Story Bad Decisions

I heard a familiar noise: grunts from Lin’s room. I looked at my PC as another meeting reminder popped up and decided to ignore this one as well. I was getting fired for sure if I kept this up. I…

Dan showed up mid-afternoon carrying a cheap toolbox like he had been summoned by the dripping faucet. The kitchen faucet had been dripping for days, loudest whenever the apartment went quiet. He did not wait to be asked. He set…

The next morning the apartment felt crowded with everything Lin and I were not saying. Dan had already left for work, so it was just the two of us in the kitchen. I moved around her in short, clipped movements,…

I woke up to the soft electronic chirp of somebody moving through menus. I dragged myself out of bed, found yesterday’s shorts and T-shirt on the floor and went looking for coffee. Lin was sitting cross-legged on the rug in…

My phone buzzed before I had finished my first coffee. Not the apartment chat. A new one. Girl Talk Leah:Hello. Leah:Dan gave me your numbers. Leah:I wanted to thank you both for yesterday. I stared at the screen. Across the…

Mia texts Leah in private for the first time. Cosplay comes up, Lin’s nickname does too, and the chat goes somewhere the group thread never would.

I woke up beside Lin needing to pee. I slipped out of bed and left her sleeping. While doom-scrolling on the toilet, a message appeared in the Girl Talk chat. Leah:Morning. Leah:One housekeeping item. Leah:Sent two images. Leah:Negative across the…

I woke before my alarm. I was excited. My body knew something was happening and refused to waste it sleeping. Leah was coming over at five. I lay in bed for another minute, staring at the ceiling, before admitting I…

The girl chat turned into mostly memes after Sunday, Dan seemed to spend more time with us than with Leah, and he mostly said she was a busy woman, and no further digging could get more specifics. My work week…

Friday arrived with the kind of urgency usually reserved for medical appointments and tax deadlines. I showered in the morning, washed my hair, kept conditioner away from the roots like Leah had instructed, and spent the next several hours trying…