Authors notes- Shannis again. Title and lyrics from Michelle Branch. Written years ago (when I was into EE) but never posted here.
Goodbye to You
Dennis rolled over sleepily expecting to meet a warm body to rap his arms around. He soon woke up as he came into contact with nothing but cold sheets and an empty bed. Immediately he knew something was wrong.
A frown grew on his face as he pulled back the covers wincing as the chilled air caressed his skin. He listened for a second, taking in the dark silent room. The only light was from a street lamp outside casting a hazy orange glow through the curtains.
He tried to run through the logical explanations for his missing partner. She had probably got up to get a drink or to go to the toilet, but something felt wrong. Things had been so perfect just hours before and now Dennis was not prepared for this strong sense of foreboding.
Slowly he made his way down the stairs of the Watt's house. Every creek his bare feet made on the uneven floorboards seemed to be magnified. A few times Dennis had to stop and hope he had not woken up the rest of the family. Remembering last time he had woken Vicki up early in the morning and that the experience had not been pleasant.
As soon as he reached the bottom of the stairs he noticed the overly bright light on in the kitchen followed by some quiet noises indicating the room was occupied. He winced at the bright light on his still delicate, just woken eyes and rubbed them groggily.
"Sharon?" He whispered on entering the room.
Sharon whirled around to face him at the sound of his voice. She was fully clothed, her coat thrown over the back of one of the wooden chairs. Her long hair was tied back perfectly and her make-up was impeccable. She didn't look like a woman who had just woken up and gone to get a drink.
"Sharon, what's going on?" Dennis asked quietly noticing with a sharp sense of panic that caused him to draw in a deep breath, the suitcase by her feet.
"Where are you going?" He waited for her to give him an explanation that he was reading the situation all-wrong, but she didn't. Only more uncomfortable silence came.
"I almost hoped you wouldn't wake-up." Sharon said wishfully almost to herself, her voice croaky slightly as if she had been crying. As she stepped a little closer Dennis could see her eyes were red and bloodshot.
"What…Sharon, speak to me." He said confused, frightened and starting to get desperate. Sharon opened her mouth as if she was going to speak then she changed her mind and looked away from him.
"I'm leaving, I'm so sorry darling." Sharon's voice wavered slightly as she bit her lip in an attempt to will herself to go through with what she was saying.
Dennis stood for a moment with his mouth open trying to process the information. She was leaving it didn't make sense. They had been happy hours earlier; he had finished with Zoë and then sneaked into Sharon's bed behind Den's back.
Through the shock it dawned on him. She was planning to leave him asleep thinking everything was fine. She was not just going she was leaving him.
"You weren't going to talk it through with me. You weren't even going to say goodbye." He said bitterly eyes filling with tears. She couldn't go he loved her so much.
"No, I didn't know if I would be able to go through with it." Sharon said laughing softly as she blinked away tears of her own hating seeing Dennis upset. The hurt look in his rich eyes was almost too much for her to bear. "I was going to leave a note." She explained feebly as if it would make it all better, waving a piece of paper she held in her hand.
"So that's it? You just make a choice for the both of us? But don't worry you left a note. Don't you think I deserve more than that Sharon?" He was angry with her, his voice now dripping with sarcasm. How could she do that? She had changed him, given him hope only to take it away now.
Sharon came up to him. Reaching up as she cupped his cheeks and wiped away the cold tears with her thumbs causing Dennis to close his eyes at her touch. The physical contact made them both falter. It felt so right, so perfect. Two jaded people last chance for happiness and understanding.
"I'm going because I know you deserve more." Sharon whispered into Dennis's ear. Pulling his head down slightly so that her forehead rested against his hoping that she could give him strength through the skin-to-skin contact.
"If I stay with you Dennis, we both lose so much. I can't carry the guilt of taking your family away from you. I see the way you are with dad, his finally starting to accept you as a son. And Vicki worships you. I know how much a family means to you."
Dennis sobbed loudly his hands groping blindly pulling Sharon closer as if he could hold her tight enough she wouldn't leave him. He watched her close her eyes as her resolve crumbled further.
"I love you. I don't want to lose my family but I would give them up because I love you, you are my family." Dennis placed his over Sharon's warmer ones still on his cheeks.
"For how long Dennis? How long before you want something or someone else? In my dreams I see us happy like some kind of fairytale but it won't happen, not if I'm honest with myself. I'm not going to wait for us to become bitter, for you to resent me because I can't give you the family you crave." She tried to inject as much strength into her voice as possible. Knowing it was up to her to be the grownup in the relationship. The one who made the impossibly hard decisions.
Outside a taxi beeped its horn.
"I have to go now." Sharon whispered as if she was smoothing a crying baby and tried to pull away.
"No! No, no, no, no." Dennis clung to her desperately. His voice starting out in a strong shout dissolved into mumbles through tears.
"Shhh." Sharon consoled him by tightening the hug. The only time she had ever felt true happiness, she realised, was in those few seconds when she was alone with Dennis. But they could never truly be alone, not with everyone else making them unhappy.
"If fate means that we truly are meant to be together then this isn't goodbye." She hoped the words were comforting, hoped she really was speaking the truth.
Sharon pulled away quickly putting on her coat. She tried to hide the silent tears falling from her eyes by reaching to pick up the suitcase but Dennis snatched it from her.
"This is not fate Sharon, it's running away." He tried to reason with her.
She either didn't hear him or chose to ignore him as she continued to get herself ready and practically run to the front door suitcase forgotten.
Dennis raced after her no longer caring whom he woke up in the process. He grabbed Sharon's hand a second after she managed to open the door.
"If you leave now say goodbye." A cold and hard tone filled Dennis's voice.
Sharon froze. Could she really do this? As soon as she said goodbye it would all be over. No, she had to do it. She had to save Dennis from a life destined for tragedy.
"Goodbye Dennis." She choked a sob. Her eyes locked on his bobbing Adams apple rather than his face as she pulled her hand free and disappeared into the night. Leaving Dennis staring emptily after her through tear blurred eyes.
'Goodbye to you,
Goodbye to everything I thought I knew,
You were the one I loved,
The one thing that I tried to hold on to'