Super Avenged

My body slipped into motion seconds after the front door slammed shut. Not caring that my hair was probably a mess, that I was pale and still weak on my feet, that I probably wasn’t even wearing a clean pair of clothes, I half-ran to the front door. My fingers curled tightly around the doorknob and I jerked the door open before launching myself out into the hall. Jimmy was already halfway down the hallway, his hands buried in his pockets and his head hanging.

“Jimmy,” I said, grabbing his arm. He turned towards me, and the sadness on his face disappeared beneath a mask of anger. “Please, don’t go.”

“Oh, so now you want me?” Jimmy responded, his hands still in his pockets. He raised his eyebrows at me. His tone was slightly mocking, and his blue eyes were hardening to ice before my very eyes.

“I never said that I didn’t want you around,” I answered. “Just that you weren’t listening.”

“Well, why should I listen to you if you won’t listen to me?”

“I do listen to you, Jimmy. You can’t expect to change my opinion in one morning...afternoon....evening....oh, whatever time of day it is,” I told him.

“It’s two o’clock in the afternoon,” Jimmy informed me. “And I understand that I won’t change your opinion completely. But you won’t even bother yourself with giving me a chance.”

“You don’t even know how scared I am right now!” I exclaimed as Jimmy turned away to continue towards the elevator. He paused, but I still spoke to his back. “I’m scared of losing you, but I’m scared of keeping you too! Does that make any sense?”

“Nope,” Jimmy answered.

“Of course it doesn’t! It’s love. And...I don’t know what I’ll do if you leave again,” I continued. Tears began to drop from my baby blue eyeballs again. My eyes were more of a sky blue, with more color than Jimmy’s pale blue eyes. His irises were probably cold chips of ice right now.

“And what about you being scared of keeping me?”

“Keeping you will be so much less painful than losing you,” I answered, my voice tear-choked. I swallowed and sniffled, watching Jimmy’s back hopefully.

“But it’ll still hurt?” Jimmy sounded less angry now. He sounded a little tentative, maybe even a little worried. I couldn’t define the emotion in his voice.

“It won’t hurt,” I answered, “but it’ll be scary. This love thing tends to be that way. But the prospect of losing you again is absolutely horrifying.”

“Miya, you have to make a decision. If I stay, you have to promise that you’ll stop denying your love for me. We don’t exactly have to get together, but you have to be open to that possibility without backing away with your tail in between your legs. But if I leave, then you can continue on your strict no-men diet and continue on the way you are,” Jimmy said.

“That’s not fair,” I whispered.

“You can’t live your life in fear, Miya. Sometimes, you have to take that chance. You have to take that risk. It might hurt, but who knows? It might be the best thing to ever happen to you.”

“As...as long as I get to watch Spongebob every night at four o’clock,” I answered quietly. Jimmy took a deep breath before turning around to face me. His eyes softened instantly at the sight of me, probably from the fresh tears pouring from my eyes. He pulled his hands out of his pockets and opened his arms. I hurtled into his arms and wrapped my arms as tightly as I could around his ribs. His arms wrapped back around me, and he pressed a kiss into my hair.

“Okay, Miya,” Jimmy said as he peeled away from me. “We should get you something to eat. If you keep going on like you have been, you’ll disappear into nothing.”

I nodded and allowed Jimmy to lead me by the hand back into my apartment.