The timer read 3:06, 3:05, counting down the seconds. Kenneth didn’t have much time. He turned a few knobs, and held down a switch. Sparks flew and flames licked upwards. He could feel the heat on his face. But it was the pressure, not the heat that brought beads of sweat to his forehead. He hadn’t done this very many times before, and the margin for error was minimal. His mind drifted off as he stared into the fire.

Kenneth thought of Dawnica often, but this time it was different. There were no flaws. He didn’t think of how she would wake him at 6 in the morning to go to her ridiculous job, or how she was so stubborn, that she’d rather die than admit that the world does indeed, rotate around the sun and not around her. What a bitch. A beautiful, flawless bitch. It was like a crush. The crush of a phoenix, rising from the flaky ashes of an old relationship.

It was a Saturday and Kenneth had gotten plenty of sleep.
“Good morning beautiful”, he said, placing a tray down on the table near the bed.