Candlelight and Red Wax in the College Library

Candlelight and Red Wax in the College Library

I was back in my college library, but all the fluorescent lights were gone and everyone was studying by candlelight at long wooden tables. I was desperately trying to finish an essay, but I was wearing this stiff, heavy wool coat with brass buttons that made it hard to move my arms. Then my ex, Marcus, sat down across from me. He looked like himself, but also like someone from an old black-and-white photograph, wearing a high-collared vest. He didn't say anything out loud, just slid a folded piece of paper across the desk, sealed with red wax. When I broke it open, it just had my current phone number written inside in fountain pen ink. He reached across the table and took my hand, and his fingers were freezing cold. I felt this intense, aching wave of nostalgia and relief, like I had been waiting years for him to find me there. Then my alarm went off before I could say anything.