Entry tags:
December Meme - Day 31
It's the last day of the meme, and I have successfully answered all the questions. Yaaaay! I do feel a little bad that I wasn't able to do everything on time, but work. What can you do?
The last thing that I got from![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
dungeonmarm is this: Write an original story of at least 300 words. Thanks also to lady_krysis for giving me the prompt "postage stamp" because seriously, what the fuck am I supposed to do with that? :P
This was written in approximately 45 minutes, and is completely unedited.
As I doubt anyone's really interested in my original writing, I'll put it under a cut here.
~^~
As much as she tried to stop it, Gabrielle could feel the world changing around her. It had seemed like death to be without Ethan after the accident, had seemed like the world had changed on an atomistic level, everything shifted just slightly to the right, hazy and out of focus.
Now, though, she went to the group meetings her psychiatrist had suggested and had found herself—not healing, precisely; it felt more like awakening after a long afternoon nap, unfurling from sleep and realizing that while you weren't looking, the day had gone away.
There would be no more days for her husband, but Gabrielle still woke up with the sun, still had half a cigarette with her coffee in the morning; her feet still got cold when she padded barefoot across the wooden floor of the living room, and every day was one more day without him where she continued to breathe.
Grief was such an odd thing. Sometimes it would tighten in Gabrielle's chest, so that she would wheeze from the weight of it, and other days she would come through the front door just knowing that he would be there waiting for her.
He never was, and it was an itch, sitting restless beneath her skin, the knowledge that he never would be again.
~*~
Gabrielle watched Matt cross the coffee shop floor and she raised her hands, showing the two cups of coffee she'd already bought for them. His eyes warmed, and he drew her close to press a kiss to her forehead as he took his coffee.
"How're you doing, kiddo?" Matt slung an arm over her shoulder as they went outside, squinting in the sunlight.
She curled her fingers around her cup. "As well as can be expected, I suppose."
"I'm sorry I pressed you into going on that date." Matt's upper lip twitched. "It probably wasn't my best idea."
"Not really," Gabrielle said. She breathed in the steam from her coffee and took a sip. "But I appreciated it anyway."
"What are big brothers for, if not to harass you a little, right?"
Gabrielle swallowed. "I need your help. To clean the house."
Matt stiffened for just a moment, and then he gave her a squeeze. "Sure. No problem."
"Maybe Friday," Gabrielle decided, pushing a dark curl of hair behind her ear. "Just to give me time to prepare."
Matt nodded. "Yeah. My hands are yours."
They sat down at one of the picnic tables outside of the coffee house, and Gabrielle stared out at the road, the skin at the back of her neck prickling in discomfort. "I ran out of stamps today." She swallowed and took out her cigarettes, shaking one out and lighting it. "He used to get them, you know? And I ran out."
"It happens." Matt nodded, giving her a sideways glance. "You could always email. No stamps needed."
"I like writing letters." Gabrielle nudged Matt with the toe of her shoe, kicking at his calf. "Just because you're lazy doesn't mean I am."
Matt laughed and removed his arm from Gabrielle's shoulder, rubbing his scalp with his free hand. "I guess you're right about that." When Matt spoke again, his voice was soft. "It will get easier."
Gabrielle took a drag of her cigarette; through the smoke, she could see the cars driving down the road. "I know."
Matt hugged Gabrielle again, and they sat there in silence until their coffee cups were empty, even if their thoughts were still too full.
~^~
Master Post
The last thing that I got from
dungeonmarm is this: Write an original story of at least 300 words. Thanks also to lady_krysis for giving me the prompt "postage stamp" because seriously, what the fuck am I supposed to do with that? :PThis was written in approximately 45 minutes, and is completely unedited.
As I doubt anyone's really interested in my original writing, I'll put it under a cut here.
~^~
As much as she tried to stop it, Gabrielle could feel the world changing around her. It had seemed like death to be without Ethan after the accident, had seemed like the world had changed on an atomistic level, everything shifted just slightly to the right, hazy and out of focus.
Now, though, she went to the group meetings her psychiatrist had suggested and had found herself—not healing, precisely; it felt more like awakening after a long afternoon nap, unfurling from sleep and realizing that while you weren't looking, the day had gone away.
There would be no more days for her husband, but Gabrielle still woke up with the sun, still had half a cigarette with her coffee in the morning; her feet still got cold when she padded barefoot across the wooden floor of the living room, and every day was one more day without him where she continued to breathe.
Grief was such an odd thing. Sometimes it would tighten in Gabrielle's chest, so that she would wheeze from the weight of it, and other days she would come through the front door just knowing that he would be there waiting for her.
He never was, and it was an itch, sitting restless beneath her skin, the knowledge that he never would be again.
~*~
Gabrielle watched Matt cross the coffee shop floor and she raised her hands, showing the two cups of coffee she'd already bought for them. His eyes warmed, and he drew her close to press a kiss to her forehead as he took his coffee.
"How're you doing, kiddo?" Matt slung an arm over her shoulder as they went outside, squinting in the sunlight.
She curled her fingers around her cup. "As well as can be expected, I suppose."
"I'm sorry I pressed you into going on that date." Matt's upper lip twitched. "It probably wasn't my best idea."
"Not really," Gabrielle said. She breathed in the steam from her coffee and took a sip. "But I appreciated it anyway."
"What are big brothers for, if not to harass you a little, right?"
Gabrielle swallowed. "I need your help. To clean the house."
Matt stiffened for just a moment, and then he gave her a squeeze. "Sure. No problem."
"Maybe Friday," Gabrielle decided, pushing a dark curl of hair behind her ear. "Just to give me time to prepare."
Matt nodded. "Yeah. My hands are yours."
They sat down at one of the picnic tables outside of the coffee house, and Gabrielle stared out at the road, the skin at the back of her neck prickling in discomfort. "I ran out of stamps today." She swallowed and took out her cigarettes, shaking one out and lighting it. "He used to get them, you know? And I ran out."
"It happens." Matt nodded, giving her a sideways glance. "You could always email. No stamps needed."
"I like writing letters." Gabrielle nudged Matt with the toe of her shoe, kicking at his calf. "Just because you're lazy doesn't mean I am."
Matt laughed and removed his arm from Gabrielle's shoulder, rubbing his scalp with his free hand. "I guess you're right about that." When Matt spoke again, his voice was soft. "It will get easier."
Gabrielle took a drag of her cigarette; through the smoke, she could see the cars driving down the road. "I know."
Matt hugged Gabrielle again, and they sat there in silence until their coffee cups were empty, even if their thoughts were still too full.
~^~
Master Post