Torrential Love

Chapter Twenty-One

~ DUNCAN ~

"Leave it alone!"

Duncan closed his eyes in frustration. She was obviously doing this in retaliation to what he had said to her in the day. He had assumed that she had gotten over it since her thoughts had shifted accordingly but that was not the case. She had uttered the exact few words he said to her and part of him was incensed but mostly, worry was on his mind.

He waited as she changed herself and said nothing. He could tell that she was annoyed from her thoughts. She was thinking about drawing on his face with a black marker when she got better and replaying the events of their fight in her head. He saw her chucking her dirty clothes across the floor and pouting in his mind.

He knocked on the door a few times. "Yael?"

Silence.

More knocks. "Yael, please. Don't be like this."

"You come in." He opened the door and stepped in. "Bring me to bed." He carried her off the toilet bowl and brought her to the bed, where he put her down gently. She was avoiding his eyes.

"Yael..." he said.

"What?"

"Come on."

"What you mean?"

"You know what I mean," he said, pleading with her.

"You were mean."

"I know I was," he said. "I'm sorry, please."

"No." He reached a hand out to her, but she dodged it. "Go away."

He sighed, looking down at his hands. "Look," he said. "Maya was - Maya - " He tried to speak but his voice broke. He cleared his throat. "I truly love Maya with all my heart. She was my nurse, and I was on the brink of death. But her love was unwavering."

Yael kept quiet, but lifted her eyes to his.

Duncan continued. "I told her multiple times to not wait on a corpse. To move on. Don't you think I know she would've wanted me to move on the way I wished for her to? But she said no. She was very determined."

"Oh," was all she said.

"I was effectively dead, but she hung on to me. Why can't I do the same for her?"

"It different. You were alive. She dead."

"I get that, but do you really think I've never tried to move on? I went on dates with other women, but I compared them all to Maya. And I realised, there is no woman for me who compares to Maya. I'd be lying if I told a woman that she was the only woman for me."

"You try again. Not meet her yet."

"Let's assume this woman exists. A woman I love more than I ever loved Maya. Even then, it would not be the same. Maya is the last woman I will ever open my heart to. I still wouldn't choose her over Maya. Because Maya is the reason I'm alive right now."

"Someone will make you change mind."

"No, she won't," Duncan said with finality. "I can assure you that."

She shook her head, breaking eye contact. "You in pain. I can tell."

"I'm used to it."

"Maya is great girl, huh?" Yael said.

"She really is."

"What she look like? Have picture?"

"I do."

"Let me see."

Duncan stood up and walked to his wardrobe, where he removed his wallet. He brought it back to her and opened it, taking a picture out for Yael to see. She took one look and gasped aloud.

"What?" Duncan said.

"This is Maya?"

"Yes."

"Look like me!