Random Drop

27 (Part l)

He winced as she slammed the door shut. The guilt that clawed at his chest reminded him of the sensitive subject that sparked her anger.

"Jesus," he muttered, running his hands through his hair before leaning his forehead against the wall nearest him. He could see the fury that had blazed in her blue eyes as he thought about the argument. It was the same one they have had for the past four months; whether she continued her chemo treatment.

Moments passed before the sound of the bedroom door opening again made him lift his head from the wall. When she stepped out, she stopped in her tracks; she hadn't expected him to still be standing there.

It was these moments that he simply fell in love with her again; the pure and raw beauty she possessed as the light from the bedroom surrounded her always took his breath away. However, he was frozen by the serenity in her eyes; the emotions that flickered to life when he first saw her had left him wanting more. He had always been a sucker for the chase, and she was no different. The memory of her rolling her eyes and flicking him off as she turned her back on him when they had met that night at a bar surfaced. He remembered thinking how she had ignored every advance he had made and it had left him with a grin and the desire for more to grow strongly. In the bar, she was feisty, and it had excited him; the thrill of the chase was something he was always after - it was his 'something' in the world that seemed to be moving slowly.

When their eyes met, he straightened.

She had this aura that constantly surrounded her. It was one that demanded attention, even if it was the wrong kind. However, this aura also demanded something else and he was never able to fulfil it, it may have been his thrill of the chase mindset or his weakness for a pretty girl. Her aura demanded that of a strong will to resist, he was never able to, no matter how hard he tried.

As her eyes flickered down the hall and back to him, he drew in a breath. Her eyes were bloodshot, a telltale sign she had been crying, and pained replaced his guilt. He hated being the reason for her tears, he hated seeing the pain that filled her blue eyes whenever this subject was brought to the surface; he felt a tug on his heart when her anguish filled the hallway; she was sick, the cancer was progressing, and no amount of chemo seemed to be doing anything against it.

Her motto was and had always been, it's a dog eat dog world, be the bigger dog and you'll never be hungry. It wasn't just her fiery personality that had caught his interest. It was the way she saw the world, the way she dealt with problems that got thrown her way, however, this cancer wasn't something she felt like she was going to overcome, and for once in her life, she felt scared.

The way in which he stood there, big dark green eyes staring at her like a lost puppy, made something twist deep inside her. In her mind, she knew it wasn't fair to get angry at him for suggesting that she should be finishing the treatment. He was just as scared at her and taking it out on him wasn't doing either of them any good. The tension was thick as they stared at each other, and as she felt like she was suffocating, she pulled the door by its handles close behind her, it's soft click filling the air.

As she passed, his hand reached out for her. She paused at his touch, looked to where his hand sat, then to him.

His eyes, a dark sea green, were trained on hers, the same look he got when he felt bad about something filled them. The twist became sharper as they stared at each other, both wanting to say something, but neither daring to say a word.

Finally, as the words he had said swam in her mind, she shrugged off his hand and walked down the hall towards the staircase, never once did she look back.

Watching her go, he clenched his fist. He knew she would have said something by now and they would talk it out. But this time, he was nervous. Had he pushed too far this time? His head, foggy with doubt, felt like it was going to explode. Sighing as he rubbed his temples, the thought of a warm shower lured him into the bathroom. Time, he thought, all she needs is time.