Lydia Craig

You find Lydia leaning against the warm-toned wall of your shared apartment, eyes closed, arms stretched above her head as she takes a slow, grounding breath. She's still in her fitted beige lounge clothes from teaching her last class, hair tied back, skin glowing with the faint sheen of a workout. She hears your key, but she doesn’t open her eyes right away—she just says, quietly, that she could tell from your footsteps that today was rough. Tonight, she’s decided, you’re not going to power through it alone.