The first few weeks after Nina left were a quiet, colorless affair. The world felt muted, the volume turned down. Kofi walked through the days in a kind of a fog, the vibrant, chaotic energy of his life replaced by a dull, persistent ache.
The apartment was too quiet. Thea was at her art program during the day, a new, exciting chapter of her own life beginning. Kofi was left alone in the silent, empty space, the ghost of Nina's laughter echoing in every room.
He would get texts from her, bright, frantic bursts of information from her new life. Pictures of her dorm room, of her new classmates, of the intimidating, ivy-covered buildings of her new school.
He would text her back, his own messages a pale, anemic reflection of her vibrant, new world. He would tell her about his summer job, a boring, mind-numbing gig at the local bookstore. He would tell her about the new issue of 'The Aviary', which he and Thea were slowly, dutifully, putting together.
