It's late. I'm wiping down my kitchen in Perth after having been gone abroad for a while. I remove one side of my earphones, hearing my phone buzzing on the other side of the room. I sigh, my eyes landing on the lit up screen. Even from afar I know who it is. I set everything down and pull down my headphones, pulling the phone up to my face. Cody.

I swallow thickly, a familiar pang of guilt and overwhelm bubbling in my stomach. I let it ring out in my hand before grabbing a soda from my fridge and walking out into my backyard. It's breezy and warm, a palm tree overhead swaying. I can smell the sea from here. I sit down on my outdoor couch and crack open my soda just as the phone begins to ring again. Cody. Cody. Cody. Always Cody. Damn.

I sip my drink, almost unable to swallow before I answer the phone with a shaking hand. I don't want to pickup but I have to. Please, please, please release me from the hell, God...

"... Yes?"