"I wouldn't say that."
I ignored her voice. The words on the screen scrolled by as I went over the new story. I always reread what I had of the current chapter, before adding to it. Sometimes I would get so caught up making changes, I was no longer in the mood to write by the time I reached where I had left off. Very dedicated to this craft, am I.
I paused the scroll, silently reading another section of dialog.
"Or that," she added. I sat back, sighing.
"It's not you."
"Yes, it is."
"No, it is not. All the women aren't you."
"No..." she said, "but THAT one is!"
I took another look at the character in my mind. Was it her? I never used her name, naturally, apart from that one story. And, I had only used her three times. Always in a special story, never just tossed in with regular characters. Was this her?
I let my shoulders sag.
"OK, it's you."
"Told you." I felt her smile behind me. "And, I wouldn't say that." The story scrolled. "Or that. Or do that." The words paused. I felt her face against mine. "I would do that, though."
"We did. Remember? That time..."
"I remember."
Her words were soft, flowing through my mind like a dream. The scene filled my mind. The two of us on my king sized bed. Her body...
"You haven't found someone else." Her words weren't accusing. They were sad. I closed my eyes.
"I kept wanting them to be like you. That wasn't fair to them."
"I wasn't that good..."
"You were what I wanted. What I needed."
She was silent. I scrolled back in the text. I knew what I had to do.
"You're right," I said. "This is you, and it shouldn't be. Not given where the story will be going. I promised myself I wouldn't do that to you."
"Thank you." I could almost feel the breath of her words. I began highlighting large chunks to text. I could delete most of it, start again... "But," she said, "could you write that fantasy you have?"
I paused.
"Really?"
"Really. I WOULD have done that, if you had asked..."
"I was going to..."
I turned. The room was empty behind me. That was OK. When I turned back to the computer, she would be there. She was always there…
The End
Edited by Packrat