I have to leave, he had said.
Thank you for the most wonderful time i could ever have in this life, he had said.
It echoed in her mind. She willed herself to stop it from echoing anymore. Grasping her wrist behind his neck, she buried her nose above his collarbone. She could feel his hand grabbing at her wrist, trying to get a good grip, so he could..
No, she pressed her face closer and her body even closer, pressed up against his arm.
Tears were flowing out of her lids, and into his sweater. And then he managed to pull away from her vice like grip.
She didn’t dare lift her head or even eyes. She was watching the spot where he was standing. Yes, he is still there. He is there. Still.
He is going to lift her head by her chin and smile his dazzling smile and light up her ravenous world. She could see his ratty black sneakers staring at her, reminding her of the trek they had taken up the hills. She could see his… jeans, weren’t they?
A soft click was enough to cut through the deafening silence and through her, making her body go limp.
The drive home was long. Lights passed by in intervals, playing with his eyes, as he rested a hand on the steering. He breathed.
Red lights flashed, making him automatically press the brakes. He breathed.
There was everything. The lamp posts, the divider, the three lane road, the shrubs and false palm trees lining the divider and the traffic signal. Not to forget the vehicles surrounding him and his mind.
Home. He was home at last. It felt different though.
Keys. Lights. Kitchen. Bottle. Water. Breathe. Sofa. Relief. Bedroom.
But he sat there. Unmoving. Staring straight at the wall adorned by a huge television, which he never used. The remote should be somewhere. He reached his hand out and found the remote sitting inside a box of candies.
Picking it up, he snatched the candy off of his other hand and popped it into his mouth. The screen came to life, before colours faded in and lit his brain with the movements and composition. Water. It was soothing. Very soothing. His throat felt clearer. Right.
Right?
