Night Visitors by Brynna Foreman

 The air was filled with tension and the room was drenched in dark. The lamp had clicked to sleep at least an hour ago, their thoughts, however, had not. Within the confines of cardboard-thin apartment walls they had hurled insults, profanities, and accusations at each other, while the silent cringes of the neighbors went unseen. He couldn't even remember what they were arguing about in the first place. Money, jealousy, maybe even boredom had sparked the aggressive fire that had consumed them. And yet there they lay, in awkward silence, knowing but not acknowledging the others' sleeplessness too.

    Guilt sat between them, festering and wailing for recognition while pride perched on the bedpost, watching the scene with morbid fascination. The man resented them both and wrestled with them, but every time he thought he had won and he could open his mouth, sound couldn't quite make its way out.

    Soon the digital clock beside the bed hit twelve-thirty, but his lungs somehow couldn't produce an "I'm sorry". So silence, the somewhat traitorous friend, continued to prevail as the seconds and minutes flitted by with agonizing slowness. No words fell from their lips and the quiet became a blaring roar.

    I'm sorry. I'm sorry for blaming you. I'm sorry for calling you names. I'm sorry for not being a better person for you. I'm sorry.

    A thousand reasons floated around the room, drifting behind their eyes and ricocheting between their ears. The nothingness of silence spread from between them, across the bed and to the floor, creeping to the corners of their room then up the walls. Still the apologies could not acquire a sound.

    One A.M. slid around their heads and over their eyelids, but sleep was nowhere to be found. Guilt, pride, and silence had ceased to wrestle, now they sat around looking to each other for guidance, not really knowing what to do. Questioning sidled into the room but paused - her hand had drifted across the sheets and into his own. As her fingers interlaced with his, a quiet apology, the strangers in the room slipped away quietly while sleep drifted over the room.