John?"
He looked up to see her standing above him. When he got up, she pushed past him to the door. He shook his head.
"Abby, wait."
"Why?" she said quietly. She started to close the door, but he stopped it with his fist. She was putting away groceries in the kitchen to busy herself. Rather than look at him. "Get out."
"Wait," he said, "you haven't heard me out."
"There's nothing to hear," she said. "You left right in the middle of everything. I had no idea where the hell you were, and you didn't even care about that." Her voice began to quiver in and out. Her face was washed with a light crimson shadow. She looked as if she was about to cry.
"Abby," he said, gently, taking her arm. "Let me tell you something."
"Let me tell you something," she said. "I've been through enough. I don't deserve this. I thought that you were different. Like you would *never* do something like this. But," she paused to rub her eyes, "but you did, John Carter. And I can't believe it."
"I didn't want to - "
"You hurt me," she said quietly. "You hurt me a lot. I don't want to have to go through with this ever again. I don't wanna be with you."
"What?"
"I've been in enough bad relationships to know that once something like this happens," she said, her voice growing, "that its time to throw it away. I can deal with it."
"Throw it away?" he said, startled. "God, no. Don't throw it away."
She waved a hand in front of her and turned around. "No reason to stay in a relationship where on half lies, leaves, and comes back trying to fix it every time."
"Look," he said, "yes, so I did run away. Once. For a day. I realized that it was wrong. Terribly wrong and that I didn't want to go through with that - "
"With what?" she asked angrily.
"With knowing that I left you," he said softly. "I don't want to live like that."
"How do you think I felt today?" she asked. "I had *no idea* where you'd gone. This note: what is this?"
"I wasn't thinking," he apologized, going to take the envelope from her.
She pulled it back and threw it away. "I don't know what to think, John."
He stared at her. He'd messed it up, hadn't he
"I don't want to be with someone who does this. I've gone through it too much."
"I know," he said. "I'd never want to hurt you."
"Just get out, please John."
"Abby - "
"Go!"
He walked to the door, his head hung. He stepped into the doorway and saw her staring back at him.
"Abby," he said. He wanted to cry himself now. "Abby, I don't know why I did it. Listen to me."
"Tell me something then," she fought. "Tell me why you did it."
Here it was.
"I was scared," he whispered to the floor. "I didn't want to tell myself one thing."
"What was that?" she shouted crisply.
He sighed, running his hands through his hair. "That I love you."
Her eyes, he swear, could have grown wider. Her arms, previously crossed at her waist, dropped to her sides.
"I love you more than anything."
He loved her more than anything.
"I couldn't breathe when I realized it."
He could barely breathe.
"I want to tell the whole world," he said, "because I've never felt this way before."
She swallowed and looked down, fighting his glance. He pulled her over to him in the doorway.
"I've *never* felt this way about anyone," he said. "So I was nervous. I knew if I lost you, a whole part of me would fall away." His hands were firmly taking hold of her arms. Her head was still bent, as she refused to look at him. "I didn't know what love was, to be honest. I mean - I never knew it could be this good."
She shook her head.
"And if you don't want to be with me," he said. "Sure, I'll cry myself to sleep. And I'll always love you."
She shook her head, once again.
"But when I knew that I felt the way I did," he said tenderly, "I couldn't believe it. It was everything and more. You're the one I love. You're the one who's supposed to marry me. You're the one who is going to have all of my babies. And we'll be together for, well, ever."
She stood still. There was nothing around them. Not a single sound, nor movement.
"Forgive me," he said.
She looked up at him with heavily brown eyes. A million thoughts were running through his mind. What was she going to do? Was she going to kick him out? Was she going to let him stay? Did she love him? Did she know he loved her? Did she wanted to love him?
"No," she said. She turned away to hide her face. Probable tears. She pushed herself to the couch and sat down. "What you did was stupid," she said. "I hate you for doing that, Carter."
"What?"
"I don't know what to think of you," she stammered. "I thought that you and I - you know - were supposed to - " she cut herself off and shook her head. "Just get out, okay? I don't want you here."
"Why?" he asked, but then stopped. "I know that I screwed up, Abby. I screwed up big time."
"Yeah, Carter," she said, throwing her view to him. "You did, you know it. That's great. Get out."
He didn't want to upset her. He couldn't believe the mess he'd forced himself into this time.
"Okay," he said. He stepped to the door and opened it. As he put his foot through the door and prepared to close it he said, "I still love you."
--
Another shorty. Deal with it. I think you'll be able to.
