ALEX'S POINT OF VIEW
I woke up before dawn, the world outside my window still cloaked in darkness. Silence enveloped the room, yet my mind was a riot of sound, a cacophony that drowned out the stillness around me.
I stared blankly at the ceiling, feeling the weight of the house pressing down on me. It felt too large, too empty, too filled with thoughts of her.
Elena.
The memories of the night before replayed in my mind like a broken record. The island, the jungle, her warmth against my shoulder as she drifted into sleep. And the way she looked at me, her eyes heavy with disappointment before she shut her bedroom door.
Just like that, I felt like I had let her down. Again.
Sitting up, I scrubbed my face with my hands. This was pointless. I needed to shake it off. Get on with my day. Dive into work.
Bury myself in something that made sense because nothing about Elena seemed to fit anymore.
