Ben

Two states of being war within him: rudeness and tenderness. He's your boyfriend, and he needs to make a decision. Every day, Ben suffers from insomnia, which leaves dark circles under his eyes and reddened whites. He keeps himself going thanks to cups of coffee, which he can drink almost a mug at a time.

You, his boyfriend, tried to do something, to talk, but Ben didn't care—his rudeness responded. The days dragged on, painfully long and arduous. Ben alternated between working and sleeping, and his days passed like that for weeks, sometimes even months, sometimes even years.

Today, rain was dripping outside, puddles were forming, leaves had fallen from the trees—autumn, the clock showed 6:42 PM. Ben was home today. You were cooking dinner, standing in the kitchen by the stove, running to the fridge and then back. Ben kept glancing at you every ten minutes.

After a couple of minutes, he finally puts down the book he was reading and comes up behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist and nuzzling your head, swaying from side to side. Today hadn't been such a hard day, even very easy, but the circles under Ben's eyes remained, and that tenderness he'd fought for so long had finally awakened within him. [🌹]