Wo Warst Du?
The chime of the doorbell echoed through the house. Bill wiped his hands on a dishtowel and made his way down the hall to the entry way. The impatient bell rang over and again.
"Hold on! I'm coming!"
With a broad smile, he opened the door. "Who the hell would be-"
His words caught in his mouth as he gazed at her form standing on the worn welcome mat; those same green eyes, that same hypnotic smile, the blond ringlets in which he had buried his face against night after night as he held her in his arms.
Her hand still clutched her duffel bag, the same bag she held onto as she walked out of his life. Her words of goodbye still rung in his ears.
"Blythe?"
A small smile covered her face. "Hi, honey. I'm home."
Bill stood unmoving as she stepped inside and brushed her lips against his. He closed his eyes as he remembered the last time he'd touched her. He had held her tightly begging her to stay.
"Blythe, please. Think this over. You have to reconsider! You can't do this to me!" Tears streamed from his eyes as he begged for another chance. She stared at him blankly. She was completely unaffected by his anguish.
"I can't, Bill. My whole life has been about you for the last five years. I've lost my sense of self along the way and I want it back."
With that, she walked out.
It had taken months for him to realize she was never coming back.
Yet here she was.
Bill closed the door behind her and followed her into the den. Blythe dropped her duffel bag and ran her hand across the bare mantle over the fireplace. Her eyebrows furrowed in thought, "You took down our photos? Why?"
Bill looked at her in bewilderment. "You expected me to be able to look at them day after day? I put them away when you left."
Blythe nodded. "I understand."
She turned to face him, a smile covering her face. "How are the guys? I hear things are going really well for your band."
Bill nodded. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Everyone is fine. We've been busy. We're actually on a three day vacation. It's mere coincidence that you caught me home."
"It's not a coincidence, Bill. Renee told me."
Bill's eyes glazed with anger. "She helped you plan this?"
Blythe shook her head quickly. "No. She hates me just as much as everyone else. When I called her, Tom answered the phone. I knew you would be home as well."
"But why, Blythe? Why did you come back?"
Blythe's lip quivered as she struggled to find the words. "I've missed you, Bill. I've thought about you every day. I want to come home. I want to know that you still love me."
Bill turned quickly before his face could betray him. He trembled as he felt the walls around his heart break away.
"Bill? Say something. Please." Blythe crossed the room and lay her forehead against his back.
Bill shrugged away from her touch. "No. I can't do this again."
"Please. Take some time and think it over. Don't answer in haste."
Bill spun around to stare into her eyes. Months of pent up anger, desire and heartache was directed toward her.
"Time? Seriously? I've had months, Blythe! Months of sleepless nights. Months of pain. Months of loneliness. Months of trying to figure out what I did wrong before I finally realized that it wasn't me, Blythe. It was you! Where were you?"
Tears of regret fell from her eyes. "I love you, Bill. I've been-"
Bill shook his head. "Stop," he said as he commanded her words to cease. "I don't care. I don't care who you were with. I don't care what you did or why you left. If you had regrets with your decision, you could have called before now." Bill opened the front door. "Get out."
Blythe lifted her duffel bag slowly and crossed the room to the door. "I'm sorry that I hurt you, Bill."
"I'm sorry that I fell in love with you," Bill said as he closed his eyes. He couldn't watch her walk out of his life for the second time, but he know that this time there would be no coming back.