-me
He looked up to see her standing above him. When he got up, she pushed past him to the door. He shook his head.
"Abby, wait."
"Why?" she said quietly. She started to close the door, but he stopped it with his fist. She was putting away groceries in the kitchen to busy herself. Rather than look at him. "Get out."
"Wait," he said, "you haven't heard me out."
"There's nothing to hear," she said. "You left right in the middle of everything. I had no idea where the hell you were, and you didn't even care about that." Her voice began to quiver in and out. Her face was washed with a light crimson shadow. She looked as if she was about to cry.
"Abby," he said, gently, taking her arm. "Let me tell you something."
"Let me tell you something," she said. "I've been through enough. I don't deserve this. I thought that you were different. Like you would *never* do something like this. But," she paused to rub her eyes, "but you did, John Carter. And I can't believe it."
"I didn't want to - "
"You hurt me," she said quietly. "You hurt me a lot. I don't want to have to go through with this ever again. I don't wanna be with you."
"What?"
"I've been in enough bad relationships to know that once something like this happens," she said, her voice growing, "that its time to throw it away. I can deal with it."
"Throw it away?" he said, startled. "God, no. Don't throw it away."
She waved a hand in front of her and turned around. "No reason to stay in a relationship where on half lies, leaves, and comes back trying to fix it every time."
"Look," he said, "yes, so I did run away. Once. For a day. I realized that it was wrong. Terribly wrong and that I didn't want to go through with that - "
"With what?" she asked angrily.
"With knowing that I left you," he said softly. "I don't want to live like that."
"How do you think I felt today?" she asked. "I had *no idea* where you'd gone. This note: what is this?"
"I wasn't thinking," he apologized, going to take the envelope from her.
She pulled it back and threw it away. "I don't know what to think, John."
He stared at her. He'd messed it up, hadn't he
"I don't want to be with someone who does this. I've gone through it too much."
"I know," he said. "I'd never want to hurt you."
"Just get out, please John."
"Abby - "
"Go!"
He walked to the door, his head hung. He stepped into the doorway and saw her staring back at him.
"Abby," he said. He wanted to cry himself now. "Abby, I don't know why I did it. Listen to me."
"Tell me something then," she fought. "Tell me why you did it."
Here it was.
"I was scared," he whispered to the floor. "I didn't want to tell myself one thing."
"What was that?" she shouted crisply.
He sighed, running his hands through his hair. "That I love you."
Her eyes, he swear, could have grown wider. Her arms, previously crossed at her waist, dropped to her sides.
"I love you more than anything."
He loved her more than anything.
"I couldn't breathe when I realized it."
He could barely breathe.
"I want to tell the whole world," he said, "because I've never felt this way before."
She swallowed and looked down, fighting his glance. He pulled her over to him in the doorway.
"I've *never* felt this way about anyone," he said. "So I was nervous. I knew if I lost you, a whole part of me would fall away." His hands were firmly taking hold of her arms. Her head was still bent, as she refused to look at him. "I didn't know what love was, to be honest. I mean - I never knew it could be this good."
She shook her head.
"And if you don't want to be with me," he said. "Sure, I'll cry myself to sleep. And I'll always love you."
She shook her head, once again.
"But when I knew that I felt the way I did," he said tenderly, "I couldn't believe it. It was everything and more. You're the one I love. You're the one who's supposed to marry me. You're the one who is going to have all of my babies. And we'll be together for, well, ever."
She stood still. There was nothing around them. Not a single sound, nor movement.
"Forgive me," he said.
She looked up at him with heavily brown eyes. A million thoughts were running through his mind. What was she going to do? Was she going to kick him out? Was she going to let him stay? Did she love him? Did she know he loved her? Did she wanted to love him?
"No," she said. She turned away to hide her face. Probable tears. She pushed herself to the couch and sat down. "What you did was stupid," she said. "I hate you for doing that, Carter."
"What?"
"I don't know what to think of you," she stammered. "I thought that you and I - you know - were supposed to - " she cut herself off and shook her head. "Just get out, okay? I don't want you here."
"Why?" he asked, but then stopped. "I know that I screwed up, Abby. I screwed up big time."
"Yeah, Carter," she said, throwing her view to him. "You did, you know it. That's great. Get out."
He didn't want to upset her. He couldn't believe the mess he'd forced himself into this time.
"Okay," he said. He stepped to the door and opened it. As he put his foot through the door and prepared to close it he said, "I still love you."
--
Another shorty. Deal with it. I think you'll be able to.
-me