he splashed his face with cold water and gripped the edges of the sink, the stone cool beneath his palms.

he stared at himself in the mirror, mouth agape and eyes wide. water slowly trickled down his face, taking away all of the salt his face was stained with.

his eyes were red, and so were the bruises on his face.

so was his heart. bright red. it was bleeding.

all he wanted was to be happy.