Tobias

27th of March 2017

Silence.

That was all that remained of my fruitless marriage. Silence.

The divorce had been finalised on the prior day, with only the passing comments of when she would be collecting her possessions, and that she was sorry that she had let it go on this long. We both knew we were wrong for each other, but I believed that we had resolved to bask in the hatred we had for one another. Content to live miserably for our sins, as a way of repentance, to those we had wronged and destroyed in our wake. Now, here I sat, suffocating in the silence. Repenting alone, for the years of mistakes I had made. 

The sound of the doorbell, broke my concentration, sighing I hauled myself up and shuffled toward the door. knowing full-well that Rosie had forgotten an 'essential' item, that she needed direly. Then we'd argue, have hate sex, regret the whole debarcle, and she'd leave cursing me under her breath. Hesitating near the door, I felt bile rise in my throat at the very idea of touching her. I was repulsed by the very thought of sleeping with that spiteful bitch, but it was our pattern and was inevitable, as a way to silence the other into supposed submission. 

Realising that significant time had passed since the bell had initially rung, I begrudgingly unlatched the door, and held in my breath, awaiting my fate. 

‘I’m home.’ The voice like a tinkling bell in a light breeze. A mass of long brunette hair spun as though on queue to face my direction, and as her face came into view, I felt the air catch in my lungs.

Beautiful.

Unchanged by time.

Haunting.

I held my focus on her, unable to move. A mirage? A delusion? I must be going mad. Presumably dead, and I would be forever haunted by her beauty, unable to touch, only able to look on feebly. As if she were reading my train of thought, she took a step forward and reached out to me, her slender fingers, pale and soft, lightly brushed the length of my forearm, leaving in its wake, light prickles of goose-bumps. My body betraying my own emotions. Minutes passed as we stood in the doorway, mouth gaping, limp and lifeless. She looked into my eyes, and searched my face for a hint of a response, when it appeared to her that I wouldn’t be speaking, she looked away and sighed. It was timid and breathless, I found myself once again catching my own breath in awe.

‘Are you going to invite me in, or do I have to stand here like a common prostitute?’ she snapped back, a fire behind each word, I had initially presumed that her gesture to reach out to me, had intended to hold some form of affection, but as I gazed into her eyes, unfeeling and hollow, I knew I had been too hopeful for such a pleasant reunion. Realising staring had gotten the conversation nowhere, I moved abruptly to the side, and flicked my fingers, gesturing for her to enter. With a heavy sigh, she grabbed her luggage and barged past me, hesitating at the stairwell, she proceeded into the living room and took up position on the window seat. As far away from me as she could have possibly been, and she looked almost content at that notion. I had followed her but remained lent against the door-frame staring toward her. She was fidgeting under my scrutiny, and now that the initial shock had begun to disappear, I found my eyes roaming over her, soaking her in, observing the woman she had become. Although it had been five years, she remained mostly unchanged; her green eyes shone like emeralds even under the bangs created by her mass of chocolate hair. It hung long and wound itself around her as though it were dripping down her body, coating her slender frame. Slender was perhaps too forgiving, she was thin, exceptionally so, her curves were beyond prominent, due to her bones being so close to the surface of her skin. Pale in complexion, her natural olive skin washed out making her appear almost sickly. I felt a slight touch of perversion, noting that her breasts had remained on the larger side, a shudder of pleasure ran down my spine as my mind raced with thoughts of how they used to feel, and the low moans that would escape her lips, when I would glide my teeth across them, nipping at her soft flesh. I felt my eyes beginning to glaze over. Jolting out of fear for being noticed, I glanced toward her. she was staring expectantly at me, as I tried to piece together what was happening before me.