Seeing the legal papers for Kyle was weird since he wasn't someone that existed only a few days ago. It was more shocking seeing that his full name was Kyle Alves-Matthews. Caleb may have been my boyfriend, but we didn't exactly tie the knot before he became a child again. Though, I felt a bit of relief that I didn't marry him since he did turn into a child. Child marriage or anything similar to that was something I did not want to touch at all. I had wished that when I did have a child, he would be there to help me, and we could've been a family. But Caleb wasn't here anymore.
All those fantasies of being a happy family were gone.
That night, I laid in bed and noticed that it was colder than usual. My arm reached out next to me hoping that I would feel some semblance of warmth only to be greeted with more empty space. I pulled my blankets up to my chin reluctantly to try warming myself up. I stared at the ceiling lost in thought, unable to get the events of the past day out of my mind. I missed him so much.
Caleb wasn't the happiest person alive, far from it. But when he did smile, I couldn't help and take a pause to fully enjoy the moment. On the rare occasion he did laugh, his eyes lit up like the stars and his skin was like the night sky. He was my universe but now I'm as lost as space junk.
A muffled whimper escaped my lips and I could feel my head throbbing as I held back tears. I didn't want Kyle to hear me cry especially since the walls were so thin.
I remembered the last time I saw Caleb. It was a sunny that morning. Nothing seemed to be particularly off aside from Caleb using a sheet of paper to fan himself. My grogginess had faded slightly when I saw him, and I could feel a smile slowly stretch on my face.
"Aren't you up early?" I remarked to him. My arms slowly made my way around his waist and I rested my head on his shoulder.
"Actually, I stayed up late. I was painting this the whole night." His voice came out as a rasp and I noticed the pile of empty cans of energy drinks next to him. Caleb stood from his seat, causing the cans to fall and roll away.
"Caleb!" I retracted my hug and he gave a playful pout. "You promised me you would sleep when we were cuddling last night! I even made sure to hold onto you extra tight so you wouldn't escape."
"I couldn't help it! Inspiration struck. It was like something took control of me. Anyways you always let go when you fall asleep." He dramatically put the back of his hand to his forehead and I sighed, trying to hold back a smile.
"What was it this time?" I asked.
"Well," he said. "I painted something that I truly loved."
I could feel my heart race when my eyes landed on the artwork laid on the table. It was a portrait of my laughing face but instead of canvas or even paper, it was painted on a jigsaw puzzle.
"No canvas?"
"I thought this would be nicer," he said. "Especially on days that I get frustrated with you, I can do this."
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