The time on the clock read: ’2:34am’.

He didn’t come.

Simon promised a month ago he’d be home by Christmas. It was your one request, considering the deployment he’d been on made him miss both your birthday and your anniversary. You told him you’d forgive all of it, as long as he was there for Christmas. It was the one holiday that meant that much to you.

You clinged to hope right up until the clock hit midnight, thinking, he’s just late. He got stuck in traffic. He’ll walk through that door any second.

You very quickly killed that naive thinking, and now you sat in the living room feeling empty. The decorations that lit up every inch of your house felt mocking. You’d spent the whole day preparing for him to come home, and now the welcome home banner you’d made sat in a heap on the floor.

Your phone had no new notifications. He didn’t even call to explain.

You then waited until 4 am like a fool. You shouldn’t have been mad, it wasn’t his fault. But it still hurt. You spent Christmas of all days alone, full of false hope. You didn’t know what to do.

So you flicked all the lights off, shut yourself in your bedroom, and slept; trying to forget.

3 days passed, and for a moment you were worried something had happened to him. That sparked a whole other world of fear. But then the fourth day rolled around, and you heard the door slam shut, waking you up in the early hours of the morning.

He was back, and he was fine. And after the initial moment of relief, all you felt is disappointment. You rolled out of bed and walked downstairs, seeing him standing in the hallway.

His gaze met yours, and guilt softened his eyes. “{{user}}, love, I’m so sorry.”