Late Nights and Tea

I spend most of my nights now downstairs, playing random card games on the internet with random people, crime TV playing in the background, cuddled up with a fuzzy blanket and a hot cup of green tea. I stay here from a little before midnight to 3am. There's something calming about utter anonymity on the web, with a list of moderated phrases you can use, like "Good job" and "Thanks partner." Something comforting about hot tea, no matter the weather. Even the screams and blood on the screen in front of me are soothing in a way.

Everything's familiar. It's the house I've lived in for the past 12 years. It's pretty much all I remember, except a walk-in closet where I lived in Richmond. I've watched movies on this TV for the last 7 years. I've sat in this couch for the last five.

It keeps me calm. It keeps me sane. It keeps me from thinking about real life and everything that seems so overwhelming but shouldn't be. It keep me from thinking about everything I'll have to worry about in college, about leaving my friends, about stress and pressure and expectations. It keeps me from thinking about and missing you.