Page 122 of Come Apart
"That doesn't matter."
"And are you still going to insist she needs your help?"
"She does."
"Then no," Alyssa says. "We can't talk about it. Because any conversation I'm going to have is going to include some kind of ultimatum." She moves away from the door.
Her voice is a whisper. "I sat back idly while you went to rescue her. And really, I was okay with it, because it's who you are. You care too much and you want to help people. But this has gone too far. I'm losing you."
"You'll never lose me."
She shakes her head. "For all intents and purposes, you're her boyfriend. And I'm not going to share you."
"Alyssa..."
"I want to be with you. But not like this." She repeats, taking another step towards the door. "Think about it, okay? Because I'm going to get some breathing room, and I'm going to figure out exactly what I want. And when I come back, I expect you to know what you want too."
"I know what I want. I want you."
She shakes her head. "But you want to help her too. Think about it, okay? When I do this, I want to do it all the way."
"Alyssa... stay."
"I'm sorry," she says. "I love you. I hope you can figure this out." She steps out the door.
And that's it.
The color drains from the room. It's cold and gray and there's no rhyme or reason to any of it anymore.
