“I need you to leave.” I said.
He buried his face in his hands, fingers etching at his temples as he dropped his chin to his chest. I didn’t know if he was acting like he hadn’t heard me, or if he actually hadn’t heard me, but either way I no longer wanted him in my home. I hated seeing him vulnerable. I never considered myself as someone who was afraid of emotions, but I didn’t have the strength to deal with his.
Zacharias was the kind of person—well, creature—who had brief, fleeting lapses of weakness but usually managed to recover from them quickly. I hated seeing his brief moments of weakness because instead of becoming stronger in order to make up for his lack of, I seemed to adopt his defencelessness. His fragility would rub off onto me.
I remembered that day he had completely dem
