“The only thing that will take away even a sliver of this fury I feel for that broken promise, is watching your face turn blue as I strangle you to death.”
“You don’t mean—”
“I do.You’ve got a lot to remember if you don’t believe that.I want to kill you.It’ll be the highlight of my fucking life.”
Chad turned on his heels and left.Romeo closed his eyes and exhaled a long breath to the ceiling.He slumped when Chad returned only five minutes later with a bundled-up duvet in his arms.
Romeo cocked his head, then looked pointedly at the duvet at his feet, but Chad sat on the floor.He dropped his head on a pillow and pulled the other duvet over himself as he lay down.
“What the hell are you doing?”Romeo asked.
“What does it look like?”
Romeo narrowed his eyes.“It’s concrete.”
Chad shot him a clueless look.
“It’s cold, and it’s hard.”Romeo explained.
“I’ll be fine.”Chad yawned into the back of his hand.He snuggled the side of his face into his pillow and Romeo’s insides flipped at that very Chad action.On more than one occasion, Romeo had asked Chad whether he was searching for truffles inside his pillowcase.
“I don’t want you in here.”
“Tough,” Chad replied.“Goodnight, Romeo.”
Romeo sat down on the bench press, pulled the duvet over his lap, and propped the pillow behind his head.He watched Chad for what felt like hours, wondering whether he was faking sleep, but his expression had relaxed, and his lips were slightly parted as he took slow, deep breaths.
He looked peaceful.
Beautiful.
Romeo’s chest ached so fiercely his breathing stuttered.
Fate was a cruel mistress, but not as cruel as Chad himself.
It wasn’tfatethat had broken his heart.
“Why?”Romeo whispered.“Why did you do it?”
He didn’t get an answer.He doubted he ever would.
“Did you even think about me?Did you not realize how much that would hurt me or did you just not care?”
Nothing.
Romeo squeezed his eyes shut.
****
It wasn’t a satisfyingsleep.
The lights were bright.
The bench seat was uncomfortable.
The pillow kept slipping down.
And the outhouse was cold.
