Cam staggers in, drunk. Again. I should be happy he is here, I've been waiting for so long to hear his voice. For him to watch films with me and make sundaes and just give me a hug. But I feel no happiness now, instead I feel empty. A gaping hole in my chest, a space where the part of me that cared once was.
He has a wild look to his eyes, they are frantic and his pupils are large, like black holes sinking into his face. His hair is tousled and hangs over one side of his face. He makes his way towards me, I don't say anything. He must see the tears stinging on my cheeks. He must see my hollow eyes and nails bitten to a stump. He must notice.
"Allie, there you are!" He moves closer to me.
"I want to be alone right now Cam."
"But Allie, you love me," He moves in, his arms outstretched.
He is too close. It's too overwhelming and suffocating. He is pretending that everything is fine when he knows the world is crumbling around him. I can't pretend.
He puts his arms around me and I push. I push him away. Time slows and stops.
Tick. Tock. Stop.
He is in the center of the room. He arms outstretched, flailing as he falls backwards. He is falling. Falling away from me. His foot is contorting, twisting as it snags on the rug.
Tick. Tock.
His whole body is twisting now. Following his foot. Twisting. Contorting.
Tick. Tock.
He is facing the coffee table now. Falling towards it. Suspended for a moment.
Tick. Tock.
He is inches from the table now. His forehead centimeters away from the dense wooden corner. A sharp corner. My breath is caught in my throat.
Tick. Tock. Stop.
Time rushes forwards now. I go to reach for him, my hand grasping at the air, empty. I'm not fast enough. He hits the table with an abrupt thud. The noise doesn't echo. The noise is a dead noise, and then silence.
YOU ARE READING
Joining the Dots
General Fiction"Life doesn't come gently, it hits you all at once. A tsunami of events." "Anxiety makes being a musician hard. Anxiety makes life hard. My passion, my dreams seem so far away. I could touch it all once, but once is distant now." "I want to be happy...
