He rises from the bed untangling himself from the sheets. Memories of last night rush back and a blanket of guilt engulfs him. He drags himself to the edge of the bed and gets up. With each step the weight of his guilt slows him down. With each step his mind shrieks in agony.
He walks through the mess on the floor. Each step lands him on a tossed pillow or a broken gift. The promises of love taunt him but he continues walking. He pauses at the overturned coffee table and wonders what he was thinking. What could make him do such a thing? As he reaches the kitchen he sees the dirty dishes. He blames them for what happened and as if on cue, he steps on the broken pieces of a glass. He bends over in pain and hobbles to the bathroom.
He freezes in the doorway, stunned at what he sees. Bloodshot eyes stare back at him. It takes him a minute to realize that he's looking at his reflection. The man in the mirror has scratches on his face, neck and arms. When he raises his hands to touch them he notices the blood underneath his nails.
He stands staring at the blood in a trance but is jolted by the sound of a car starting up. Forgetting to tend to his foot he limps over to the window and sees her putting a duffel bag in the trunk. He calls out to her and when she looks up he's horrified. She stares back at him with bloodshot eyes of her own but instead of there just being scratches, she's covered in bruises.
She breaks their gaze and closes the trunk. She walks over to the driver's side and gets in. Not once does she look up. Not once does he try to make a move towards her. She starts the ignition and drives away.
He turns away from the window and makes his way back. With each step the guilt fades. With each step the shrieks quiet down. With the memory of last night still lingering in the air, he falls back into bed and wonders if she'll come back this time.
