Beep. Beep. Beep. Exhaustion pulls at me, heavy and relentless, threatening to drag me under. My skin glistens, damp with the proof of my efforts. The machine above me hums in steady rhythm, its sound a haunting lullaby—a reminder of where I am. My muscles throb, my breath trembles, and the air feels thick with waiting. The only other sound is the faint rustle of scrubs moving around me.

Beep. Be...

"You've caused me so much pain, yet the love I feel for you blinds me of it." Tabitha's voice rises several octaves, anguish etched on every feature of her face.

"I never asked you to love me."

"Love isn't something you ask for, Rho."

Rho falls to his knees before Tabitha. "I know," his voice breaks. "I never wanted to hurt you. I didn't know how to love you properly."

"Oh,...

“You’ve caused me so much pain, yet I keep coming back for more. My love for you, based off lies as it is, blinds me to my pain.”

“You- Lies! Selfish brat.” She spits.

“No. Truth. You lie. Talk with me. Honestly. I’m an adult. I want to keep you in my life. Talk with me.”

“What about? You speak of your pain like you have not hurt me! For weeks you said nothing, no messages, no calls, no visits. F...

“Why do you have to do this to me?” I yelled at an angel, who was now burning with rage.

“What were you truly expecting?” She yelled back. “That I would just sit around watching you get tormented like that?”

I will admit, the angel I’m describing, which may sound like anything but, was really my fiancée. And truly, she deserved such a position

It all began at prom. Yeah, I know it sounds cliche, ...

I remember you asking me, “Why do you cut yourself open like that?” I didn’t know the answer until the words came out of me; the vessel carrying contents unknown, the messenger reading lines unwritten and unread.

“Because no one else will do it for me.”

No one else will splay me wide, every expression, every sentence laid bare.

No one else will flay the truth from my bones. I, alone, can point ...

I know that when I am with you, I feel different

I know that when I am with you, I change

I know that when I am with you, I feel more diffident

I know that when I am with you, I start to feel strange

But there is something about you that I obsess over

I love that brief happiness I adore so much

I love that temporary smile, that hangs on your glorious, loving face, makes me feel closer

I love that...

Water bottle, brushes, an errant tube of alizarin crimson, another water bottle, palette, the contents of my art bag thunk on the weathered picnic table. Hamilton Park is pretty quiet, thank God. I scrounged to the bottom of my bag. Quickly I looked around.

No nosy neighbors, no parents of children Mandy knows from school whose names I can’t bother to remember, just trees leaning at awkward angle...

Vasil shakes his head. _This is never going to work, _he thinks, _it’s only going to get worse._ He looks up at the sky, at the orange leaves on the trees, and wonders how he had gotten into this mess. His mind goes to Anya, because recently, he’s been blaming her for everything. But right now, he realizes that this all happened _because he hadn’t listened to Anya._ Now, there was no way to go bac...

I never thought this would happen.

I’ve never fallen for anyone.

Ever.

But every single time I think about you,

I blush and it’s a complete disaster.

You’re able to melt away

The ice cold barrier

surrounding my heart.

When I see you smile,

It’s like the sun has come out for the very first time in ages.

And that happens every time.

No matter how much I’ve looked at you.

My greatest desire w...

“Jessalyn! Wait!” His gravelly voice sounded over the market place, making the stylish customers as well as the traders turn their heads.

Jessalyn, dressed in her best gown, rushed through the stands. These colorful compositions filled with gleaming fruits and exotic-smelling herbs usually never left her in the cold. But as Rahim was still shouting her name, Jessalyn wanted nothing more than to d...