The Interloper – Before and After
written by: Clara Arús
“Before we go in girls, let me remind you, things are not the same,” Chloe frowned her brows, and slowly turned her head until she set her eyes on the house. But I was fixed on your gaze, it too, was not the same.
As we crossed that little bit of street, whose cracked asphalt we had skipped rope and biked on so many times, pushed the metal gate and finally stood before the cool-toned front door, I could feel my fingers twiddling against my hip on the inside of my jean pocket. I realized in that moment, had you not very adamantly hurried to lead the way, I would not have known whether to ring, or knock, or simply push down the handle to crack the door open. And to my surprise, you hesitated too, but finally, you hit your knuckles subtly on the door and waited for a few seconds before leading us in. Short greetings were awkwardly exchanged as we tried not to depict the shock and disgust on our faces seeing the big new industrial painting on the kitchen wall, the many feminine accessories adorning the familiar bookshelves, and the lack of furniture that you both insisted was intentional. Chloé was not doing a great job of hiding her discontent, which is probably why you invited us to go leave our overnight bags in the bedrooms. And, as we walked up the stairs, we could hear your footsteps against the cold stone stairs echoing ours, like the steady ticking of a clock tracking our every move. Chloé bifurcated first, turning left to her bedroom a couple steps before me, and finally, I had reached the room. Too distracted by the sight of your bedroom right across mine I didn’t notice at first, but as soon as I turned my head my bag dropped to the ground with a loud thump. I lifted my hand slowly until it reached the middle shelf of the big wooden bookcase, and started tracing my finger on the dust that heavily covered it, taking in the emptiness of it all.
- The Interloper – Before and After - June 11, 2025
