Excerpt

I leave the room & sit in the vibrating chair

It moves & it feels less lonely there

I look at the little clock on the stove

It reads 12:21am

I look at the brick wall and see nothing but sad faces

I search for faces in the rest of the house

Why do all of the inanimate objects look so sad?

I look at the dog

She looks at me

I call out her name

She turns away and runs down the stairs

Ouch, feels

Someone downstairs turns off the lights and the only thing left is the glow from the massage chair buttons

They don't look sad

They look angry

The clock reads 12:28am

I'm still lonely so I go back to bed & lay on the very edge of the bed facing outwards

The bed isn't empty

Can I reach my hand out? Can I stretch over? Should I say those 3 words?

I assess the risks that come with asking for love

All of those have huge potential for failure, hurt

I go to sleep instead

(Alternative ending:)

I learn to bridge the gaps

I move closer

I reach out when I need held