meh rough draft whatever (one step?)

As she stared off the bridge, she couldn't help but think how everything would be easier with just one step.

One step. That's all it took.

The courage, however, was severely lacking.

So pulling out her phone, she called the first number she could think of.

And it rang. One, two, three times... No answer.

Screw it.

Tapping another contact.

One... two... three... still no reply.

She sighed, scrolling till she reached the one person she knew would have to pick up.

"Hey."

The voice is warm and comforting. The tingle of a smile graced her lips.

"Hey. I just saw your text."

She winces a little at the lie. She'd seen the text hours ago. In fact, she'd seen it the second it came through. But there was something special about ignoring a text just as you received it that emulated the feeling of death so that you wouldn't have to reply. Mostly so that she could pretend, just for a moment, that she didn't exist.

"That's okay." His voice was calm, reassuring even. She closed her eyes to imagine what he must look like at this moment. It was getting late so he was probably already in a t-shirt, his hoodie discarded somewhere behind the rowing machine in his dorm. She could already imagine him laying on his futon, phone in hand, a half-finished youtube video on pause next to him.

A sigh escaped her lips as she remembered the comfort of just meeting him there every night. She could turn around, walk off the bridge, and right back into the safety of his arms.

The water crashed below the bridge and her attention returned to the gentle curve of the river's current, which had been suddenly interrupted by the splashing of ducks.

"Where are you?"

"I'm just on a walk." It wasn't a complete let but yet they both knew the severity of what she'd just said.

"Right now?" he asked. It was almost four in the morning and she knew that he was already catching on.

"It's going to be okay." She whispered.

"Hey, no, where are you?"

She could hear him scrambling and the sound of jingling that he assumed was his keys.

She didn't even bother to hang up. Gaze steady, she stared down at the sinking weight of the water.

She sighed, smiled, and stepped.