Vincent stared at the reflection in the mirror, eyes tracing the familiar lines of his face-the sharp angles of his jaw, the dark circles under his eyes, the slight hollowness of his cheeks. His once meticulously groomed hair was now tousled, a bit longer than he usually kept it, the jet-black strands hanging limply around his face. He hardly recognized himself anymore. The man who used to stand in front of this mirror with pride had long since disappeared, replaced by a hollow shell of uncertainty and doubt.
Ten years. They had been together for ten years, married for five. A lifetime, really, by modern standards. They were the couple everyone envied-the perfect blend of passion and companionship, of love and understanding. They had weathered so many storms together, fought battles side by side, and come out stronger for it. But now, Vincent wasn't sure they would survive this one.
He ran a hand through his hair, his fingers trembling slightly. The house was too quiet, the silence oppressive, like a heavy weight pressing down on his chest. Rody was out again, probably with friends, or at work, or... somewhere. Vincent didn't know anymore. Rody used to tell him everything, used to share every detail of his day, every thought that crossed his mind. But now, there was a distance between them, a gap that seemed to grow wider with each passing day.
Vincent felt a familiar pang of anxiety tighten in his chest, the same gnawing fear that had haunted him for months now. He could feel Rody slipping away from him, could sense the shift in their relationship, but he didn't know what to do about it. Every time he tried to bring it up, to talk to Rody about what was happening between them, he was met with dismissive reassurances, a quick kiss on the forehead, and an "I'm just tired, Vin." But the tiredness never seemed to go away, and Vincent was left feeling more lost and alone than ever.
He had always been the more emotional one, the one who wore his heart on his sleeve. Rody, on the other hand, was strong, confident, the rock that Vincent had clung to during the darkest moments of his life. He had been there for Vincent through everything-through the grueling hours of culinary school, through the sleepless nights spent perfecting his craft, through the moments of crippling self-doubt and insecurity. Rody had been his anchor, the one person who had never let him fall.
But now, Vincent was falling, and Rody wasn't there to catch him.
Vincent turned away from the mirror, unable to stand the sight of himself any longer. He walked to the kitchen, his bare feet cold against the hardwood floor. The kitchen had always been his sanctuary, the place where he felt most at ease, most in control. But now, even that was tainted. The joy he used to find in cooking had faded, replaced by a sense of obligation, of going through the motions. He still prepared meals for Rody, still put on a smile when they sat down to eat together, but the warmth was gone. The laughter that used to fill the air had been replaced by uncomfortable silence, by forced conversations that ended too quickly.
Vincent opened the fridge and pulled out a container of leftovers, setting it on the counter with a sigh. He wasn't hungry-hadn't been for days, really-but he knew he needed to eat. He knew what would happen if he didn't, knew the spiral he would fall into. He had been down that road before, had spent too many nights hunched over a toilet, too many days avoiding mirrors, too many years hating himself for not being enough.
He wasn't going to let himself fall back into that, no matter how much everything hurt right now.
As he mechanically heated up the food, his mind drifted back to the beginning, to the days when he and Rody couldn't keep their hands off each other, when they stayed up all night talking, laughing, making love until the sun came up. Vincent could still remember the first time he had laid eyes on Rody, the way his heart had skipped a beat, the way his breath had caught in his throat. Rody had been everything he had ever wanted-strong, handsome, kind, with a smile that could light up a room.
