The early morning sun broke through the window in a harsh glare.

Gary looked at Felicia, still asleep by his side. A feeling of contempt overcame him. Why did he find it necessary to fall into her arms every time he became depressed? He didn’t know, and really didn’t care. He had other, more pressing things to concern himself with.

As much as he tried, he still couldn’t shake the memory of what had happened the night before. After he’d left his Fairfax friends and before he’d laid down with Felicia.

It was while he was on the drive “home” when he came upon her. Young, vulnerable. No more than twenty-one. Hitchhiking and alone. Why he stopped, he couldn’t say. Why he did what he did, he rationalized as research for an upcoming role as a common thief in a direct-to-DVD, low-grade exploitation flick.

But, it didn’t make it right. No matter how much he tried to convince himself.

She had quite the right hook. He hadn’t expected such a fight. Her seeing the gun didn’t help. It only made things worse.