Calming the Sea, Drifting Away

Eleven

He was bruised, cut, scratched, banged up. His hair was tangled and knotty. His face was swelled and black. He was almost gone.

I left the keys in my car.

The man opened the front door, ran into my car, and drove away.

Dammit.

"Liam," I said, starting to cry.

He mumbled something.

"Liam!"

It was too late. He was drifting away, making a hurricane in the sea of sorrow, stirring up all of the emotions that I had tried to hard to force away, deep into the ocean, never to be seen again.

It was at that moment that I realized I truly loved him.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"I... I l-love... I love y-you," he said.

I hugged him tightly, tears falling into his bloody shoulder.

"I love you too, Liam."

Those were the last words I ever said to him.