Goodnight
By Jamie Rider
I stood there in the doorway still feeling the heat of his hands on the skin under my clothes. I adjusted the hem of my white shorts out of nervousness while he watched me walk down the stairs to meet him. We hugged and I mumbled into his neck, “Thanks for tonight. I’ve really missed you.” We hadn’t seen each other in months, and I was convinced he had to feel some sort of melancholy about that.
It was 3 a.m.
I knew my mom would question why I was coming home at this hour, but it didn’t matter. I held my breath as he let me go, opened the door, and said “Yea, goodnight.” I wished him a goodnight too and walked out the door with a convincing smile plastered on my face. I remember feeling as if I was walking through wet sand up to my knees. I got into my car, pulled out of his driveway, and headed home, my heart left behind.
That was the last time I saw him, the last time I ever told someone I missed them before they said it to me first.
From the Editor
I chose this piece as Editor's Choice because it exemplifies numerous characteristics of quality writing, such as characterization, setting, mood, tone, and voice with a few words. The piece maintains a realistic grounding that is relatable for readers. It is concise with what it says, and every word holds its weight when contributing to the meaning. This piece resonated with me because we've all had those sand trudging nights at some point in our life.