Page 118 of Sins and Virtue

Years of mundane faces became a blur in my mind, but she was the single thing that stood out amongst the black nothingness.

Perhaps with time she would be able to move on, but I wouldn’t.

And that was the insufferable part of it all.

My words came back to haunt me.

Who knows, maybe you’ll miss me after I’m gone.

Fuck.

Fuck, meeting Blair had been the best blessing and the worst curse any man could incur.

Life had been so much easier before, yet it was bleak and dull without her essential vivid essence. Somehow I couldn’t imagine a life where she didn’t exist. Where we didn’t exist?

Why did she have to make a storm out of nothing?

Out of all women, why her?

Why now?

Regardless, she had me forever trapped.

But there was nothing else I could do.

Nothing could happen unless she willed it.

My lips thinned, seeing only one way out of here.

With that realization, I bent down and grabbed my bag, throwing it over my shoulder as the announcer spoke through the speaker, “Train 104 from here to Estrella City, Theronida, is incoming. Please, all boarding, collect your items and prepare to board.”

The train rails screeched as it began to approach. A gust of wind blew through my shirt, doing nothing to cool my nerves, but in the moment my defenses were down, the ticket slipped through my fingers and blew somewhere behind me.

“Damnit,” I hissed underneath my breath as I turned around and went to retrieve it. There was no way I was losing my one ticket out of this hell. My strides were quick and steady as I noticed the paper had flown all the way to a soda machine.

“Kon!” A distant whisper called out.

A wiring beat pulsed beneath my fingertips.

I shook my head.

No it can be.

I must have been so desperate I was hallucinating.

But regardless, I stayed put, wondering if my mind was playing any more cruel tricks on me.

“Konstantin!” The voice grew louder, more fervent. “Konstantin!” She called again.

If I turn around, will you be there?

One part of me didn’t want to face reality; it didn’t want to accept that she wasn’t here, and I was dreading leaving without her. The other part hoped… it just hoped the woman of my fucking dreams would be there.

Please. Please. Please.

Slowly, I tilted my head as I prayed, seeing a mirage of mystic hazel eyes, long wavy hair, and a face worthy of devotion and praise standing on the other side of the platform before it quickly blurred away as the train came barreling in. Making a full stop after a minute, the doors slid open, and a horde of passengers came pouring out.

My chest halted before it came roaring with life. With need. Desperation.