My first night away from Darren was torture. I tossed and turned,missing his warmth next to me. I was so dependent on him. Every day away from him was going to be hard. I knew that, but I guess I wasn’t fully prepared for the loneliness. I was missing a piece of me, and I couldn’t be whole without him.

            Lyle stayed with me until the early morning hours, trying to keep my mind off Darren. He put on movies and told me stories. But as soon as he left, Darren was all I ...