A night like this

[Ellie Mors]

xxx

A quiet breeze swept across the wide expanse of green, the grass swaying like the trees that moaned atop the distant hills overlooking the property. It was a quiet night, a chilly one, and the stars that hung around the world's crescent moon cast a dim glow over the meadow that encircled the isolated estate Lily had been brought to live in. The redhead, herself, was laying on her back some distance from the furthest stretch of the estate's looming walls, amber eyes counting the stars for the hundredth time while her lips were pursed, whistling a tune that made music of her longing.

'Which stars, I wonder, is he closest to today?'

The tune came to a close as she let her imagination run wild with that thought. Somewhere out there, in the great expanse that formed a mural in the night sky, was the reason for her venturing out in nights like this. She swallowed noisily, eyes closing as she tried to picture what he might be doing so far from home tonight. Her imagination conjured images of the sith lord swinging a red saber against blue, of the nearly-shaven military leader in his more formal attire about to meet with dignitaries from across the stars, and of the one time she could remember seeing his hazel eyes framed with a smile. It was the last image that held, the one she longed for.

 

[Ellie Mors]

xxx

Night turned to morning, morning to evening, then dusk came and the cycle continued. Day in, day out. Every day just a little different, the occasional conference call with her paramour sprinkled throughout during his absence, but it was her longing for him that remained constant, now, perhaps, more than ever. The taste of her daily glass of wine slowly transitioned from a comforting chalkiness, numbing the lingering ache in her chest, to a bitter scratch at her throat that drove her from its comfort. As the second week dragged on, every day longer than the last, she felt her stamina slipping, fatigue overtaking her by the tenth consecutive day despite her lack of activity. At first, before the fatigue had set in, she hadn't felt the urge to eat much following his departure from the estate on government business - but by the ninth day she was slowly regaining her appetite.

Twelve days came and went, twelve days of walking the halls and out into the grassy fields beyond the estate walls. Twelve nights of sleeping with a pillow in her arms.

Several more days passed, days that seemed like little more than extensions of the weeks prior, and things slowly started to change in more noticeable ways. Despite, or perhaps because of, her increased appetite, she spent much of the day after eating feeling slightly less-than-pleased with her fullness - the sensation of being bloated something she'd never been one to experience before. A day later and she was nauseous when she woke, at first blaming it on 'something she ate' the night before, but that nauseous feeling returned immediately at the smell of anything even remotely unpleasant - turning the slightly unpleasant smell of some green vegetables into wholly repulsive odors in her head. At first she thought it was just a bug, nothing more than a passing flu perhaps.

Not until she missed that time of the month - which brought with it a whole slew of things that suddenly made cramps and pains far more ideal.