”
Just then, a tall man in an expensive overcoat stepped out from the café and slipped an arm tenderly around Eleanor.
“Darling, tables ready,” he said.
“William, this is Anthony,” Eleanor introduced. “Lovely seeing you again.”
“Happy for you,” William muttered, bile rising in his throat.
“Thanks,” Eleanor said simply.
Anthony nodded, and together they stepped back inside, leaving William on the chilly pavement.
Once, hed said, *”Im stuck with a frozen bud.”* But that bud had bloomed after alljust not for him.
