It was late at night in a room that had no windows. The man who lay on the bed was breathing heavily, as if his heart were burning up with fever. His body was flushed and heaving from deep within. He was trembling, but it wasn't because of the cold. But because a few hours ago, he thought he had lost his wife. She had ran off in the morning when they had an argument and she was yet to return until that evening.
Source
"I am very sorry for...what happened today," said the woman, standing beside him.
"Wh-why are you apologizing?" asked the man. "You didn't do anything wrong."
She stood there, silent, looking down at her feet and then out the window. In the darkness, only the faintest light shone through the cracks of a shuttered curtain. There was nothing to be seen beyond it. Nothing visible but the wind blowing in the trees outside, which rustled gently against the wall.
"What's wrong? Did something happen?" The man sat up on the bed.
"Did something go wrong?"
The woman turned around slowly and faced him. She looked into his eyes and answered, "No. It was just...nothing."
She had a troubled look on her face, but she forced herself to smile anyway, even though she knew how desperately he wanted an answer from her.
"Oh...," groaned the man. He put his hand over hers, as if trying to comfort her somehow. But it wasn't really a comforting gesture. It was almost like a threat. "So you're saying...you have no idea why you look troubled?! Is that what you're telling me?!" he shouted suddenly.
The woman trembled violently. Her cheeks flushed red. She felt embarrassed to be caught in such an embarrassing situation.
"Hey now, calm down!" The man spoke soothingly, squeezing her hand tightly, when he noticed her discomfort. He didn't want her running off again and probably never
The woman tried to pull away, but the man held onto her firmly. She couldn't move a muscle. Tears began welling up in her eyes.
"You know what your problem is?!
You're always running off on your own! That's what this is about! Just because you've got some 'mad skill' or whatever, you think you can just go around doing whatever you want!
And now you're making a fool of yourself again, aren't you?!"
"Y-yes...that's right...I am..."
"But that's no excuse! What kind of girl are you, anyway? I mean, I get it. When you're by yourself, you don't have anyone to watch your back, but—"
"That isn't true!" cried the woman, finally managing to break free from his grip. She backed up, her hands pressed against her chest. "I never thought I'd make a mistake like that! I was scared, so I ran away, but that doesn't change the fact that I did nothing wrong!"
"And so what?! Just because you're afraid, you run off on your own?
What happens when someone attacks you? Huh? Do you just stand there and take it?! Or do you actually fight back? Huh? Do you, huh?!"
"I was trying to avoid trouble. So please—just leave me alone!"
"All right, fine! Then let me ask you one more time: Why are you apologizing?!"
"Because I'm so sorry, Mr. Fisalis!" said the woman, smiling timidly.
"You don't need to worry about it anymore. I promise, I won't put my life in danger by running off, from now on."
The man nodded silently. He had calmed down considerably from earlier, but he still seemed pensive.
"Mr. Fisalis..." The woman reached out toward the him He looked her and smiled at her.
"Don't you dare try to kiss me! Do you hear me?! Don't even think about it!"
He started to laugh softly. "Well, okay. But I still think I can forgive you."
"How could you say that?! How dare you! I could never forgive you for kissing me! Never! Especially not after seeing you like this!"
"Well, I wouldn't exactly call it a kiss. It was a peck. And besides, I'm sure you'd have forgiven me sooner if you weren't so mad about it."
"Just because I'm angry, doesn't mean I'll not forgive you!
I hate you!" she shouted, her face still beet red.
"Hahaha! Aww, I love you too, baby.
I love everything about you."
"You're such a flirt!"
"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm getting better at it, though."
"Not good enough! Not yet!"
"Hey now, don't get carried away!
You're going to hurt yourself."
"That's what I'm worried about."
"Now, don't give me any trouble," he warned.
"I won't!" she vowed, lowering her voice and pressing a finger against her lips.
"Okay, then. Let's get some sleep."
The woman nodded, and they both lay down next to each other. The man placed his arm around the woman's shoulder, and she snuggled close to him. They fell asleep together like that.