Amy sat in the bay window of her apartment and watched as people passed on the busy street below. The night had taken over the New York landscape and the streetlights illuminated the village. She watched a couple pass by, holding hands, and she wished so badly that that was her. She had been living in New York for 2 months now with her boyfriend, Nate, and they were still yet to go out and explore the city. Unfortunately, with the way Nate’s work schedule was now, they hardly had enough time for each other, let alone time to go out and see the sights.

Amy let out a long sigh and rested her head on her hand. She didn’t expect things to turn out like this. She didn’t expect to be stuck at home on Friday nights with nothing to do. She didn’t expect to be this unhappy in New York City. She also didn’t expect to watch her relationship slowly fall apart right before her own eyes.

Amy gave up a lot to move to the Big Apple. Not only was it a huge step for her to move away from the only place she ever knew and her family but she gave up on her dream of becoming a doctor too. It was all so… unexpected.

Amy and Nate met during their freshman year of college at the University of Michigan in a Spanish class. After a few study sessions, Nate finally gained the courage to ask her out on a date. They had been inseparable ever since. They did everything together, promising each other to never leave the other’s side. They were smitten, full of love for one another and excited to find out what the future had in store.

It wasn’t that way anymore.

Nate was offered a job in New York 3 months after Amy had started medical school at U of M. He had interviewed for the position but thought for sure that he had bombed the interview. He was just going out on a limb, applying for a job in New York, he never thought that he would get a call back. When he found out that he got the job, Nate had asked Amy to move with him and she said yes instantly. Her parents weren’t happy with her decision, but Amy was certain that moving was for the best. She already had her life planned out with Nate, so why wouldn’t she move? She could hear the wedding bells, she could picture the family with 2 kids and a dog, Nate could provide for them on his salary. She would become a stay at home mom. It was picture perfect in her head.

What a joke that dream had become.

Instead of working towards that, Amy was stuck in the apartment everyday, all week, all alone while Nate worked ridiculously long hours. By the time he got home at night, it was well past dinnertime, well past the time to go out and enjoy a show or the nightlife. Amy hated what their relationship had become. His long hours took a toll on their relationship and they started to take a toll on him too. His moods were unpredictable. One day he would be the old Nate, happy, relaxed and completely head over heels for Amy. The next day he would be grumpy, mean, and get upset with her for just about any reason he could think of. It wasn’t an ideal situation by any means.

She let out another sigh and fixed her ponytail. She got up from the seat in the window and stretched her arms up over her head. She took a quick glance at the clock; it was almost 11:30. Nate would be coming home soon. She would be better off in bed sleeping than awake when he got home. Especially with the way he had been acting lately. His mood had been progressively getting worse the past few days. He was mean. He talked down to Amy every chance he got, constantly making her feel completely useless and unwanted.

Amy went into the bathroom, washed her face and brushed her teeth then headed for the bed. She listened as he arrived home 15 minutes later. He was slamming doors shut and talking to himself, complaining that she was in bed already. As she heard his hurtful words, tears streamed down her cheeks. Another night of crying herself to sleep.
“Amy.” He said quietly while he rubbed her arm. “Amy, wake up.”

Nate was holding her close, caressing her. He kissed her hair and her bare shoulder. Amy stirred.

“Hmph.” She said pulling away from him.

“Amy, sweetie. Good morning.”

This was the old Nate talking for once. Right now though, she didn’t even want to listen.

He kissed her neck and let his hands explore her body.

“Nate, stop.” She said.

He pulled away and let out a frustrated sigh. “Jesus Christ, Amy. What the hell is your problem? I haven’t seen you in like 8 days. At least pretend to be excited to see me.”

“It’s not my fault you haven’t seen me in 8 days.” She said sitting up in bed. She pulled the messy brown ponytail out of her hair and redid it.

‘Yeah it is, you’re always fucking asleep when I get home!” he said getting angry.

He pushed the covers off of him and climbed out of the bed. “This whole thing is fucking useless now. Why the hell did you even move here with me?” he said as he walked into the bathroom, slamming the door shut.

Amy fought back her tears. It wasn’t worth it. Not at this point. Instead, she climbed out of the bed hoping to leave the apartment before Nate would get out of the shower.

Amy changed into a pair of yoga pants and pulled her yellow Michigan hoodie over her head. She put on her tennis shoes and was out the door. She ran down to the first floor then out onto the quite street. It was still early; the city was just starting to wake up. She pulled her hood over her head, hoping that it would be enough to hide the tears that had now broken free and were running down her red cheeks. She started running up the street, thinking about running away forever.