She was withering away.

Part of him wanted to hold her, comfort her. But that part of him was slowly suffocating beneath the part of him that selfishly enjoyed it.

Because a surprisingly strong part of him felt she deserved to go through it. To wallow in the rejection and disconcerting chasm growing between them.

He could feel the hope dying within him as he realized that, on some level, he enjoyed the haunted look in her eyes. He wondered if she’d cry if she accidentally caught him kissing Karen.

His eyes dulled miserably, but he smiled at the thought.