As he lay there, head throbbing and eyes blinded by the sun, all he could do was think about the could-a, would-a, should-a’s.
He could have done it differently. He could have done it all differently, he conceded. He could have been better. He could have chosen so many other paths.
He shivered as he felt a warmth trickle down his neck.
Would it have made much difference though?
Perhaps.
Maybe not to him, but to those around him, sure.
One thing was for certain.
When she’d asked him the final question, he should have said, “Yes”.
Written for Friday Fictioneers – hosted by the ever-present Rochelle, and with photo prompts contributed by the writing community. See this week’s other writers here.
me.you.coffee 
Mysterious and deadly
Very reflective, and very menacing. Nicely done.
We took a similar starting scene and headed in different directions! I guess she didn’t take rejection well.
Dear Peter,
Mysterious. Perhaps the intro to a larger story. As always, I love your reading.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Chilling and thought provoking piece of writing. Great take on the photo prompt.
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
Sounds like one hell of a hangover. Thoughts always intrude at our worse.
Morbid reflections indeed!
I’m intrigued by the final question. What was it? A forboding mystery. Well done.
Best wishes,
Rowena
That trickling warmth sounds ominous.
No use being wise after the event. A chilling tale indeed Mr B.
Here’s mine!
Your narration makes this even more mysterious and decidedly threatening. I like it 🙂
Hmm, intriguing…
Nicely built, nicely unanswered…
That “warmth” trickling down his neck doesn’t bode well for the poor guy’s unfortunate choice. But what DOES it bode? Marvelous story, Peter.
I think that his sleep will be quite long.
Wonder if a “yes” would have mattered though
Sounds like he tangled with the wrong she. Hope he makes it out alive.
Oh! So many possibilities with this storyline. Well done.
Don’t-cha hate those “could-a, would-a, should-a’s”? But, there it is. I read it and then listened. It made a big difference for me. Well done.
Mysterious with a remorseful tone. Nicely written!
Oh, I want the WHOLE story now … 😉