Downpour, 4:30 AM

I woke to the sound of thunder and sheets of rain coming down outside. I immediately jumped out of bed, running around the apartment in my boxers trying to close all the open windows. Nothing was too wet, as I had gotten up in time.

But when I got back to bed, I was overcome with a profound sense of loneliness. Right then and there, I hated the fact that I was single – I wanted someone else there in the bed, someone else who I would have jostled awake trying to get all the windows closed. I wanted someone else lying next to me who would have murmured a bit of thanks and thrown their arm around me. I wanted someone to slide up against, who would have touched my forehead and we would have both slowly slid back into sleep.

I listened to the rain for a brief while, after I pulled the covers up. It just made the entire apartment sound like a drum – empty and full of echoes.