-- oh, everyday
you feel a little further away
and I don't know what to say

“Chelsea —” Colby’s hands touched upon Chelsea’s cheeks gently. Fingers trembled against her fur like he was worried he’d break something important — something special. “Chelsea, I missed you.”

Chelsea looked up at those blue eyes like she had hundred times before, back when they were summertime sweethearts. Back when the Los Diablos amusement park was still booming, when shaved ice were served by the beach side, and when her old lover wrapped his arms around her as they laid laughing in the sand. Back when Colby acted like he had the entire sun inside him and he was radiating pure joy everywhere he went. Now those eyes just wasn’t the same. The colors didn’t change — still the same shade of mid day blue skies — but there’s no life behind them. The dark purple circles bored under his eyes and Chelsea wondered if the dead had more sleep than him. Probably so.

And that made her sad. Everything about Colby — his eyes, his ragged fur, and his nose, burnt? How? Why? — made her sad. She felt sick at her heart.

“Please,” Colby whispered. He pressed his forehead against hers. “please, please — I’ll change. I’ll get better. I’ll stop, I swear — I’ll stop. I don’t need the drugs. I never needed them, I just…”

“I just want you.”

His lips trembled and his voice sounded different — like something was bubbling inside. Chelsea pulled her head away and she felt her breath trapped in her throat. Those are tears — hot tears running down Colby’s cheeks. He’s crying. And those blue eyes looked deeper than before.

When Chelsea found her voice, she gave a sigh, and then reached up to grabbed Colby’s hands to bring them away. “Colby, listen,” she said. “you can’t quit for somebody. Not for me, not for anybody else. You need to get better for yourself.”

“You can’t count on me being with you, because I can’t, Colby — I’m sorry.”

Chelsea watched as Colby looked at her for a moment and then he squeezed his eyes shut, his mouth opened but nothing could come out. She stayed with him, her hands still on his, and she waited out those moments when his heart and brain synced together into reality. Tears continued on until all that’s left were redness in his eyes and a pounding headache. He finally nodded and they both headed back inside — Chelsea gave his hand a squeeze before she let go.

• Colby Davis the Eskijack
• Chelsea Ashford the Maine Coon Cat
• Artwork
-- Belongs to Radical-Alex