"Jules, are you there?"
"Please text back."
"Check your phone Jules, please, reply"
A lone teardrop escapes my eye and falls to my pillow. He was supposed to be back tonight, but I haven't heard from him at all.
"My anxiety is getting really bad tonight J, I'm scared. I need you back here with me. Please, let me know where you are!"
I'm frozen with fear. I know there's nothing to be scared of, but I cannot move. The blinds moving in the wind, the creaking of the wardrobe, the noises this old house has made every night since we moved in have all taken a menacing edge tonight. It's a figment of my imagination, I know, but tonight the pills just aren't working. Then I hear the door open. He's home. I hear him take a shower, and I'm calmed by the sound of water. I know he'll be in bed with me soon. I decide I'm mad at him for not calling or replying to my messages. I won't talk to him, I'll pretend to be asleep. The water stops. A few moments later, he walks into the bedroom and climbs into bed beside me. The phone rings. I reach for the bedside cabinet and fumble until I find the phone. I answer. "Honey, I'm so sorry, my flight got held up in Europe, I've just landed at the airport now"
"Jules?"
"Yeah. Is everything okay hun?"
A gentle pair of lips caress my neck.