Like Honey

Written by Marissa BeatyPhotography by Noah Laroia-Nguyen It was long past 2am when the shouting finally quietedbesides the rhythmic thump of her heart the only sound whirred from a fancircling around and around the room  it felt like they were circling tooor the earth around them was, but they stood thereilluminated by the flickering of a broken bulbtwo immaterial bodies frozen in time. For a moment neither spokeexcept through tears dripping off chins and hands reaching out to grasp what was slowly slipping beyond reach.  Then he started againand she thought and thoughtand felt herself tunneling into her own mindthinking of how it had all started so innocently but misunderstanding and jealousy quietlyflipped innocence to violence she understood, yet she stood there unmovingletting the words drip onto her skin like honey. Beyond the flickering light and the steady rhythmshe watched as cars filtered through the street belowwithin each, an individual galaxy:spinning and spinning.  Here she was watching it all spin feeling the earth around her moving faster, beyond capacityshe could feel the shake, the fury of a sudden implosionas if erupting through her bones, time begun again. She could feel the earth around her slow. While the debris settled softly around hershe watched as he continued to spin in a torrent of his own makingand she knew - this was where it ended.