Time Bomb

The house was quiet as I sat on the couch. Nothing could be heard but the ticking of the clock that I was watching through glared eyes with my arms crossed tightly in front of my chest. It was nearing two o'clock in the morning and Alex still wasn't back yet. He and I had been having a fight earlier and, doing what Alex always did, he stormed out in the middle of it leaving me home to fume. I never understood why he walked out during one of our fights. He knew it always made me angrier, which would more than likely cause another fight between us.

Finally, when I thought I was going to turn into flames from the anger I was feeling, Alex opened the door and walked in. He hadn't noticed me sitting there until he turned away from the door.

"Where were you?" I asked staring at him.

He sighed as he walked to the coffee table and set his keys down on it. He just stood there ignoring the question I asked him.

"Fine," I said. "Just ignore me then."

"Kelsey, please don't start," he said.

"Don't start what, Alex?" I asked knowing good and well what he meant.

"This," he said. "Don't start a fight. I'm not in the mood for another one."

"You're not in the mood, huh?" I asked standing up and moving towards him. "Well, I wasn't in the mood to sit here and wait up for you all night, but I did. You know I hate it when you walk out in the middle of our fights."

"Don't go starting another one," he said.

I felt my blood begin to boil as I smelt the alcohol on him. He had been out drinking while I sat there waiting up for him.

"You've been drinking!" I yelled not being able to hold it in. "You've been out partying it up while I sat here wondering where the fuck you were?! How fuckin' selfish can you be, Alex?!"

"Don't even fuckin' go there!" he yelled. "I was not out fuckin' partying it up! I went out to drink so when I came back home I would be able to put up with you! Don't make me have to go back out!"

I glared at him and watched as his nostrils flared.

"No need for that, Alex," I said. "I'll leave and I won't come back."

I walked away from him quickly and felt tears of anger build up in my eyes. I tried keeping them back, but they fell at their own free will. My vision was blurry by the time I made it to our bedroom. I went to the closet and dug out the biggest bag we owned and threw it on the bed. I went back to the closet and began taking my clothes out of it and throwing them on the bed.

Who did he think he was? He acted like I started all of our fights when he was just as much the one to start them as I was and he knew that.

"What are you doing?" I heard Alex ask and found him standing at the door watching me.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" I asked as I went over to the dresser and threw clothes out of it. "All we do is fight. It's for the best isn't it?"

He didn't say anything as he stood there watching me throw things into the bag. I didn't even bother to fold them neatly inside. This was the first time either of us threatened to really walk out.

"Don't leave."

I ignored him as I continued throwing things inside the bag. I didn't want to listen to anything he had to say. I just wanted out of there and away from him.

"Kelsey, stop," he said finally walking towards me and grabbing my hands to make me stop packing. "Please, don't leave. Don't leave me."

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't, Alex," I said as more tears fell from my eyes.

"Because I love you," he said wiping my tears away with one of his hands, "and you love me. It doesn't matter that we fight all the time. Our love is stronger than our anger. That's why we've stayed together this long."

"Our love may be stronger, but fighting is no way to go about a relationship," I said. "You and I both know that."

"We've made it work this long haven't we?" he asked.

I looked up into his eyes as he looked right back into mine. He was right. Alex and I had been together since we were teenagers. We had fought a lot then too, but we somehow still made everything work. I didn't know how, but we did.

"Stay with me," he said intertwining our fingers together.

I knew if I stayed that our fights would continue, but I came to the conclusion that I didn't mind. As Alex had said, our love was stronger. He stared at me as he waited for me to say something.

"I won't leave you, Alex," I finally said. "I'll stay right here with you where I belong."

He smiled as he let go of my hands and picked me up into his arms. He placed his lips onto mine and kissed me with so much love and passion that I felt the last bit of anger I had leave me instantly. He pulled away from me and we smiled at each other.

"Baby, we're like a time bomb," he said placing his forehead on mine and smiling even bigger.