"You don't want me?" The question was a sharp blade, pointed and accusatory.
"Angela, stop." Will's refusal was firmer now, his patience fraying at the edges.
Her hand snapped back as if bitten. Eyes narrowing, she propped herself up on an elbow, the softness in her face giving way to hard lines.
"Is there someone else, Will?"
"Oh, my God. Are we back to that again? Of course not." His answer came too quickly, defensive.
"Then why?" she demanded, her voice climbing, the question like a gunshot in the quiet room. “Why won’t you be with me?”
"Angie, I'm just not…."
Will's voice trailed off, his struggle palpable in the dim light.
"Not what? Interested? Aroused?" Angela's mocking tone sliced through the air, her jealousy a living thing between them.
"Stop it." Will's protest was weak, his resistance crumbling.
"Or maybe," Angela continuedrelentlessly, "you're getting it elsewhere."
"Angela, that's enough!" Will's outburst filled the room, a brief flare of anger in the growing storm.
Will bolted upright, the mattress recoiling from his sudden movement. He swung his legs out of bed, standing in one fluid motion.
“I’m not in the mood, Angela,” he snapped, a growl underpinning his words. “That’s all it is. Don’t make it into something it’s not.”
“You’re never in the mood!” Angela shot back, sitting up, her hair a disheveled halo around her head. “What is it then? You find me repulsive?”
"Christ, no," he said, pacing at the foot of the bed, his hands raking through his hair. "I've told you about the meds—the pills I’ve been taking and how they screw with everything."
"Medication." She spat the word as if it tasted foul on her tongue. "That's your excuse? Convenient."
"Excuse?" Will stopped pacing and faced her. "It’s not an excuse—it's the damn truth!"
"Or maybe," she pressed, her voice dripping with venom, "it's just a cover for all your little escapades." Her eyes were cold and piercing.
"Escapades?" He echoed the accusation with disbelief. "You think I have the energy for that?"
"Energy or not," she hurled back, "you're lying to me. There's someone else, isn't there? I can tell."
"Angela," Will pleaded, his voice strained, "You know my situation. Why would I lie about this?"
"Because you're a man, Will!" she hissed, her blue eyes flashing dangerously. "And I've seen how women look at you—the way they linger. I'm not blind. Especially that bitch next door."
"Your jealousy…." Will’s voice trailed off, his anger subsiding into resignation. "It's blinding you."
Will's shadow loomed against the soft glow of the bedside lamp, his silhouette jagged with tension.
"You want the truth?" His voice cut through the silence, sharp and raw.
"Of course I do!" Angela's reply was a whip-crack in the stillness, her figure stiff as she clutched the sheets to her chest.
"Fine." Will's breath came out in a harsh exhale. "I can't perform, okay? I can't get it up." The words tumbled from him like boulders, heavy with shame. “Because of the pills I’ve been taking.”
Angela froze, her hands gripping the fabric so tight her knuckles turned white. Silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating.
"Happy now?" Will’s face twisted in a grimace, his vulnerability laid bare beneath the scrutiny of her gaze.
