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“I know, Ember, but it’s just for a few days,” Wade promised as he and his love watched the train come to a stop. He was on his way to a work conference a few cities away.
Ember stepped forward and put her hands on his chest. “I’m still going to miss you. Call me every day? Even if it’s just for a few minutes?” she asked, gently gripping his shirt.
Wade smiled softly and set his suitcase down, reaching up to take her hands in his, steam wafting up from them. “Ember, it’s bad enough I can’t see you for a few days. I think I would lose my sanity if I couldn’t at least hear your voice every day too.”
Ember’s flame softened and she stood up on her toes to kiss him. Their lips lingered there for a moment, and as Ember started to pull away, Wade greedily pulled her closer and kissed her deeper. This caused Ember’s lips to smile against his and Wade smiled back against her, appreciating the way her smile felt against his.
When they finally parted, Ember rested her head on his chest. In the background, an announcement resounded that the train was calling for final boarding in the next five minutes.
“Are you okay?” Wade asked, his breath steamy in her flame.
Ember nodded and pulled away. “Yeah. Just aside from missing you, I feel like I control my temper better when you’re around.”
Wade chuckled and swirled his finger around a stray flame on her head. “Ember, don’t give me the credit for that. You’ve put in a lot of work on yourself.” Ember smiled and looked down. Wade chuckled and tilted her chin with his finger, looking deep into her eyes. “But just in case, there’s a gift on your nightstand. Don’t open it unless you need it, though.”
Ember’s brow lowered in confusion and curiosity. “How will I know if I need it if I don’t know what it is?”
Wade traced a finger down her cheek and smiled. “You’ll know,” he said softly before tilting her chin and pecking her once more on the lips, letting them linger for a few seconds as he pulled away. Then, he grabbed his suitcase and jogged toward the last open car of the subway train, disappearing into the crowd inside.
Ember watched until she couldn’t see him anymore, then waited for the train to disappear down the track. She hugged her elbows in as she turned away from the subway, making her way to the glass-making firm for which she was in her last month of internship. She took her time walking, making sure she’d pulled herself together enough by the time she reached her building a few blocks down.
“Good morning, Ember!” the security guard said as Ember approached the door. He was a tall tree person named Lee Falling. “Why so dim?” he asked as he pulled the door open for her.
Ember sighed. “Well, Wade’s off on a business trip for a few days. I just said goodbye to him. I’m gonna miss him is all.”
Lee nodded understandingly. “I understand, my husband Barkley has to travel for work sometimes.”
Ember paused at the threshold and turned to him. “Really? How do you deal with it? I’ve never felt the way I feel about Wade about anyone else. I just feel . . . empty knowing he’s not going to be there when I get home later.”
Lee chuckled. “Well, I’m not sure it ever gets any easier. But I do know this. Love finds a way, and sometimes it’s important to spend some time apart. Gives you time to remember who you are without them.”
Ember considered for a moment. “I guess you’re right. Thanks, Lee.”
Lee let the door shut behind her as she entered the building. Bet Your Glass Glassmaking hired Ember nearly six months ago for an internship. After the six month program, she would have the opportunity to step into a supervisory role if the current CEO was impressed with her work. She had learned a lot here, from the different types of glass, different types of glassmaking, glass design, and even dabbling in stained glass. Her last month would be spent learning how to mold small glass figures without overheating or breaking them.
It didn’t take long for Ember to become immersed in her work, her passion for glass design taking over. As much experience as she’d had with molding glass, working with small figurines was certainly the trickiest. Every time she tried to get the details right, she’d get too hot and her hard work would spill through her fingers.
“Gah!” she cried out in frustration later that afternoon, throwing her latest attempt onto her metal table. It sat there, a globbed incomprehensible mess. She exhaled deeply and leaned forward on her elbows, putting her face into her hands.
“You let the glass win again?”
Ember turned to the voice behind her to find Scorch, an upper management fire man who was one of the ones who oversaw her work and progress. She sighed and turned her spinning chair around to face him.
