A young man sat at the desk in the room scribbling in a leather-bound notebook. His long blond hair was tied in a ponytail out of his way as he wrote. On the floor was a strange chalk design and papers were strewn across the bed in a corner, some falling on the floor. A bookshelf stood next to a window on the other side of the room. There was a knock on the dark wood door that led into the room. When the man grunted an answer, the door opened to reveal a young blond woman about the same age as the young man. Her hair was up in a tight bun, but some of it had fallen out and floated across her face.
"I thought you might like some tea, Edward," said the young woman. The man turned around.
"Oh, thanks. I think I've figured out the last kinks. I think I can try it tonight after all," said Edward in a deceptively casual voice. His face showed otherwise, he was actually nervous, or worried.
"Oh. You might be going home tonight then?" the woman said, a quaver in her voice.
"Yeah, I suppose I'd better say goodbye."
"Edward won't you –" the woman began, but stopped in the middle as a tear trickled down her cheek.
Edward pushed his hair out of his face as he sighed and stood up.
"Winry, don't cry. You know I have to go back. I don't fit here! And I have someone waiting for me at home. I can't keep him waiting, he might do something stupid," Edward said with a wry smile.
"I'm sorry; I just can't believe that I will never see you again. I always thought –. Oh never mind," Winry said turning her back on Edward to wipe her eyes.
Edward sighed again.
"You're always so teary, I told you that the next time –." He cut off, clapping his hand to his mouth. "I'm sorry, I said I wouldn't compare you to her, but sometimes I still get confused."
"You love her, don't you," Winry said, slightly accusing.
"Look Winry, I know you… feel for me… but I don't feel the same way. I've never felt like I can belong here, I'm sure you've noticed, and frankly I think me being here just hurts both of us. I'm sorry, but can I leave on a good note, please?" Edward replied to her, evading the question.
"You love her, but you don't love me!" Winry cried.
"I –! Yes I… love her," admitted Edward.
A sob ripped from Winry as she ran from the room, dropping the teacup on the floor as she reached the door. The china and tea sprayed everywhere as she slammed the door.
Edward looked after her with a forlorn look in his golden eyes. He seemed to have grown tired after the argument. After a while he bent and picked up the fragments of the tea cup off the floor. He then sopped up some of the tea and redrew some of the chalk lines on the floor that were wiped away by the tea. Glancing at his watch, he put the tea fragments on the desk and placed the leather notebook next to them. Almost as an afterthought, he ripped a piece of paper from the back of the notebook and wrote a note on it, leaving it on the top of the notebook. Then he glanced at his watch again and paced around the chalk design. Finally he crouched down next to the drawing, glanced at his watch again, and smiled crookedly.
"Well, I didn't say goodbye as well as a wish I could have, but it's time. I'll see you soon Al!" Edward said to himself. He watched the second hand on his watch as it ticked toward the nine o'clock position. With five seconds left, his hands hovered over the chalk pattern.
"Thank you, Winry," he whispered as he placed his hands on the chalk. There was a flash of white light, and then he was gone.
