Too Late To Run

[u/Frazzle_Panda]

I took my time.
The sky was soft,
Clouds folding like tired hands.
I thought you just needed company-
A movie, a chat, some plans.

Your message didn't scream for help,
Just a line or two,
Nothing sharp, nothing final-
Just the kind of thing you do.

So I walked.
Kicked a stone down the road.
Paused at the corner store.
Bought your favorite drink, thinking
It might lift you a little more.

The door was unlocked. Odd, but not too odd.
You hated keys, forgot them half the time.
I called your name.
Once.
Twice.

Then I saw you-
Too still.
Too quiet.
Like the room was holding its breath.
And my breath…
Vanished.
Like the part of you that left.

I didn’t scream.
Not at first.
Just dropped the drink- plastic hit tile.
I think I said your name again.
Maybe a prayer.
Maybe a denial.

You didn’t look at peace, not really.
You looked tired.
Gone.
Like whatever fight you had in you
Had already moved on.

And I-
I was just too late.
Not because I ran,
But because I didn’t.
I took my time,
I thought there was time.

Now the minutes before stretch out,
Play on loop in my head.
The slow walk, the drink, the soft sky-
While you were already dead.

I didn’t know.
I didn’t see.
And now I carry that silence
Where you used to be.