Forgive and Forget?

It is a summers evening, and as the sun is setting, Patrick and Edward are walking in the park, alone...
"Oh Edward, this sunset is so delightful!" Squeals Patrick with a small hand gesture. Edward mutters something inaudible.
"What's wrong Edward? You have been so quiet all evening." Patrick asks his old friend quietly. Edward does not reply, so Patrick grabs him securely by the arms and turns Edward to face him. Edward shudders at his touch.

"Edward?"

Edward shakes his head, his green eyes piercing Patrick's. He sits down on the park bench without a word and Patrick follows. He softly touches Edward's hand, waiting patiently.

Slowly, Edward turns to face him, his eyes glazed over. There is silence, as the two gaze at each other, trying to find the words to express how they feel.

“Patrick, I-“

“Please, don’t mention that fateful evening those many months ago. Put it in the past Edward, please forget it. I thought you had forgiven me?”

“It’s not that simple…” he sighs heavily, wincing as he remembers the night.

“You know I can never forgive myself, for what I did to you Edward.”

“Patrick, I still have the bruises to show for it.”

Edward bites his lip, and gazes at the floor. Suddenly he is back in that dark room again, his face numb from the impact.

He touched a hand to his lip and tasted blood. He looked across the room to see Patrick, who had his head down in a notebook, writing, writing.

Tears well up in Edward’s eyes, but he says nothing, only wishing that Patrick would say something, tell him that he loved him, like he used to do. Patrick looks away, seeing the raw pain tearing through his companion’s body. He can feel a wall dividing them; he doesn’t know how to talk to him anymore.

Patrick begins to rise from the park bench, but suddenly feels a hand grasp him firmly around the arm. He turns, and sees Edward, with that look of desire in his eyes, the look Patrick though he would never see again.

Suddenly they are kissing, passionately as if they would never let go. The sun has vanished, and the moon illuminates the contours of their bodies. They hold each other for what feels like hours, until Patrick can feel Edward’s body shaking with sobs.

He unwillingly pulls away from him, trying to look into his lover’s eyes, but Edward’s face is now covered by his hands, as he collapses onto the floor.

Patrick turns, has one last glance behind him at the crumpled body heaving on the dark path, his silhouette highlighted by the moon. Suddenly Patrick is gripped by a surge of anger. He whispers “Why can’t you forget Edward? Why can’t you forgive me? You’re pathetic!” Then, cruelly aware of Edward’s distress he walks away. The park is silent, apart from the sound of a man weeping.