Can I please have another chance?
This cabin, this heart, this life feels empty without you.
Love,
Sebastian
P.S. I wrote something for you.
The words blurred as my eyes filled, and I sniffed as I slipped the letter behind the second page.
Skylar
My mind is constantly ticking
with doubts
tick did I lock the door tick did I turn off the stove tick did I check the outlets tick did I step on a crack tick did I wash my hands enough times tick did I turn off the lights tick did I walk a straight line tick did I take the right number of steps tick did I turn off the television on an even channel tick did I close the book on an even page tick did I start the car on an even minute tick
what if I didn’t
what if I didn’t
what if I didn’t
I don’t know.
But I know
you wore a gray sweater
and had a crumbling leaf in your hair
the day we had a chemistry test
before it started you turned and asked,
“Is sodium hydroxide an acid or a base?”
It was the first time you ever whispered to me.
(I liked that it was eight words.)
I don’t know why eight
is better than seven or nine or twenty-one.
I don’t know how many times I’ve told you
I love you
But I know that number is all wrong
because it isn’t enough
Your love may never silence the ticking
but I would trade silence for your laughter,