Everything was black. Blackness surrounded him, trapping him, strangling him. And at the end of the black was a small glow of light. He ran towards it like a starved man would run towards a feast. As he drew closer, the light grew bigger. It morphed slowly into the shape of a boy. There were headphones around his neck.
He turned around.
Kit did not know what Ty would be. Angry? Happy? Cold? But it was worse. He was hateful. Hatred was etched in the lines of his face.
Beautiful. The thought ran through his head as he drank in the sight before him. Ty's black eyelashes, brushing his cheekbones. Those grey eyes that he would recognize anywhere. The wavy black hair, the high cheekbones. Beautiful. Even with the expression of loathing.
"I love you, Ty, I love you."
The words came out of his mouth in a tumble. He stood there, waiting for a response.
Ty's face only grew more hateful, and if possible, fearful.
"I hate you", he spat, "I hate you. You left me. You were the only one I thought who wouldn't leave me, but you did. Livvy, and now you. Then you have the nerve to come here and say YOU LOVE ME". His voice grew into a scream. His stormy eyes were narrowed and his lips were drawn into a thin line.
The words hit Kit like a slap to the face. He stumbled back a step, and ran, Ty's words still ringing in his ears. He could hear Ty laughing behind him. His eyes were red and damp, as were his cheeks. His shirt had somehow twisted around him, strangling him.
Kit woke to sweaty blankets wrapped around him and salt-crusted lashes.
He had never cried, not when his dad died, not when Livvy died. But he had cried when Ty rejected him. And he continued to cry all through the small hours and into the early morning.