Excerpt

“Why are you still here?” He mumbled, his hands clutching a now empty bottle of beer.

Opting to remain quiet, she reached out to grab it but he pulled away once he noticed what she was doing. Having not expected it, she barely had a moment to register what was happening before she ducked, narrowly missing the beer bottle that was clearly aimed at her head.

It would have helped numb the pain if the bottle had actually hit her.

He chucked darkly, spread out on the bed, a further three beer bottles scattered across his bedside table, not counting the several that littered the floor.

She had never seen him so drunk before, nor so broken or even deranged, for that matter.

“I hate you. You ruined my life.” He slurred, his voice loud and strong but the words all jumbled together under the heavy influence of the alcohol. “I don’t love you.”

Pursing her lips, she reached around him and grabbed the comforter. With a simple flick of her wrist she had removed it from under him. It took some time to get him to move around on the bed so that he was now lying down instead of in his previous position where he was sitting up, leaning against the headboard reeking of alcohol.

Thankfully he remained quiet as she pulled up the duvet to just under his chin, tucking him in as one does to a child.

Grabbing the numerous bottles on the ground and on the bed, she allowed herself one last glance at him before she left.

“But I love you.” She exhaled at last, but her proclamation of love fell on deaf ears for he was already asleep. Not that it would have changed anything.

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