A/N: I'm sooo sorry for those of you who have been waiting for me to update for so long. :Dodging objects being thrown at self in a corner: I really intended to update much sooner than this but this computer sometimes has a mind of its own... Ah well, here's the long awaited second chapter:
Disclaimer: You know the drill, I don't own anything. (Although, I wish I did.)
Chp.2: Terrible Awakenings
Ray's POV:
I woke up feeling stiff and sore. "What a bad dream… One day she probably will leave… I hope not anytime soon…" I had the scariest dream that Neela moved out and left me standing, watching her disappear in a cab. "It seemed so real though," I looked in the mirror of the bathroom and was shocked by how red and puffy my eyes were. "Was I crying in my sleep? God, I look like crap. Maybe a shower will help." As I went into the shower and could sense that something was different. I just couldn't make any sense of it. Didn't Neela always keep her razor in the shower? I wonder where she put it."
As I was coming back from the shower, I just couldn't help but feeling like I needed to check her room just to make sure it was just a dream. I walked slowly to her door, hesitated, shook my head, and then knocked on her door. No reply. I knocked again, this time calling her name. "Neela? Are you there?" I kept telling myself that she was just sleeping, couldn't hear me knocking. Tears were beginning to well up inside me as the dream began to haunt me again. Slowly, I reached for the door knob and turned it. I slowly opened the door, half expecting to hear her yelling at me to close the door. But there was no yelling, nothing, silent as the grave.
Finally, I opened the door all the way, only to find a completely empty room. Except for the wire bed frame, there was nothing there. Everything was gone. Once again for the second time in less then 24 hours, I let the tears fall. It wasn't a dream, she really did leave. Left me nothing to remind me of her. "Except the t-shirt" The t-shirt, that's right. Quickly I dashed into my room and found the shirt. It must've fallen down in my sleep. Once again I put the t-shirt up to my face and smelled it. It still smelled of her. Her shampoo and her perfume. If only I knew what kind it was I'd get it and spray some on that shirt till she comes back to me. "If she comes back to me," I reminded myself.
"So now what do I do? She's left me and I don't even have the benifit of saying it was just a dream, all a dream." I looked at the clock across the room and stared at it. It took a while before it regestured that I was indeed late for work once again. It wasn't too late to call in sick, right? But, then again, what would that tell Neela? That I was too much of a coward to even show up for work the next day? Besides, even if she didn't think that way, I couldn't have her feel sorry for me. It was wrong for me to love her. She was never mine to love. She was all Michael's, only Michael's.
As I got on the El train I began to think back on the past few weeks. Like last week when she new damn well that I was watching Ghost but played it of like she knew nothing. She sat down next to me on the couch as we watched poker together and then she put her head on my shoulder. It's moments like those that felt like things should be. It felt like she wasn't married to Michael, she was my best friend, and we were still in college. I miss seeing her when we had the same shift and she'd be up, her hair all messed up looking for her shoe or some thing like that. Those were the moments that she looked truely beautiful. She wasn't at work stressing about something small, no, she was here with me without a care in the world about how she looked or how the world saw her.
But it was also moments like those that made me fustrated. Michael never saw her like this. He was in Iraq without the slightest care that maybe Neela didn't want him to leave her again. I've heard her time and again about how she thought that this war was pointless. How the origanal threat was in Afganistan and other things like that. It fustrated me how he could just leave her. I could never leave her, ever. It just never made since to me they just married and now he was leaving her. But this wasn't my affair now, was it? I was just helping the maiden in distress when she needed me. She needed the rooming, and I needed someone to help split the rent.
Well, this is it. This was my stop. Time to put on a happy face, beat Wevaer off with stick about why I was late, and try to avoid Neela. Not that I'd want to, but if I think if I see her again, I'd just break down again. I couldn't let her see me like that, so vunerable and distruat.
Narrator's POV:
And with that Ray staighted up, gathered his bearings, and walked into the ER.
A/N: So did you like it? Please, please tell me. I think some of you have forgotten your manners. Only 4 reviews? Come on now, I know that this fic is worth more. Come on, push the lil' button. Push it, push it! If you don't, I won't continue. It all depends on you. Don't make me pout for you, cause I will :pouting, pouting: eyes getting big and teary: Please review, you'll make me feel happy inside!
