The deep

Bury me beneath the ocean floor

Guilt and tension hung in the air between them like a heavy fog. In an attempt to diffuse the discomfort, he spoke up, his voice breaking through the silence like a sudden clap of thunder. "I'll make you some hot chocolate, is that fine?" He gestured towards the kitchen, hoping to steer their conversation away from the awkwardness.

She nodded, her voice hoarse as she struggled to find something to say or do to ease the tension. She stood there, unsure of where to place her hands or how to act.

"I'll just put this one to bed first," he said, motioning towards a protesting Lucy who was fighting off sleepiness. "But I'm not even tired!" she argued, however, a big yawn escaped her mouth, contradicting her words.

"Come on pumpkin butt", he picked her up and carried her up the stairs. She waved to Lilith, eyes big and already filling with the sleep to come, they made to ascend towards the rooms above leaving Lilith to once again feel utterly alone, scared of her thoughts. She cursed herself for being so dependent on that small wave of human interaction. 

Lilith's hands slammed against her head as she reprimanded herself aloud. "What the hell are you doing, Lil?". She felt like a failure, unable to even end her own miserable existence. 

She glared at the nothingness in front of her, doubting that there was anything worth seeing through in her life.

Feeling pathetic and worthless, she sat there ruining someone else's evening with her presence. Her eyes burned fiercely as they trailed down to her wrists, the constant reminder of all her failed attempts etched into her skin forever. Anger and despair consumed her, leaving her seething with frustration.

She seized a nearby pillow with such malice towards herself, burying her face into its softness. The sound of her bloodcurdling scream echoed through the room, her throat raw from the sheer force of it.

"Fuck me!" She yelled, over and over, her voice strained with anger and frustration.

Ambrose couldn't help but grin as he heard her string of curses. "Wow, I didn't know you were this eager so early in our relationship, it's a bit soon for such activities, don't you think?," he quipped, leaning against the staircase railing like a smooth-talking rogue.

"Oh, fantastic. So glad you heard that little confession," she shot back mockingly, narrowing her eyes at him. She shifted on the couch, feeling a flush of both anger and feeble embarrassment rise to her cheeks once more. 

The thought of him getting under her skin like that was at the least infuriating. But then again, the way he looked smirking at her was undeniably charming. "Just, bring me my chocolate as a consolation prize," she retorted with a roll of her eyes, trying to hide how much it thrilled her to see him looking at her like that. It had been a good long while since someone had. 

As Ambrose strutted off, she nervously twisted her fingers together, trying to ignore the fact that everything was going completely off track from her original plan. Damn him for being so insufferable.

☾

The screeching kettle echoed through the kitchen before releasing a cloud of steam. Ambrose carefully poured the boiling water into a large cup, adding a splash of warm cream and a spoonful of sugar, followed by that delicious melty chocolate he kept especially for those brisk winter nights.

He couldn't shake off the enigmatic aura of the woman sitting a room away from him. She had arrived at his beach just an hour ago, and he knew next to nothing about her except her name and the fact that she had attempted to take her own life earlier that night.