last summer ↠ s.m

TWO

She awoke, her nightmare haunting her. She looked to her left and saw it empty. He had left. She groaned. She started hitting the sheets. She was going insane, surely. The guilt was eating her alive.

She almost screamed. But she got up, glancing at her clock.

7:15 AM

He was gone. At work. He wouldn't be back for hours. She walked downstairs in relief. She rubbed her forehead. She walked into the kitchen. She was expecting no one.

But what was there surprised her.

He sat there, his coffee mug in hand. She jumped and let out a yelp of surprise. She sighed. He raised his eyebrow. "Did I scare you?" He asked. The tone intimidated her. She was scared. Afraid. He didn't know.

"I thought you were at work." She admitted. The most truthful she had said in months. "I have the day off today." He said.

His tone wasn't stone cold. But it wasn't welcoming. It was the in the middle. It was the scariest type of tone. She smiled slightly and nodded, "That's great." She said in almost a whisper.

She went to the coffee pot. She poured herself a cup. The pot was hot. Scorching hot. But she still drank it. She felt his eyes on her. She expected it. She didn't dare to look him in the eyes. She couldn't bear it. She couldn't do it.

He stared at her intently. He wanted her to turn around. To look him in the eyes. He needed to see her eyes. He wasn't leaving her anytime soon. She hardly looked into his eyes anymore. She constantly dodged him.

He was just holding onto all the words she used to say.

He changed his gaze. He looked straight again, taking another sip of his coffee. She turned around, she finally went and sat down at the table he sat at.

She looked into his eyes. They were still dull and lifeless. Somehow he hoped the light would return. But it hasn't. It won't ever.

"This is weird but, is there really?" He croaked out. She put on a confused face. But it didn't work. He knew. She knew exactly what he was talking about.

"What?" She asked. "Is there another person." He stated more bluntly. She shook her head, "No, why would be another?" She questioned. He shrugged. "But, no, there's no other." She seemed confident. But he knew.

But he didn't know how it was killing her.