Let The Years Be

Chloe shut her door, popped in her earbuds, and tuned out the noise from outside.

Having made up her mind to return home and tie the knot, she knew she would have to resign from her job. Still, she was determined to wrap up her projects, aiming to avoid causing any inconvenience to others.

She sat alone in front of the panoramic window, diligently finishing up her work.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, the evening sky faded to dusk.

Chloe removed her earbuds, stood up, and stretched. After a long stretch of focused work, she was finally done.

The building had quieted down completely.

She flicked on her phone for a bit of mindless scrolling.

That was when a message from Helen popped up. Without a second thought, Chloe tapped it open.

[Why didn't you 'like' my post?]

A minute barely passed before another message followed.

[Oops! Sorry, Chloe. Wrong person. Don't be upset, okay?]

Driven by curiosity, Chloe checked Helen's social media feed to see what the fuss was about.

Her screen was filled with photo after photo of presents from Andrew and Stephen, including a luxurious pink princess gown laying spread out, resembling a fluffy pink cloud.

To complement the dress, Andrew had gifted a pair of bespoke crystal diamond shoes that glittered with every turn, the epitome of opulence.

The flashy red sports car had Stephen's name written all over it.

In the photo taking center stage, Helen was flanked by Andrew and Stephen, her hands linked with theirs, her smile radiating pure joy.

In the caption, she declared, [Yay! I got to be a princess for a day!]

Chloe understood all too well. Helen was baiting her, hoping to ruffle her feathers and provoke a reaction.

Once upon a time, Chloe would have been torn apart by the sight of Helen's fake sweetness, and even more by the fact that Andrew and Stephen had given their attention to Helen, a girl they had barely known for a month—a girl who was stepping into what used to be her exclusive territory.

However, with her departure looming, Chloe could not care less.

With a casual flick of her finger, she lit up a heart icon on her phone screen, sealing her approval.

From that moment on, she, Andrew, and Stephen were nothing more than friends. The tough decisions were Helen's to make.

The following day, Chloe strode into the office and handed in her resignation.

When she got home, she began to sift through the mountain of photos that chronicled the trio's shared history.

Over twenty years of friendship had produced album after album of memories.

Childhood games of house with Andrew and Stephen, middle school award ceremonies, college road trips... Each photo brought the past to life, as if she could step right back into those moments. However, those days were gone, and they did not matter anymore.

One by one, Chloe set the photos alight, tossing them into the trash can to burn.

A small fire crackled to life, consuming years of laughter and camaraderie, reducing them to nothing but ash.

Andrew and Stephen arrived home just in time to catch the last act of her personal purge.

Andrew rushed over, his voice trembling as he exclaimed, "What are you doing?!"

Chloe shot him an icy look and replied calmly, "Just burning some moldy old photos."

Stephen reached out, a desperate attempt to save what was left, but Chloe's hand flicked, sending the last of the photos fluttering into the flames.

The fire took them eagerly, leaving no chance for second thoughts or salvaged memories.

Stephen cautiously reached for the photo that was still burning at the edges, but the intense heat made him jerk his hand back.

"These are memories, you know! You don't just burn memories, even if they're a bit moldy!"

His voice was tinged with pain as he spoke, and his eyes started to turn red with the effort to hold back tears. Andrew, too, stared at the flames with a sense of loss, feeling utterly helpless.

Chloe could not help but find their reaction a bit funny. There she was, flesh and blood, right in front of them, and yet they kept getting all worked up over Helen.

Just a bunch of photos, and they were getting all sentimental.

She wondered, just for a second, how they would react if they knew about her plans to go home and get married.