Excerpt from a book I'll never write

Excerpt Eight

"You're the type of person who has the power to take someone's heart and shatter it into a million pieces. You could take every organ out of their body and empty their veins out onto the bathroom floor, only to have them turn and thank you with a look of adoration planted on their face.

You used to say I was beautiful and wrap your arms around my waist. You used to laugh at all my crappy jokes and kiss my forehead before we went to sleep.

You once told me about your fascination with fires; how you found them absolutely captivating, describing them as beautiful works of art.

I suppose this is where we differ: I see little beauty in the flames of a fire; I see damage and loss and the devastation left behind.

Though, through all this, I've finally come to understand why you find fire to be so fascinating.

When we first met, you ignited a spark within me. It was small, but still there all the same. Over time that spark grew: you pumped Co2 into my God damn lungs, causing flames to erupt inside of me.

You watched me burn from the inside out each and everyday, until you left.

You left me, a dying ember of what once was a young girl with hopes and dreams.

I finally understand your fascination with fire.

All you really wanted was to get close enough without getting burnt. All you wanted was to live to tell the tail.

And now I'm nothing but a heap of dying ember of what was once a bright flame wondering why I let you in."