Page 144 of Shhh…It’s A Killer Story

Not desperate, not rushed.

Simply...

All-consuming while feeling protected at the same time.

When he finally pulled away, he kept his forehead resting against mine. His breathing was uneven and his eyes stayed closed.

"Fuck. I'm sorry."

The words sounded broken.

"Elias?"

His hands slowly slipped from my face.

"I can't."

He stepped backward only one step, but it felt like miles.

"We can't do this."

I stared at him.

"Why?"

"Because if I let myself..."

His voice cracked.

"I won't know how to stop."

Silence settled between us.

"I carry too much darkness home with me."

He looked away.

"You deserve someone who doesn't."

The tears returned before I could stop them. I nodded.

Sometimes loving someone means understanding the reason they're walking away. Even when it breaks you.

I turned and walked toward my cottage. I didn't look back.

People think broken hearts shatter all at once they don't. Sometimes they break so quietly that no one hears them, not even the person holding the pieces. Until one day...they discover they have shattered pieces from a wound they never felt being made.

And sometimes...

One heart attacks another so gently...

Neither of them realizes they're bleeding until it's already too late.

Seraphina

JOEY

The clock above the workbench was old, its plastic casing yellowed by decades of cheap cigar smoke, engine grease, and summers that had been just a little too hot. It didn't tick.