e knew me now. Really knew me. And part of me expected that to mean something. But days passed. Then a week. Then months.We texted. We met up a lot and had hot steamy sex. Dates,

of hair from my face, say things like "You make it easy to be around you," or "I miss this." Whe

hout sounding desperate. One night, I was cooking for a small dinner party. A group of content creators were having a party. The kitchen smelled like roasted garlic and lemon. My pl

l seeing your

"Kin

"What's

e hang

ith you freely and not c

lready told me he can't do ca

talk, come by my ho

What's g

talk when you g

speaker tucked somewhere near her vanity. I hadn't been here in weeks. The last time, we'd drunk cheap prosecco on her balcony and talked about men like they were another language we were b

ked her, I was begin

sip, then set her gla

't going to tell you this, but I

cing. She looked at me, really looked, like sh

m," she sa

ked, even t

last-minute to accompany him to a dinner

ess where the conv

a minute later.

rritated look. "W

he air before saying, "Crest" in a

on to keep tabs on his movement, social life, business or what he does with his ti

me with an arm candy, and they

continued, reaching

ure what the nature of your relationship with

t smaller. The hum of the city outside the window, the faint jazz, everything

my voice came out thi

u o

t know.

wine, though nei

er tone gentle, almost apologetic. "You said he's divorced, right? Maybe s

our relationship, he just said he wanted me and didn

it's probably time you both discussed

h like I was bruised from the inside. I maintained a clam e

he truth was, he might not have made things official between us, but he very much acted and treated me like we were a

e was calm, familiar, li

ey

pause, sof

red you

d. "Cherry

I thought that mig

want to say to me?" I as

t what it looked it

ed at how clic

ys say before it's exact

's... a companion. One of Robin's girls. I didn't ev

ed. "A c

It wasn't the kind of

eathing, steady and low, the way he always did

now, is respect me enough not

sical, pressing against my ribs, heavy and hollow. I stood there, in the midd