I thought you liked it quiet .
It ’ s his voice . Henry ’ s . Spoken aloud yet entirely inside my head .
“ Just a memory ,” I say aloud . Don ’ t you like the quiet here ?
Something flickers . Blazing light spills under the door to my apartment .
I cross to the door and yank it open , bracing myself instinctively for the smoke and heat of fire , but the hallway is shadowy and unchanged .
The young man , standing in the hallway in front of me , smiles . “ Is something wrong ? Don ’ t you like it here ? Don ’ t like the dark and quiet ?”
I step back . “ What are you doing here ?”
“ Honestly ,” he says . “ I ’ m surprised you still don ’ t recognize me .”
There is something wrong here . Heart pounding , I grab my half-zipped suitcase
and push past him , hurrying down the hallway . I rush down the stairs , my suitcase thumping behind me .
With each step I take the desire to escape is stronger .
I need to leave this place . I need to go , but where ? I can ’ t go home to Henry . And it ’ s been months since I ’ ve spoken to any of my friends . They were the casualties of our relationship .
A hotel then . Anywhere . I shouldn ’ t have come here .
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