Page 46 of Isolation

So, whatever the hell happened tothisman,thisman in front of me right now?

Milo told me that I sucked the soul out of him. Is that my lasting effect?

If our paths never crossed, could Milo have continued to be this person, without all of the other darkness that consumed him?

I guess the same could be said about me. I would have been a different person if our paths never crossed. One action: Theressa leaving us and moving to Europe. That’s all it took.

That one action started a chain reaction that haunts all of us till today. That one action led to our paths crossing, and it changed us both.

I quickly turn to a new page in my sketchbook and start drawing Milo. I want to preservethisman, as he is, in front of me. It’s been so long since I have seen this side of him.

I work quickly to try to hold on and conserve him as he is right now. I have to be fast before he can morph into the other man that I don’t recognize.

April 1st, 2020

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Milo

Raven has been working nonstop for the last couple of days. She has turned the study into a design studio, getting ready to showcase outfits for the website her and Alexa are launching for their new partnership.

Since everyone in the household eats separately, I have turned it into a habit to eat every meal with Raven, most of the time in the study. I also sneak in coffee breaks in between meals.

It’s insane to think that Raven stayed away for years when being only a few hours away from her is now impossible for me to tolerate.

I thought my obsession had already skyrocketed to its peak. Come to find out; it’s growing at an even more accelerated rate than ever before.

I can’t even slow it down.

I have this need to consume her. To be constantly around her. There is an incessant craving inside me to rule every one of her thoughts.

I want to lock her up so she can’t even talk to anyone but me. I want to be the first thing she thinks of and the last thing she dreams about.

She invokes an insanity and passion that is not elicited in any other aspect of my life. My work. My family. My success. None of it is as thought-provoking or profound as her.

But despite my obsession having reached a new height, I am forcing myself to let her finish her work.

She looked frazzled during our lunch today. Apparently, she is behind schedule for the photos her and Alexa plan to take for their website and Instagram.

So, I haven’t barged in on her or seen her in the last seven hours. But who’s counting?

Finally, at nine p.m., I mosey into the study and drop the large carryout bag on top of the wooden table. Raven is on the floor, putting pins on a mannequin.

In the last few weeks, her jet-black hair has grown and is hanging around her face. Her pale skin looks flushed from her current efforts. And her red lips are too fucking inviting.

I inhale sharply when Raven looks up at me. Fuck. Is there no end to this madness? She is so fucking tempting. Even in this poorly lit room and a five-dollar tank top, she looks edible.

How does she manage to do this to me? I am nothing but her puppet, and she is the master puppeteer, pulling at all of my heartstrings.

“Hi. We are eating,” I announce even though she is the only thing I want to eat right now.

“We are?” Raven squints her eyes.

“Rave, it’s almost nine p.m.” And I need contact with you right fucking now.

Raven gapes at that information. She doesn’t argue as she peels herself off the floor to stretch.

She plops down on her chair as I take out the sandwiches. I sit across from her in my usual chair, when I feel something poking me, so I jump back up.