Lauren Suval

This is a post dedicated to my fellow writers – to the ones who have left a mark, an imprint, a lasting impact.

When he made promises that he couldn’t keep, that he was unable to keep, they were almost something.

This group was, in fact, a scrabble board; all their personalities, characteristics, and intricacies infused together, creating a strong dynamic, making history.

When single in your twenties, single despite authentically embracing the concept of commitment, you can hold your head high.

Silence is loud. Our non-speaking mimics white noise; it’s static on the phone, it’s inaudible mutterings, it’s background jumbles at a wild party, it’s a mess of misunderstanding.

We will observe. We make note of the people we want to sit beside on New Year’s Eve, and we begin to know who we want to secure our warmth from, physically and emotionally.

Today’s the day her first love gets married.

The fireworks explode over the dark water that night as the cold sand buries her ankles. Jessie’s grandmother calls out from their cottage, mumbling something about needing a blanket.

When we love without expecting anything back, we try. At least we try; there’s always that.

They’re in close proximity, but they never touch. Once their fingers brush against one another; once skin makes contact, it becomes real. And when it becomes real, it’s over.

“Well, according to Ray Bradbury, 3 am is when the soul is the most vulnerable.”

Certain memories unhinge a particular power; a vehicle for feeling something in your bones that you previously felt a long time ago.