The night enveloped the room; enveloped everything save the light radiating from the computer. It made a bubble around me, of light, of stress, of exhaustion. The impending due date of my final English paper hovered above me at all times. I closed my eyes, rested my face in my open palms, and rubbed my temples with my pointer fingers. Arms slipped around my waist, I hadn't heard her approach, her quiet footsteps were drowned out by my loud thoughts. She pressed her face to my back, and mumbled, "I'm gonna make you some tea, babe.. then come back to bed, Kay?" I felt her lips against the back of my neck, a gentle kiss, before she stood and walked over to the small, dimly lit kitchen. I open my eyes and look at her in admiration. How did a girl like her, end up with a girl like me?
Elliot's partner was his whole world, but after Allan's death, his ghost haunts Elliot's dreams. Everyone tells Elliot to move on, but he isn't sure he can.
*****
It's been a year since the love of Elliot's life, Allan, passed away. Everyone thinks he should have recovered after that much time, but Allan still haunts Elliot every night. He struggles to maintain relationships with his family, and despite a coworkers interest he can't summon up the courage to date. Elliot is living for the past, because to live for the present means he'll have to live with a hole in his heart. But the question Elliot has to face chases him through his monotonous days: is mourning Allan with everything he has truly living?
[[word count: 40,000-50,000 words]]