One hundred and sixty-eight

Talia's POV:

It has been exactly one week, two days, nine hours, four minutes and two seconds without Nicholas. I can't believe it has been this long without him. I've been dealing with my routine, but, without him here, it was like I was lost, and it felt different. Emptier. Darker. It was like the sun had hidden behind a cloud, leaving my world in shadow. It was crazy. Utterly insane. I've been without Nicholas before. When I was on the island, he would leave on these trips all the time. In fact, he spent more time off the island than on it, and somehow I still managed to function. This time around, however, I have to constantly fight off a horrible feeling of unease, of anxiety that seemed to worsen with every hour.