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I think you're crazy how
You run and run around my world
Looking for a reason why I...
Can't walk it off
Can't come clean

Lovedrug, Doomsday & the Echo

It's been six months since he decided to let someone wash her away.

Karen wants to celebrate, but Ryan (damn temp) is sitting across from him on the couch in the women's restroom, laughing because apparently, everyone just thought you guys were just hooking up.

It's their six month anniversary, and he's jealous.

There's a drawing on the refrigerator, a prank he had no part in, and a girl who's becoming something new (but always, always the same), something independent of him. He knows it's what he asked for with his silence, but still... it burns a little.

Six months with Karen, equals eleven without her.

Distraction finds him daily. Today, it's a forehead smudge and a shiny pink bag larger than Karen's. He sits for exactly 42 minutes before heading to the women's restroom with a marker. He's taking a piece of her back - giving a little of himself, even though she didn't ask him to.

It's only been six months. That's nothing compared to...

When she steps inside the elevator, Karen's face goes taut, eyes falling down. Her gaze is strong, unmoving. He realizes six months ago, it would have been the opposite, and a smile appears from somewhere deep inside his chest, one he can't describe to Karen because she's never really seen it.