Cheating

I never thought I’d see him again. Three years had passed since we broke up—no big drama, just grew apart. But then the message: “I’m in town, just for today. Want to meet?” And I, without hesitation, said yes. My body remembered everything instantly—his hands, … Read more

I felt as if time had caught up with us, but not changed us. When I saw him leaning against his car, arms crossed, gaze fixed into the distance, I was instantly seventeen again. The years between us melted away like snow in the sun. … Read more

Lena zipped up her dress — a red thing of flowing silk she had bought two hours ago in a boutique. The fabric lay cool and heavy on her skin, cinching her breasts and leaving her décolletage deeply cut out. Risky. Perfect. She stepped before … Read more

Lena pressed the cool champagne flute against her cheek as she strolled through the crowd of laughing, gesturing people. The gymnasium of her old school was barely recognizable: black tablecloths, colorful lights, a bar offering more than the obligatory cheap liquor. Thirty years since graduation, … Read more

I should have known it was a bad idea to text him. “In town. Coincidence?” Some coincidence. Eight years without a word, and then I tap those three lines into my phone while lying on the hotel bed, staring at the ceiling light—that flickering neon … Read more

I pressed my back into the warm leather seat as Markus guided the car over the bumpy dirt road. The sun hung low, casting long, trembling shadows between the first trees. He had picked me up without asking where we were going. I let it … Read more

I left the key in the ignition, let the air conditioner run even though the air outside was already cool. The engine vibrated softly through the seat. Next to me, he breathed shallowly, his hands on his thighs, fingers drumming an inaudible rhythm. We were … Read more

The question of how I had let myself be talked into this class reunion echoed inside me, while my feet ached in the heels that were far too high and the black dress I had bought specifically for this evening suddenly felt like armor, separating … Read more

The smell of ozone and synthetic lavender hangs in the conditioned air as I push open the door to the hotel room. My fingers tighten around the suitcase handle as I survey the space: a wide bed with white sheets, a desk, a television silently … Read more

The ashtray rattled in my hand as I stubbed out the last butt — and suddenly I realized I was sitting with my neighbor on a dusty forest track on a Tuesday afternoon, while his car ticked softly. Completely absurd. And yet it had all … Read more