Darling you,

I went to the beach before sunrise this morning and stood at the water’s edge, allowing the softest of waves to break gently over my feet while I wriggled my toes deeper into the cool, damp sand. When a whisper of breeze kissed the back of my neck, I took a deep breath and stretched my arms as high as I could over my head before exhaling slowly and lowering my arms again.

It was a perfect moment.

And then, as the sun peeked over the horizon, I felt the ache of your absence and I wished you were at my side. I wanted you to be here, scooping me into your arms and carrying me back to the house as you’d done so many times in the past. I wanted us to be having breakfast together in the garden, or even better, forgetting about breakfast and hurrying to the bedroom instead, locking the door behind us then tumbling onto the bed, laughing at our shamelessness. I wanted to see you smiling at me, to hear you whisper my name. I wanted to feel the touch of your lips on mine. I wanted to hold you and to be held by you.

I wanted us to be together again, living the life we’d dreamed of.

It was a simple dream.

It should have been possible.

And then, it wasn’t…

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