“I’m trying, Mr. Scorch, but if I can’t even make a candle holder how can I ever expect to make actual miniature figurines?” she said hopelessly.
Scorch smiled sympathetically and stepped forward, reaching across her to pick up the glob of glass that sat cooling on the table.
“You wanna know a fun fact, Ember?” he said as he heated his hands to get the glass burning bright red again. Ember leaned forward with curiosity as she watched him. “This is difficult even for our water employees. Molding glass is an art. It takes a special hand to pull the sculpture out of a lump of melted glass.”
Scorch gently pulled the glass into shape, pinching and pulling at it, heating and dimming his hands as necessary. Slowly, the glass transformed into a short, ridged candleholder, its rim pointed in three places, all pointed in the same direction around its circumference. He set the creation onto the table and its red color slowly began to fade.
Ember sighed dejectedly, leaning back in her seat. “You make it look so easy.”
Scorch chuckled. “You’re looking at eighteen years of experience. You have three days,” he said, crossing his arms and leaning against the table by his hip.
Ember smiled back and nodded. “You’re right, I just need more time to learn. I have . . . a lot on my mind today too.”
Scorch’s brow furrowed. “Oh? Do you need to talk about it? Hope nothing serious.”
Ember shook her head and stood. “No, it’s nothing like that. My boyfriend’s just off on a business trip for a few days. He left this morning and I’m bummed about it.”
Scorch nodded. “Ah, I see. Tell you what,” he said glancing at the clock, “you’ve got less than an hour left of your shift anyway. Why don’t you go on home, get some rest and unwind, and we’ll keep trying tomorrow.”
Ember exhaled a small laugh. “Really? Are you sure?” she asked incredulously.
Scorch rested a hand on her shoulder as he turned to leave. “Yes, I’m sure. I have a lot of high hopes for you, Ember. You shouldn’t be judged based on one bad day.”
He didn’t wait for her response as he left her standing in her station, heading to another intern’s station a ways down. Ember sighed with relief. She hadn’t realized just how frustrated she’d become. She could certainly use a little extra breather this afternoon. She grabbed her bag and left her station, casting one last lingering glance at the candleholder on the table, now completely cooled and gently refracting her light as it passed through it. It reminded her of the way Wade would be in awe of her light when it passed through him. The thought made her sad again as she headed out.
The evening air was cool against her flame as she stepped out onto the sidewalk, waving goodbye to Lee as he checked her off his list as having vacated the building. The journey home felt longer than normal with the prospect of stepping over the threshold alone.
When she reached her home – a large stone structure to accommodate Ember’s heat – she hesitated at the door a moment, then pressed inside, shutting the door behind her and leaning against it, taking in the silence. Wade would typically be home before her, and by now his, “Hello, my light, how was your day?” would be filling the room as he walked over to kiss her. Then he’d lead her to the kitchen where he was preparing dinner and listen to her recount her day and what she’d learned. She found herself surprised at how much she’d taken those small moments for granted.
Hanging her bag on the hook by the door, she made her way to the kitchen to fix herself something to eat. Her appetite wasn’t much with her that evening, but she decided to at least whip up some kolnuts. As she pressed her eighth one between her palms, it suddenly struck her what Wade had said before he left.
But just in case, there’s a gift on your nightstand. Don’t open it unless you need it, though.
She wasn’t sure what he’d meant. It felt impossible to know whether she would “need” it not knowing what the gift was. Wade said she’d just know if she needed it. Bowl of kolnuts in hand, she made her way to her bedroom.
Ember wasn’t sure how long she stood at the foot end of her bed, staring at the “gift” on the nightstand. It was a small notebook with a bow wrapped around it. Next to it, a little tented card stood with the words Just in case written on it with a little heart next to it. Eventually she sat on her bed, looking down into her bowl of kolnuts. Her appetite had suddenly retreated, and the thought of eating them made her nauseated. Suddenly, a little drop of lava fell into the bowl and it made her jump in surprise. She hadn’t realized she’d started crying.
