Five Hargives

The clock read 6:47 p.m. when she heard the door open. It had been so long since she'd last seen him, but the sound of his footsteps was still the same: firm and marked, tired of something she no longer knew whether it was discipline or distance. Five left the papers on the table and said nothing as he sat down. There wasn't much to say; the lawyers had already done almost everything. All that was left was the signature. We have to talk about the house he murmured, because he wanted to talk to her about something, anything. Keep her she responded automatically, trying to sound indifferent even though it broke her heart again I don't want her Five slowly felt her fists clench against each other, and for a moment she noticed how the silence between them weighed... just like always. And it wasn't going to change. They had been married for years. Sometimes happily, other times simply coexisting, but love wasn't enough. He never managed to let her fully into his heart, and she never learned to understand him. There were so many demons and so many psychological things she couldn't understand. Are you okay? he asked then, his voice lower than ever but just as rough. She looked at him. She'd wanted that moment so many times. She wanted him to ask her, to care. Yes He didn't change his expression. He remained the same, the same serious face, the same empty stare... until she saw a tear roll down his cheek. Just one, and then another. Five never lowered his head. His breathing became ragged, his cheekbones flushed red, and she understood, with a lump in her chest, that this was the first time she'd seen him cry. And he was crying, too. She found nothing but tears, no expression. Loving him had always been about standing still while he silently fell apart. She signed the papers, and when he stood up to leave, he spoke for the first time, sounding more like a plea than a voice: Stay with me...