The ritual nobody eulogized

“Your partner used to initiate going to bed at the same time as you — not every night, but most nights. They'd close their laptop, say something like 'alright, I'm done,' and you'd both head up together. It was a small, quiet ritual. Somewhere in the last several months, they've started staying up later, and you've gotten used to falling asleep alone. Tonight you're heading upstairs and they're still on the couch, laptop open, no sign of wrapping up.”