Careful not to wake the woman lying beside him, Leon silently climbed out of bed and dressed quickly. He turned back briefly to look at the slender woman lying in the bed, her cropped black hair a little tousled from the sleep, and her emerald gaze was hidden behind her closed eye lids. He watched the way her chest rose and fell as she breathed, before shaking his head slightly and slipping out of the front door.
He walked hurriedly to the curb, not wanting the neighbours to see him again, and reeled in a taxi that had slowed across the street. Weaving in and out of the odd cars that sped past, he reached the vehicle and climbed inside, giving the driver instructions where to drop him off.
Before long, the cab pulled up outside of Leon's apartment building.
He paid the driver and muttered a quick 'thanks' before stepping out into the autumn air once more. This was his favourite season, everything about it reminded him of her.
He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, finding the fresh air a welcoming relief from the hell his life had become.
To some, his life was a God send. But to the people who knew him close, it was a horrible way to live, if you could even call it living.
The fact that he'd been doing it for years, only made it worse on him. To think that he'd brought it all on himself, and now he was stuck in a cycle, one that he'd never break out of.
Sleeping around had become a normal thing for him, whenever he felt like he needed some comfort from the ache he felt inside. The guilt that racked him was everlasting.
He wished he could go back and change it. He wished he could tell her how he really felt. He wished that somehow he could erase all that he'd done since then to try and get her off his mind.
He wished that someday he'd snap out of this madness and find her. Tell her.
But he feared that by then it would be too late. She'd already have someone else, a family, a life away from all the horror they'd witnessed that night.
And then he'd feel even worse.
He let himself into his apartment and went straight into the bathroom to shower, hoping to rid himself of the cheap smell of perfume on his skin.
That other woman was not her, and he knew this too well. None of the other women were her, but they were there, within his reach. Closer to him than she'd ever be. And he had himself to blame for that.
He didn't like doing it, but nothing else would make it better. Nothing else would make him feel better, even for just a small fraction.
Nothing else would take his mind off of it. Off of her.
The one that got away.
Claire Redfield.
A/N: Hey guys, hope you liked this little oneshot, my first (as you can probably tell lol), so please go easy on me :D (hopefully I'll get the hang of it soon). Reviews are much appreciated, I'd like to know your thoughts and what was good/bad about it, so I can improve. Thanks for reading! :)