How did it end up like this? He though, staring up at the cloudy night sky through his glass ceiling, the warmth from the women who had slept next to him all night quickly dispersed into the air as she hurried around the room collecting her strewn garments. He turned to face her, watching her pull her blue jeans up over her hips with her back to him. He smiled and considered reaching out to her and bringing her back to his bed where they could sleep peacefully until the sun woke them, but the urge quickly left. He felt weird, lying in bed naked while she was slowly becoming fully clothed. He grabbed a pair of pajama pants from the foot of his bed and pulled them on under his covers.
"Well," she said, turning around and facing him. She smiled slightly and exhaled heavily, putting her hands on her pockets, checking that she had everything she came in with. "I guess I'll see you in class then?"
Arnold sat up and moved to the edge of the bed. Should I say something? Should I get up? He settled on swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, planting his feet solidly to the ground. "Yeah, yeah I guess I'll see you in the morning."
She nodded and smiled again and headed for the ladder in the wall that lead to his rooftop. She was half way up when he thought of something. "Hey, you sure you don't want a ride or something? I mean…I could take you back to your apartment if you wanted…you don't have to walk every time…"
"Oh," she said, stopping with her hand already pushing the panel of glass up, prepared to leave. "Um… no, that's okay, I'm sure I'll be fine. Besides, I would hate for you to get caught at my place."
Arnold nodded, and they said their final goodbyes, and then she was gone. Again.
It started the summer after their freshman year of college. Actually, if he was being honest, it probably started back when they were just children, but he hated to think about that. It was just more pain that he didn't need. He had been dating Lila since their last year of high school and they all went to the local community college together, and she had actually gotten married. She was nineteen years old, and she eloped with their assistant professor of all people. I mean, they all saw it coming. Arnold and Gerald had had many conversations about how weird it was that she was always with Mr. Jason Bane, the creative writing professor. They'd see her coming out of the office, both of them smiling and laughing. They'd be in line together, getting lunch. She'd be the first one in the lecture hall and the last to leave. It was obvious something was up, so it was no surprise when he suddenly quit his job and two weeks later she showed up to class with a ring on her finger. It was not shocking, and yet Arnold still found it strange and a little upsetting.
But then, not even a year later, she had shown up on his roof like she did way back when they were in high school and tapped on his window. Luckily, Lila hadn't been over, or maybe she already knew that, but Arnold instantly got up and let her in. She stood in his room, soaking wet from the rain with the all too familiar bruises on her arms and a black eye blossoming on her face. It was just like when they were younger, she said nothing to him about what happened and he didn't question it. He hugged her like he used to, and she hugged him back like she used to, but this time it was different. She held on tighter and buried her face into his shoulder. Rainwater from her long blonde hair fell onto his clothes, and it wasn't until she let go that he realized tears were streaming down her face.
"I thought I had escaped that," she said quietly, her voice shaking. "I thought my life would be better."
"I know," Arnold said, hugging her again, his heart breaking for her. Seeing her cry was painful, too painful. "I know, and I'm so sorry I never helped you when we were younger. I'm so sorry."
She let go quickly and looked him in the eye. When she saw tears in his eyes as well, tears for her, she reached up and gently took his face in her hands and kissed him. Against his better judgment, he kissed her back. It was on that night, that first night that she came into his bed, that Arnold and Helga started their affair that would last the next five years.