It almost frustrated her. She’d been single the majority of her life. Sure, she’d dated a few here and there, but with running the shop with her dad things never worked out. And of course, her feelings just never grew for them. Not the way they’d done for Wade. Wade made her feel special, made her feel like her feelings mattered and shouldn’t be suppressed. She loved him so much, and didn’t want to admit to herself just how much of a hold he had on her.
The notebook drew her attention once again. She suddenly felt the urge to pick it up and see what was in it. But did she need it? After sitting with the thought for a few moments, she decided that her upset stomach counted as a need.
Pulling the bow off, she dragged her hand down its cover. It was a medium-sized brown notebook, perfect bound and thin. Nothing was written on the cover, so whatever was on the inside would be a mystery until she opened it. She took a deep breath and parted the cover from the pages, and across the first page read Table of Contents .
Quite a formal start, Ember thought. Curiosity eating at her even more, the aching in her stomach growing, she continued to read.
Read this in case you are feeling angry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg1
Read this in case you are feeling lonely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg2
Read this in case you are feeling sad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg3
Read this in case you are feeling frustrated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg4
Read this in case you are feeling like you aren’t enough . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg5
Read this in case you are feeling afraid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg6
Read this in case you are feeling disappointed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg7
Read this in case you are feeling doubt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg8
Read this in case you are feeling hurt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg9
Read this in case you are feeling like a burden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg10
She felt her heart sink as she read the titles of each page, then the note at the bottom of the table of contents caught her eye.
Remember my love, my light,
If there’s anything we’ve learned today, it’s that sometimes we won’t always be able to be there for each other. It pains me to know that you could be feeling some hard feelings, and I won’t be there to hold you and tell you everything will be okay. You are also the strongest person I know. I know you’ll get through anything, with or without me. However, if you ever need a reminder about how amazing you are, this is for you.
I love you, my light.
A hot tear burned in the corner of Ember’s eye again and she pulled the notebook away from her a little bit so she wouldn’t ruin it. She glanced over the titles again, realizing that Wade had written her personalized notes for any negative emotion she may feel while he’s away. She was feeling especially lonely tonight, so she flipped to page two. She could hear Wade’s voice in her mind as she read.
Read this in case you are feeling lonely
Ember, if there’s one thing I’m certain of, it’s that you don’t need me. You don’t need anyone. I feel privileged that you’ve allowed me to join you on your journey. Watching you grow and thrive has been one of my greatest joys that I will never take for granted. You are so independent and strong, I have no doubt that you can survive being on your own – mentally, emotionally, and physically. You are Ember freaking Lumen, and you shine bright no matter who you’re around. Regardless, I am sorry you are feeling lonely, my light. I can assure you that you’ve occupied a large corner of my mind during our time apart as well. When I return, we will have to make up for lost time. In the meantime, go out for dinner. Either on your own or invite a friend. You deserve to know just how special you are whether I am there to remind you or not. If you feel like you need me to remind you of that, then I need you to work on instilling a stronger belief in yourself. You deserve to love yourself as much as I do.
I love you, my light. This is not forever. Enjoy yourself, my love. I know I do.
Love, Wade
Ember wasn’t sure when she’d started smiling. She almost wanted to read the rest of the notes there and then, but decided she’d wait until she truly needed them. For now, though the loneliness lingered, it didn’t sting quite as badly. In fact, she felt her appetite returning. She closed the notebook and gingerly set it back on her nightstand. Her hand reached for the bowl of kolnuts, but she hesitated when she remembered the note had encouraged her to go out to eat. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d taken herself out.
A smile on her face, she went to her closet and pulled out one of her nicest dresses and slipped it on. Abandoning the kolnuts, she grabbed her bag from the hook and left, heading to her favorite restaurant across town. Wade’s message lingered in the back of her mind.
Enjoy yourself, my love. I know I do.
With a smile, she pressed on. For now, she’d be treating herself. Afterward, she’d be brainstorming ways to make sure Wade felt just as loved by her as she did by him.