The Abbotts' Anniversary

It was an unnaturally quiet evening in Fairhaven as Mr. and Mrs. Abbott prepared to leave for their anniversary dinner.

Chloe Abbott regarded herself for a long time as she stared into the smudged bathroom mirror. Her deep blue dress shimmered in the dim light, bringing out the sharp color of her emerald eyes. It was a beautiful dress, albeit a bit snug. She hadn’t worn it for a good few years. There hadn’t been much to celebrate in that time.

She lifted a hand and lightly ran it through her dark hair. She hadn’t bothered to curl or fix it. She couldn’t find a reason to.

She found it odd--it was astonishing how swiftly she’d abandoned any care for her appearance.

It doesn’t matter, she reminded herself. I suppose it never did. Just… just focus on Gray. That’s what matters right now.

With a sigh, she turned and opened the bathroom door.

“Are you ready to go, dear?” Chloe called, emerging from the bathroom and entering the bedroom, where her husband stood. He was dressed in a black suit, with a wrinkled white button-up underneath. He was staring down at the red silk tie in his hands with an empty gaze.

“Gray?” She said, stealing his attention. He looked up in surprise.

“Oh, so sorry, Chloe. Goodness, you look beautiful.” Gray adjusted his glasses, catching the light from the lamp for a moment, and smiled. “You always look lovely in blue.”

Chloe smiled warmly at him and walked to his side. “Thank you. You look nice, too.”

Gray’s gaze followed her. “Thanks. Now then, what were you saying?”

Chloe sighed, putting a hand over the tie. “You don’t have to wear it, Gray. We can just go.”

“No, no, it’s fine.” He glanced back down at the tie, his smile faltering for a moment. “I mean… I might as well put it on. It’s just…” He sighed, his gaze falling towards the floor. “I… I was looking forward to tonight. I was hoping we could just…”

“I know.” Chloe cut him off and took the tie out of his hands. “I know, love. But… it doesn’t matter now, does it?”

Gray said nothing for a moment. He let out a heavy sigh. “...No. I suppose not.” Looking up into her eyes, he took a deep breath. “I’ll wear it. Just give me a moment to put it on.”

“I’ll do it,” Chloe interjected. “I wouldn’t want you to choke yourself by mistake.”

Gray let out a small laugh. Though it was obviously forced, Chloe could tell he was trying his hardest. But she knew it wasn’t as easy for him to accept the circumstances.

But Chloe had made her peace. She hadn’t expected it to be so simple, and yet…

She straightened the tie and looked up at Gray. His hazel eyes were soft, and his smile loving. Even so, it poorly masked his despair. As much as he wanted to be strong for her, she knew how easy he fell into that pit.

Which is why she needed to be strong for him.

She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came. A moment of silence passed between them.

Gray cupped her cheek with his hand. “Chloe? Are you alright?”

She sighed and grinned at him, leaning into his touch. “I’m fine. I just… I love you so much.”

Gray pressed a kiss against her forehead and reached down to hold her hand. He gave it a reassuring squeeze as he said, “I love you too. Now then, shall we go?”

Chloe nodded and followed him to the door.

Just before they left, Gray stopped. He snapped his fingers, seemingly remembering something. “Oh, right.” He turned to her and held up a hand. “Um… wait here for just a moment, dear.”

Chloe raised a questioning brow as he rushed back down the hallway. He appeared again a moment later, stuffing something into his inner coat pocket.

“What’s that?” Chloe asked as Gray opened the door.

“Don’t worry about it yet. We should hurry if we want to make it in time.”

Chloe’s shoulders sagged as she nodded and walked down the porch steps. “Right.”

The sun was already beginning to set, painting the clouds shades of orange and pink against the darkening blue sky. Though the town itself was silent, the distant sounds of people yelling and crying out pervaded the quiet. The couple turned to see a small crowd at the edge of the town, unable to get by the barricade of soldiers who were struggling to push them back.

Gray cast his gaze downward, giving a small sigh.

Chloe frowned and turned away from the scene, placing a hand on Gray’s shoulder. “Don’t mind them, Gray. Let’s just… let’s just head to the restaurant.”

Gray let out a wry laugh. “I doubt anyone will be there.”

“Don’t say that.” Chloe slipped her hand down his arm and laced her fingers in his. “We can go check.”

“What’s the point?”

“Gray-”

“There’s no point, Chloe.” Gray’s voice trembled. He covered his mouth with his free hand. “I… sorry. I-I’m sorry, Chloe. I just… I don’t know.” He looked up, avoiding her gaze.

Chloe was still for a moment. Then, she hooked an arm around his and lightly tugged him along.

