What Else?

“I love you,” I screamed. “I love you!” He stood there, his back to me. Not moving. Only staring at the window, that revealed the sun setting in the distance of the city. “What else do you want for me, huh?” He turned around. “What else…” Then, at that moment I knew. I knew why he had been hiding from me all these days, not showing his face to me when I walked in. Red blotches all over, purple — yellow bruises scatter on his flushed cheeks, swollen cheeks. He looked horrible.

“What do you want me to say?” He exclaimed. “That ‘I love you’ too? That I’m sorry? That- that I didn’t mean to hurt you? Alice, you already know all this. I’ve told you it a million times. So…damn it, why do you keep asking me it?” His eyes were glossy, I couldn’t tell if it was the effect of whatever had happened to him, or it was his emotions. I swallowed.

“Alen-”

“Do you even start,” he interrupted. “Just don’t. Please. I’m sorry, okay. I’m just-” He threw his hands up and started to pace around the room. “-I’m sick. I mean, look at me! I’m turning into a god-damn monster.”

I went to put my hand on his shoulder, “I can try help you-” He pulled himself away from me.

“No. No one can help me, that’s the problem. It’s impossible, Alice, don’t you get that? Why the hell do you think I’ve been trying to hide it this whole fucking time.” His eyes were red now, and his lips a mirthless smile. He sung his hand across the desk, knocking papers and books everywhere. “It’s over. I’m done.”