Only 200 today..

Only about 200 words today.  :/ C'est la vie.

I’m about to lose my mind.  This is me sitting on the edge.

He looks at me with sorrowful eyes, searching for my answer.  My mind gropes for a response as my heart throbs in my chest.  Sweat from the day’s heat plasters my hair to my face.

My feet shuffle on the cement below, the scratching sound echoing in the empty space around us. The wooden bench bites into our legs hungrily.

“Cadence,” he whispers, his hand rising slowly.  His palm caresses my face softly, his thumb wiping a tear from my cheek.

My hand instinctively smacks his away.  His eyes burn into me. I feel the heat.

My lips part.  Carefully, I reply.

“I can’t.”

His eyes fill with a strange mixture between love and hate.  Mine glance to the empty space between my sneakers.

His mouth hangs open as he leans backward, away from me.  A child runs by, closely followed by her mother.  I watch as they run to the jungle gym on the far side of the park.

My gaze turns to the one next to me, and I notice that he has once more leaned in close to me. 

With a shaking voice, he whispers to me.  “I deserve another chance.”