The first warm rays of the morning were on my face. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, then slowly opened them.

The other side of the bed was empty. He was gone, gone again, as on the first night.

Leon always left without my knowledge.

No good morning greetings, no farewell kisses. I felt sad and lost, and the smell of him still lingered on the other side of the bed.

I shifted my body to the position in which Leon had slept the night before, my face pressed against the silk sheet. A faint smell of grass filled my nose. I imagined touching Leon’s cheek and...