Colors in the Air

She moved to be with him because too much of their relationship was spent apart. He was the center of her world and, now, the center of her city. He was her focus; he made everything brighter. She decorated their cozy apartment in calming blues to stand out against the cinder block buildings stacked down the street. The courtyard bloomed with lavender flowers as they sipped cocktails to relax every evening. She hustled to work and back, wearing blinders against the rest of the city, only wanting to see him.

Over time, he came home later and later. It was too dark to have drinks outside; she couldn’t even see the flowers by the time he got home. He fell asleep on the couch, leaving her to wake alone in the expanse of white bedding.

As the apartment started to feel less like home, she took her time walking to and from work, meandering up and down the city streets. She took time to notice the magic around each corner, the squirrels chittering in the trees, the leaves scuttling down the sidewalks.

Without her blinders, she noticed more about her new city. Each building window was a hint of potential, a possible life for her to explore. She realized her home wasn’t in him at all, but how he released her into a new world.