Seq
Day 45

“Don’t say anything,” I growled.
Rye sat in his chair, naked, as he faced me with a stupid grin. He half-pretended to be oblivious to what I was talking about. “Who? Me?”
I only shook my head and remained where I was standing. “Don’t play dumb with me. I know you heard us with those big ears of yours,”
Gently, he began to fiddle with one of his large fennec ears. “Well, I may have overheard a word or two,”
Since Rye was already starting to annoy the crap out of me, I walked over to his workbench and placed the rabbit remains down. Luckily, I was able to keep his balls out of my sight. “Here,”
Just after I had put the bones and pelts down, Rye let go of his ear. “Your fuck buddy’s a little paranoid, huh?”
I shot him a look and seriously considered biting him in the neck. He’d probably enjoy that, though. Instead, I kept my distance. “You’re one to talk,”
His smile vanished and he now glared up at me from his chair. He looked so small and insignificant. “That’s not really fair now, is it?”
Without saying a word, I turned and headed towards the door.
That didn’t stop Rye. “Why are you even wasting your time with him?”
I stopped just in front of the door.
Seeing this as an opportunity, Rye decided to keep running his fat mouth. “Sure, he’s easy on the eyes and all, but, really, what else is there? What do you two even talk about when your not fucking?”
My hackles began to rise, but I still didn’t turn to face Rye. “Why don’t you call him my boyfriend?”
Rye was quiet for a moment. “Hey, that’s all you guys are really doing, just getting the hot stuff out of you. When that gets boring, though, there won’t be anything left. Then, you and I can get back to focusing on us,”
My lips fell back in a snarl. How dare he? “For you information, Meelo is the best boyfriend I have ever had and it’s none of your business what we talk about. So you can go fuck yourself, you asshole,”
I reached out to open the door, but Rye spoke once again before I could leave. “Then why do you keep coming back here?”
Before I could even touch the door, my hand stopped. I stood there, frozen for what felt like an entire day.
Rye chuckled at my stillness. “You see? You two are just fuck buddies. You don’t have a relationship. That’s why you keep coming back here and talking with me. You’re lonely and we still have a connection,”
I lowered my head and looked down at the floor. Rye’s eyes drilled holes in my back with their gaze and made me feel even more like leaving. Yet, what Rye had said really pissed me off. How could he still believe there was a chance of us getting back together? Meelo and I were together and he still couldn’t accept that after all this time? It wasn’t just the words, though; it was how he said them. Rye spoke in that snarky tone he used, whenever he was trying to get my attention, as if he was gong to convince me to agree with him.
“The only reason,” I said, “I keep coming back here, is to reassure myself. I wonder sometimes if I still have leftover feelings for you, no matter how much the idea makes me sick. But, whenever I come in here and see you, I know I feel nothing. How could I even think I have feelings for somebody so pathetic?”
Before Rye could think of something clever to say, I pushed open the door and left him alone in the darkness his hut.
After leaving Rye’s hut, I saw Meelo and Eirok standing around the fire together, looking out at something in the distance. I couldn’t tell what they were looking at, so I walked over to them. When I finally stood right next to them, they didn’t seem to notice my presence. What could possibly have been distracting them?
I turned and it took me no longer than a moment to join the two in their stunned silence. In the distance, black smoke rained upwards into the morning sky. It was unmistakable.
Fire.