Sounding like a stranger.

Darkness permeated his bedroom that night. Little glows from his laptop and his stereo but his mind ran dry. Such a passion on her lips but he had nothing left to say. Holding the receiver up to his ear he listened to every word, but never knew his response.

"You sound like a stranger," she uttered

He stayed silent, what words would he say after the year past and the one ahead, with the friend burning through his mind. Tears stream down his face but she would never know it. She would travel across the country the next day and he barely knew how to say good-bye.

"I'm sorry," he barely slipped out.

"Are you on drugs or something?"

"No."

"What did the last week mean? Anything?" she might have begged.

But it was too late for him to speak. It meant the world to him. But his own confusions and wants made it nearly impossible for him to tell her how precious she was. "Will we ever be friends?" he thought, but the words would get caught in his stomach overturning and never make it to his vocal chords.

"Goodnight," she tried to finish with.

"Bye," were his only words.

The phone stayed connected for moments longer, they both listened intently to the silence, the conversation was no where near finish, and neither were they at all. Perhaps waiting for the other to hang up, or for something else.

"Are...are you still there? Good Night," and it was over.

And he hung up the phone as well.

And the days passed, and she flew away, and he lived another life where he reveled in fantasy and perfection of the universe. He didn't know what happened to her or where she was or when she would be back. He thought she had erased herself from his life and he was living in another world. 

When suddenly, a large white envelope arrived on his door step...