Held Light, Held Close
She kept leaving the parts that mattered, the parts that were true without being vulnerable.
Around three, the overhead lights flared hard.
Someone flicked a switch near the kitchenette without warning, without asking, without considering that not everyone wanted more light. The room went brighter, white light bouncing off metal hardware and guitar finishes, off chrome and glass and every reflective surface, turning everything sharp-edged and hostile.
The pressure behind Celeste’s eyes stirred, more insistent now, moving from background hum to active complaint, as if the brightness had pressed a thumb directly onto the nerve, deliberate and specific.
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