FIFTY FOUR !

                                    

                                          

harvey winced as stella placed the soaked rag onto his wound. he stared at the blonde before him, her golden locks cascading perfectly past her shoulders like a sea of treasure. 
                          
stella was aware of his gaze but didn't want to feed into it, dodging his eyes as best she could as she soothed the pain bouncing around his face. her gaze immediately unsharpened when she noticed his stare trace lower, landing on her lips for a sliver second before returning back up to her eyes. 
                          
she dismissed his hopes as best she could. "how are you feeling?" stella asked, refusing to allow herself to open back up the boy. 
                          
"just a bit dizzy, that's all." 
                          
a sigh escaped her strawberry-scented glossed lips, "the bleeding has stopped which is good and i can give you something for the pain, if you'd like." 
                          
harvey presented a grateful half smile, "yeah, thank you." 
                          
harvey watched as the girl stood from their position at the dining table, sauntering over to the kitchen  sink and placing the blood-covered cloth in. she returned with the pills in hand alongside a glass of water, "take two."  harvey nodded and did as he was told, excited for the pain to ooze away.
                          
the pair sat in the awkward bubble of silence they had found themselves stuck in since their break up — unable to communicate properly to each other without hints of sadness or anger. stella's gaze flickered to harvey's, his hazel orbs now having taken on a glossy coating. at the sight of his forming tears, she felt a dull ache in her chest. her voice was gentle, "are you in pain?" 
                          
harvey shook his head lightly, "no pain."
                          
stella sighed, "then why are you upset, harvey?"
                          
"i'm not." his voice wasn't in the slightest way cold, it was his usual, painfully calm tone, but his choice of words still for some reason inflicted a sting within her. 
                          
stella inhaled deeply, shifting her gaze from harvey to her hands that lay folded on her lap. she felt as though the harvey sat before her in this very moment was not the harvey she had grown to know — to love. it was almost as if the pair were strangers, two people from opposite sides of the world speaking in completely different languages, creating a communication barrier between them. it wasn't a nice feeling. stella felt sick to her stomach. 
                          
"are you okay?" harvey asked, his voice dull. 
                          
but stella wasn't okay. in fact, she was far from it. if mars was okay she was in another galaxy, trillions of light years away. "yes," she lied. 
                          
"no you aren't." 
                          
stella sighed, "no, i'm not." 
                          
harvey placed his hand on top of stella's in an act of comfort, crossing the barrier that separated them. stella flinched and moved her hand in the opposite direction, picturing his hands cupping the face of the brunette who had single handedly ruined their relationship. 
                          
"you can talk to me, stella." 
                          
the words angered her. how could he sit there and act like he cared now after everything he had done?
he knew she was fragile yet he followed through with the evil act anyway. he made that choice. her eyes darted to meet his, filled with spite.