Faye and Ruin

Pain in Lost Memories

Birds chirped and the sun was streaming in thick and bright through the open curtains. Sounds of cars honking and the chattering of people reached my ears. Those familiar city sounds wrapped themselves warm through the air as my hand flopped to the side and I patted the bed. I was alone.

I must have been so tired when he left for work this morning that I didn't remember being awoken to say goodbye. I stretched, allowing a silent yawn to escape my lips. Everything seemed sore, as if I'd been hit by a train but I couldn't figure out why. Maybe it was just a bad night's sleep in lieu of the anxiety surrounding the closing deadline of my first draft for my next novel.

I'd still hardly written anything, but I was determined to make the most out of things today and actually make some progress. Slipping out of bed, I padded over to the bathroom and flipped the lightswitch on. The silk night clothes seemed to weigh just a little heavier and fit just a little tighter in a strange way this morning, but I shrugged it off once more.

The lights above the mirror flickered, the yellow glow giving my features harsher lines than I preferred. But it was after I had washed my face and went to redo my bun that sat atop my head, when I finally actually freaked out.

My hands were raised above my head, hiking the shirt up just enough that part of my torso was exposed. Something was there, something that hadn't been there before. Inching it just a little higher, I shrieked in fright, dropped the shirt and froze. That wasn't there, that wasn't real. Dustin would absolutely be distraught as he hated things like that. On our first date he told me that if I had any tattoos that it would be an automatic deal breaker and here I was with a giant ivory dragon crawling up the side of my torso.

The problem was, I couldn't even remember getting it. A click of the bathroom handle turning startled me and I swung around as the door flew open. My eyes widened in fear and in a trance. The most beautifully handsome and terrifying man stood in the doorway.

My body began to tremble for a moment before I stumbled backwards and his face went from excited relief to confusion. "Who are you?" I asked and took another step backwards before tripping over the edge of a bathroom rug. As I plummeted to the floor he rushed in, but I screamed.

So instead of catching me, I smashed onto the ground as he froze in place. "Go away or I'll- I'll- call the cops!" I stuttered out, but part of me wasn't as afraid of a stranger as I should have been, still scared, but there was something familiar about this man. The most captivating eyes of cadmium stared back at me, a flame bouncing behind them.

I could have sworn I'd seen something like them before, but I knew I wouldn't ever forget it if I truly had. His shaggy faux hawk sharpened the edges of his face and his jawline and accentuated the power in his body. This man wore a simple long sleeved t-shirt pushed halfway up his forearms to show hints of tattoos that snaked up his arms and even his neck.

One tattoo crept up the right side of his head, just across the shortest part of his cut. But it was the way he was looking at me, a pained expression riddled with deep sadness that caught me off guard. He simply pinched his lips together and slipped back out of the bathroom. Silent.

The moment he was gone, I felt an odd emptiness. Almost as if I was more afraid that he wasn't with me than when he was, despite the fact he stood at least six and a half feet tall and filled the doorway with his broad shoulders.

I hadn't been that afraid of him.

Maybe he was one of Dustin's co-workers I had once met briefly. Quickly pulling on a pair of jeans that scratched at my legs and a simple light green t-shirt, I stepped out of the bathroom. I hesitated at the door that would open up to the sitting room and kitchen. That man might still be in there, and if he was, what would Dustin think if he came home and saw his fiance hanging out with some random guy?