“It’s fine,” she said, both to herself and to Gray. “It’s probably for the best, anyway. I doubt we’d be able to finish in time.” Offering a grin, she added, “We can just… Oh! Let’s go to the lake!”

“The lake?” Gray’s expression brightened ever so slightly as the words registered with him. “Oh. The- right, right. I-it’s close enough. We can… We can sit, and…” His mouth twitched as he attempted a smile, but in the end he let out a shaky sigh and turned to her. “Are you sure we shouldn’t just stay here, Chloe? We can- we can listen to the radio and-” He sniffed, attempting to conceal his coming tears. “And- I don’t know. Oh, lord…”

Chloe stared at him as he turned his face away. I need to think of something, she thought, furrowing her brow in frustration. There probably isn’t much time left. Maybe it would be best to just go back inside…

As she was trying her best to think through the situation, a woman walked past, desperately typing something into her phone. “Please, please, please…” she mumbled. She held it up to her ear and waited, pacing back and forth, still whispering to herself with a hoarse voice. A few seconds passed, and she sunk down to the ground, her eyes clouding with tears. “Maya, please… Maya…” she pleaded between sobs.

Chloe’s eye caught movement above her. She looked up and saw, to her horror, a man standing on the roof of the apartment building across from them, one foot on the edge.

Chloe gasped in shock and extended a hand out toward him in vain. “No, wait-!” She cried, before she stopped.

It makes no difference, she thought. It doesn’t matter. It won’t change anything.

It infuriated her. As tears began to spill from her eyes, she wiped them away, refusing to let them come. She grabbed Gray’s hand, rushed back up the steps and inside the house, then turned and slammed the door as she heard the woman outside scream.

Chloe didn’t move for a long moment. Behind her, Gray was crying. She couldn’t think of anything to help him. She couldn’t--she couldn’t think.

“What do I do?” She whispered. Her hand tightened around the doorknob. “What can I do?”

“Chloe.” Gray called from behind her. “I’m sorry. I-I’m so sorry, I can’t…”

Chloe’s breathing hitched for a moment. She took a deep breath, steadying herself.

Focus on Gray. She steeled herself. Help him.

“Don’t apologize, Gray.” She turned away from the door and did her best to give him a smile. She walked over and knelt beside the chair he sat in, clasping his hand. “It’s alright.”

Gray was silent, but his hand tightened in her grasp.

“How about we put on a record?” She asked, standing up, but not releasing his hand. “I doubt anyone is at the radio station at the moment. We can put on our favorite.”

Gray nodded solemnly.

“Let me just find it...” she mused, scanning the shelf before landing on a black and blue record labeled Best of Louis Armstrong.

“Here it is!” She exclaimed, a bit more excited than she anticipated. Giving Gray’s hand a squeeze, she released it and moved toward the shelf.

Her hands trembled as she pulled the record carefully from its sleeve. Outside, she heard the sound of people screaming out as cars began driving away.

The soldiers are leaving, she realized. Her body froze, and she almost dropped the record. I thought- I thought we’d have more time. But if they’re already leaving...

She tried to steady her breathing as she quickly put the record on the turntable and turned it on. Don’t think about it. She heaved a sigh, forcing her hands to stop shaking. You knew this would happen. Just accept it.

As she carefully dropped the needle, Gray stood.

He must have heard the trucks leaving as well. She turned to face him with a desperate grin. I need to do something. It won’t be long now.

Holding out a hand as “La Vie En Rose” began playing from the speaker, she asked, “May I have this dance?”

Gray stared into her eyes for a long moment before giving her a sorrowful smile. “I need to give you your gift first.”

Chloe lowered her hand and Gray reached into his jacket. “Gift?” They hadn’t left the house for days due to the quarantine. When had he found the time to get her a gift?

From his jacket, he produced a silver necklace. And upon the necklace was a heart-shaped locket.

“This… I-I had this made after our wedding. I was going to give it to you on your birthday, but-” He cut himself off and wiped his face. “Well. It doesn’t matter, but… now is as good a time as any.”

Chloe took the locket and opened it up. Inside was two photos, one of each of them.

Chloe smiled and finally let the tears fall. “Oh, Gray…” She sniffed and looked up at him, clutching the locket close to her chest. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

It doesn’t matter now. Her thoughts quieted as she looked into the eyes of the man she loved so dearly. It doesn’t matter, but… even so…

Suddenly, a thunderous BOOM shook the earth. A chorus of screams rang out all around them as Chloe clutched onto Gray.

“I love you,” she said, burying her face into his shirt. “I love you so much. I love you.”

She said it as many times as she could before another loud BOOM rocked the ground. She could no longer hear herself over the noise. All she heard was Gray crying out her name before a bright light flashed, splitting her ears and shooting pain throughout her whole body before she suddenly was nothing.