Ravish

…she'd never seen such a look in his eyes. Never before. A mixture of uncertainty, pain, doubt, unjustified hatred, and love. For a moment, there was still strength and hope in them, but it quickly vanished. Just like the girl standing outside the door.

"I won't come back to you, Marta. We were together for a really long time, we've been through a lot, but it's over. You can always come to me, you can always call me, it doesn't matter the time of day or night. You know that. But we're not together anymore." He wiped the tears from her eyes with his fingertips. "It's not your fault, it's just the natural order of things. We've changed too much..." He was very sorry. But he preferred to end it before she met someone else. He preferred not to betray her, he preferred to be completely honest.

They'd met at a big party in one of the many clubs he frequented that night. Lots of alcohol, friends stirring things up... he thought that when he went out with her the next day, he wouldn't like her so much anymore. He was wrong – not only was she beautiful, but she was also intelligent, witty, and understood him perfectly. It even turned out they had mutual friends.

It wasn't long before they became a couple.

After one night together, he realized he didn't know her at all. He knew nothing about her, not about her past, nor the other dimensions of her world. It hadn't bothered him much until now, but suddenly he wanted to know every detail beyond the "here and now."

She talked a lot about her parents, about life in another city, about exes… they laughed together when they realized they might have met years ago…

"…but you probably had a girlfriend back then, right?" she sipped warm raspberry tea. She loved doing that, especially lying next to him in bed.

"Yes, Marta. I loved her very much.

" "So why did you break up…?" she asked uncertainly, not entirely sure she wanted to know.

"I just… I knew I'd meet you…" He kissed her cheek. They heard the doorbell.

Three months had passed. She couldn't wait any longer; she had to see him, reach out for reconciliation. Beg him to come back. She wasn't stupid—after all, many girls wanted him. It hurt so terribly that she couldn't hold a grudge against him for the others anymore. He'd said he could come anytime; it was neither too early in the morning nor too late in the afternoon. A light snow was falling. She wrapped herself more tightly in her coat and opened the stairwell door with her key. However, he would open the door to the apartment. Then she would smile, ask if he was bothering her, go inside, dazzle him, and he would realize he couldn't live without her either. Oh, and she'd add that she'd been passing nearby...

She rang the bell. She could hear music, so he was home. Why didn't he answer? She rang the bell a second time, holding it a little longer.

Finally, she heard the bolt and chain being unlatched. She smiled as best she could.

But it wasn't him who opened the door, but… some girl. He had a slight attraction to her, with cheerful eyes and a shapely figure. It was easy to see, as she was wearing only… a sheet.

They stared at each other for a moment when he emerged from the bedroom, dressed in similar attire.

She understood that this was the end. The final. The end. Of the world. What do you do during the end of the world?

She turned and quickly left the floor.

"It… was Marta…" he said quietly, looking at the terrified girl at the door. An awkward silence hung in the air.

"You don't want to… chase her…?" she asked, looking him straight in the eyes. Meanwhile, he approached her, closing the door with one hand, making it clear that he didn't.

"I'm sorry it had to happen… that this happened…" He took her face in his hands and kissed her gently on the lips.

She stood on the staircase for a moment longer, listening to his footsteps and words. The door slammed.

The look in Marta's eyes haunted her dreams at night, along with all the people she could ever have hurt. She knew it wasn't her fault that things hadn't worked out between them, she knew she wasn't responsible, but still…

What you give to the world comes back to you, sooner or later.

Just like the pain, love, hatred, doubt, hope, and strength in his eyes when he arrived with flowers to celebrate their anniversary and the boy in a towel answered the door.