Ten.

"Hi." He stood there, shocked. I saw him process who was standing at his doorway. He didn't respond but I could see in his eyes that he understood. He realized I was shaken, definitely broken, different than last time. I'd always tried to come off as a strong, misunderstood woman to him. But now, standing in his doorway, begging him without words to take me in, just for a minute, I felt the same as that day; a weak and helpless girl more dependent than ever. He held the door open, just to the point where i could stumble in. I knocked over a suitcase that had been sitting by the door. "Shit, I'm sorry." Then I looked at it and realized it wasn't alone There were seven bags sitting by the door, one a duffel bag, some suitcases, and even a box. "Oh," I said. He looked at me and I could see the pity in his eyes. But I could also see that he wasn't going to be staying long or changing his mind about leaving. I wanted to ask where he was going or why, but I think I knew. I thought back to that conversation I'd overheard between him and that woman over the phone, and I knew. He was never coming back. "I have to leave in...seven minutes," he said, checking his watch. Seven bags and seven minutes. I had to just accept it. He gestured towards the couch and frowned when he saw me hobbling towards it. "You're hurt." He said it almost as if he was disappointed. "It's nothing." He didn't believe me, but just as I didn't ask, he chose not to keep discussing the injury. I was relieved. He flipped on the television. There was an urgent news story regarding the murder of Sile N'Bhron. "Seven minutes couldn't come any sooner," he said, lost in the television's image of the woman. "That was just a few floors above here."

"Wow," was all i could say. I felt like I needed to say more but what can you say in seven minutes? Besides, I had a feeling he was talking more to himself than to me.

I looked at the clock and seven minutes had gone by. I lifted myself from the couch and hobbled over to the door. I opened the door and felt him behind me. I turned around and looked into his eyes before walking out of his life, and all I could say was, "I'm sorry." I looked into his eyes, those deep blue eyes, and they looked so familiar. They took me back to that river, back to the running stranger with fear and worry, back to the streets where all I could see were those eyes. Those eyes. And that's when I felt a jolt in my leg and woke up right back in my nook.