Drowning

Chapter 7

A project.

That was what he had become.

A project to complete, a problem to solve, a puzzle to decipher so she could feel whole again. Something to fix so she could ignore the gnawing hollowness while she did so.

But that hollowness wasn't because of him. She had never felt truly whole or settled in her life. It was as if her entire world was perched on the edge of its chair, just waiting for something or someone to come along and ease the ache, if only for a short period of time.

However, Mark had been different. There was definitely something about him she'd never felt before and needed to feel again. So she'd find him. It was the only way she could live with herself.

But first... First she needed to sleep. That's what people did when the couldn't take reality anymore, right? Slipped between crisp white sheets and allowed a world of their creation to take hold, even just for a while. Even as her sluggish brain mulled this over, she could feel her jaw stretch into a yawn, pulling the tender purple skin taut across her cheekbone.

Yes. Sleep would help. Sleep always helped.

She sat down on the edge of the tub and fumbled with the laces on her boots, managing to yank them off her feet still partially tied. She forced her feet under her torso, each limb seeming to weigh as much as an anvil. Her left foot caught on the threshold between the bedroom and the bathroom, and she hit the wooden floor with a thud, her skull bouncing against the boards and thickening her thoughts further, intellect congealing like spoiled food left on the counter.

She crawled the rest of the way to her bed, blood hammering beneath each temple, a small sigh escaping her clenched teeth when she managed to worm her way onto her bed. Before she could gather the wherewithal to slide under the covers, she had fallen into a deep murky sleep.