Chris and Bottle

Written by Anakin McFly

"...but it's just not gonna work, you understand?" Chris said, head bowed against the sun. "You're a bottle of water, I'm a person... we're not biologically compatible in any way."

Bottle stood in stoic silence, taking this in.

"I know it's hard for you," Chris murmured. "It's hard for me too, and... and I don't just mean that in a sexual way. I mean, you've been there for me all these days. I know that can't be very clean because of bacterial growth around your mouth and everything and people keep telling me to get a new bottle of water, but they just... they don't understand what we have."

Bottle gazed into the sun and reflected on their relationship.

Chris sighed. He crossed his legs on the ground, leaning back on his arms.

"...and while we both have to go our separate ways, I promise that I'll never forget you. Sometimes after you're... recycled... you might look down or up on me from wherever you end up and see me drinking out of other bottles of water, but they'll be nothing to me, you understand? No other bottle of water will ever be to me what you were... what you are..."

Chris wiped a tear from his eye. He blinked. Bottle reached out empathetic tendrils of thought towards him.

"We had a special thing," Chris said, his voice choking up. "I don't... I don't know how to quit you, but I can't go on like this, Bottle, I can't. People are laughing at me behind my back, Zach won't shut up about it on Twitter... well, okay, I don't think anyone would know because his tweets never make any sense, but the thought... the thought that he's doing that still hurts. And... and I've got a career and a reputation at stake, you know?"

Chris looked at Bottle. Bottle gazed back with grave reassurance.

"Maybe in a perfect world this wouldn't matter, but..."

Chris let out a breath.

"I'm sorry," he said, and then, quieter: "I'm sorry. I'm not strong enough."

Chris stood up from the ground, carrying Bottle up with him in a gentle sweep of his arm. Bottle nestled in the crook of his palm. Chris gave Bottle a final caress, and a last farewell kiss on the top of the bottlecap.

"I'm sorry," Chris said a last time, as the tears started flowing freely down his face. "I hope you... you have a good recycling, and maybe one day... we..."

But the words wouldn't come, and Chris could not bring himself to say any more. And he had to look away when he arrived at the recycling bin and tenderly lowered Bottle into its terrifying depths.

In the bin, his fingers clung on to Bottle's smooth neck.

Chris took a deep breath. It's all right, he told himself. Bottle will be all right, and so will you. You have to learn to let go.

Chris nodded, his eyes still shut, trying to gain confidence from his own words.

Then he swallowed back tears, and he released his lover into the recycling bin.

#