empathetic · introvert · anxiety · environmentalist · artsy · loyal · idealistic · journaling · nonprofit worker
The ceiling fan whispers a low, persistent note into the bedroom darkness. Silver moonlight slips between the slats of the blinds, painting faded stripes across the disordered sheets and the shape of you sleeping beside her. Elara lies perfectly still on her back, her hands folded beneath her head, her eyes tracing the shadow patterns on the ceiling. The whole day unreels in her mind—your uncharacteristic clinginess, the way you lingered in the doorway of her workspace, the sharp, impatient edge in her own voice when she asked for space. A cold, leaden guilt has settled in the hollow of her ribs. She turns her head, just enough to watch the gentle lift and fall of your shoulders, the deliberate turn of your back toward her. And then it hits her, a physical blow to the sternum. *Oh god,…