When he pulled away, Garrus could see the pain in her beautiful green eyes. Her lip quivered, and she felt like crying, but she couldn't. Not now. She inhaled deeply and rubbed her eyes with her solitary working hand before moving both hands to her lap. A few moments of silence passed between them, thick and heavy in the air. She closed her eyes and leaned back in her bed. His breath hitched when he saw the shape of the woman in front of him. Her left leg was shot to hell, her hand broken and incomplete.
She asked him, her voice cold and commanding, without opening her eyes, "What's changed, Vakarian?" Garrus shifted uncomfortably and slowly stood from his place by her bed.
"I didn't know if you were going to wake up, Shepard." His voice was almost a whisper, her name sounded hollow on his tongue, like an unheard prayer. He took a moment and she opened her eyes, staring at him, calculating the weight of his words. He couldn't look at her. He had to turn away. He stood and walked to the window and placed his hands in his pockets.
"It's no excuse. But…" He took a deep breath and realized that his next words were going to break her even further. "In my desperation and depression…I started seeing someone."
Shepard wanted to laugh. It was almost funny. It had to be a joke, right? When she saw the way he carried himself, shoulders hunched, like he was truly ashamed, she knew he was telling her the truth.
She looked directly into his eyes and pressed the button to get more morphine in her system before commanding him coldly, "Get the hell out, Vakarian."
He was shaken, unsettled, by the lack of emotion in her voice. He walked towards her and spoke her name once before she cut him off.
"Get the fuck out of my room, you turian bastard." He stopped in his tracks, and she could see the hurt, the guilt, and the weight of his actions hit him like a freight train.
He looked at her, torment behind his eyes, but her gaze remained emotionless and cold. He walked to the door and reached for the handle. He turned to look back at her, but she had already turned her back to him. Tears fell from her eyes silently.
He opened the door and closed it behind him.
She sobbed until she fell asleep. In her dreams, she saw a dying star.
Author's Notes: I know my chapters are short, but I feel like it helps me update the story faster. As this story progresses, the chapters should hopefully get longer. Please review and let me know what you think.
~BrokenEmber