[ WP ] Write about a person coping with the death of a friend .

“ Hey, are you gon na be late? ” I squinted my eyes to see the time on my phone. A few minutes before eight. 
 
 “ Hmmmprf… ” She rolled over, burying her face further into my bed, diverting her own eyes from the streaking dawn light coming in through the open blinds. 
 
 I rolled myself out of bed in the opposite direction and walked around to draw the curtains, throwing the room into darkness. She stirred as I plopped myself back down onto the bed next to her. 
 
 Graciously pulling herself up to her elbows, I caught a glimpse of her looking at my profile from the corner of my eye. 
 
 “ I took a few days off. ” She said. 
 
 I turned and looked down at her. 
 
 She was staring blankly up at me. We locked eyes for a short time before I reached out to touch her. She shied away from my hand and turned away. 
 
 We didn ’ t speak for several minutes. 
 
 “ Probably for the best, ” I told her. 
 
 More silence. 
 
 “ Did you have work this morning? ” she finally asked. 
 
 “ No. ” 
 
 Even more silence. 
 
 “ Joanna wanted to have brunch this morning, ” she finally said. “ I think she feels guilty about not keeping in touch. ” 
 
 “ Should I come? ” 
 
 She sighed heavily. “ I think it ’ s best if you didn ’ t. ” 
 
 “ So I ’ m just supposed to disappear? ” 
 
 “ No, it ’ s just that- “ 
 
 “ It ’ s just that I ’ m expected to move on? Act like nothing ’ s wrong? That it ’ s just your typical fucking Thursday? ” 
 
 I turned to face her, but her arms were wrapped around me before I could continue my tirade. I fought to keep my arms pinned at my side and not return her embrace. Warm tears streaked down my back as she rested her head against me. “ I… I miss him too… ” was all she could say. 
 
 When the tears stopped, I pulled her away and turned around to get a better look at her. She was truthfully very pretty, that much I had known that since we met. There was nothing extraordinary about her, admittedly, but she possessed a certain grace, and despite her beauty, a certain humbleness that one would only expect to come from aged wisdom. Never once had I seen her flaunt herself, though the opportunities to do so were aplenty. 
 
 “ I don ’ t think you should keep coming here, ” I whispered, half hoping she wouldn ’ t hear me. 
 
 “ I don ’ t think that I should have *ever* come here. ” 
 
 I grinned slightly as I lay back down in bed. She collapsed by my side, placing her head on my shoulder, her arm across my chest. 
 
 “ What time is brunch? ” 
 
 “ Not for another few hours. But I could use something in my stomach right now. ” 
 
 “ Even water would help right now. My head ’ s fuckin ’ killing me. ” 
 
 “ Mine too. ” 
 
 Again, that pained silence. 
 
 “ I ’ m reconsidering that offer. The one for the job in London. ” 
 
 That sparked her attention. She was back up on her elbows looking down on me, her long black hair now falling where her head once was, sweeping against me. 
 
 “ You- you ’ re serious? ” 
 
 “ Yea. ” 
 
 “ So what, you ’ re just going to run away from it all? Just uproot your whole life and start again? The hell is wrong with you? ” 
 
 “ I don ’ t think I can stay here anymore. ” 
 
 “ So because you lost your friend, you ’ re just going to leave everything behind? ” 
 
 I had nothing to say back. 
 
 “ You ’ re just going to leave *me* behind? ” Tears were forming in the corners of her eyes. “ What a shitty way to deal with this. ” 
 
 “ Yea? Any worse than fucking his best friend? ” 
 
 She slapped me across the face. 
 
 “ **Fuck** you! ” she said. A back-handed slap this time. I felt my lip come open. Blood trickled down my chin as tears swept my cheeks. I must ’ ve looked pitiful to her now. 
 
 “ Dammit, you ’ re bleeding, ” she said, getting out of bed and walking briskly towards the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. I sat back up on the bed, wiping away the flow of blood. She returned a moment later with cotton swabs and alcohol wipes. “ Hold still, ” she told me. 
 
 “ Ouch! ” I winced at the bite of the alcohol. 
 
 “ Sorry. ” 
 
 “ Is that really necessary? ” 
 
 “ No. Just thought you deserved it. ” 
 
 I rolled my eyes. She smirked. I had forgotten how mischievous she could be. I took the cotton from her hands and pressed it to my lip, feeling it quickly swelling. 
 
 “ Well now you definitely shouldn ’ t come to brunch. ” 
 
 “ You always get your way, don ’ t you? ” She laughed. 
 
 “ Always. ” 
 
 We locked eyes for some time. 
 
 “ Are you going to be ok? ” I asked her. 
 
 She looked away. “ I don ’ t know. I ’ m trying everyday. But I don ’ t know. ” 
 
 “ I won ’ t leave until you do. Until you ’ re okay I mean. ” 
 
 “ Thank you. ” 
 
 That fucking silence again. 
 
 “ I ’ m going to take shower, ” she told me. “ Don ’ t spend all day in bed, okay? ” 
 
 “ Okay. ” She walked off towards the bathroom again. A few moments later, I heard the water start. I lay back down in bed, staring up to the ceiling. 
 
 “ I ’ m sorry, ” I said to no one.
