The knock on the door startles him even though he's expecting it. He wipes his palms on his jeans nervously as he heads for the door. A deep breath and he's pulling it open to see her waiting on the other side. The sight of her makes his heart flutter in his chest. She's the same woman he said goodbye too, but somehow a whole other person at the same time. His Stella's smile could light up a room, was infectious. She laughed and her eyes danced. She could lay her hand on his arm and still all the demons raging in his mind. He's not sure what to say to this stranger standing before him. The woman standing before him isn't smiling; she's looking passed him, not making eye contact, not touching.

Say something, he tells himself. Anything to break this awkward spell.

"I didn't die in Mexico," his stupid mouth runs away with him before his brain can stop it.

Stella flinches slightly at that, eyes finally meeting his for a moment before she tears them away. This is not how this was supposed to go. She wanted her things back, she wanted to end it civilly. Clay wanted to make a mess of things, to break open his heart and pour it out on the floor between them. He wants her to pull him close and say she was wrong. He wants to tell her how much he loves her even though the sight of her is breaking his heart all over again.

Say something.

There are a hundred things he's practiced, run over and over in his head, but they disappear on the tip of his tongue. He can't get them to come out. Instead, he grabs her box of stuff and holds it out for her. Their fingers brush, but if she could still feel the spark, she doesn't show it. She pokes through the box, more for something to do than to check for her items.

"Looks like it's all here," she tells him, eyes slowly drifting back up to his face.

When she holds out his spare key, Clay feels like his world is crumbling beneath his feet. He stares at it for a moment, the implication finally settling in.

Say something.

Tell her how much this hurts. Tell her how your foundation has disappeared beneath your feet. Tell her you love her and need her by your side. Tell her your aren't sure how you fit into the world anymore without her, that nothing makes sense. Tell her anything, tell her everything his mind is screaming at him.

Clay wraps his fingers around the key, finally taking it from her. He looks up at her one last time.

Say something.

"Goodbye, Stella."