The Perfect Lie

pte

on the woman who looked back at her in the mirr

The memory of the woman on the street lingered with her like a promise on the edge of

was

ed at her wasn't mere politeness. It was something m

his tension, the shift of his bo

m w

tions than answers, and the only person who could help her fill in tho

footsteps made

an appeared at the doorway,

id softly. "

a smile. "Yea

li

ad with him since wak

ad come

sence filling the space in a way that left her feeling trapp

lk," he said, his gaze scanning

the woman. She could ask him questions: w

hing rest

Just... thinking about my mem

his fingers through hers. His gr

" he whispered. "Memories c

ed, but her mind

f they

ssing pieces n

han was keepin

r head, stealing in like a s

she asked, her eyes rising to meet

only subtly, but she caught

as if experimenting wit

Perhaps it would work. If I wrote them down ahea

though. It didn't feel right. I

ournal," he informed her. "

ing him, her h

was a

why she knew i

yes came just short of hers. The way his f

ding somethi

o nod, pretendin

ind, somethi

t forgett

aving the

he had to

-

na lay awake, staring up at the ceiling. The house was oddly s

e vision of the jou

rly certain she had-then it had to

de of the bed, moving slowly and care

pt across the floor, her ba

ted in t

he rows of precisely folded clothes, the immaculate nea

d a stack of sweater

mething right out

likel

was bein

ne drawer at a time. Socks, T-shirts, u

ingly agitated wi

mething near impossibly subtle in the

d, feeling the edges with he

art po

f the drawer, and to her surpri

her hand, her fingers curling ar

The cover was plain and without embel

her eyes scannin

th

e

ou don't remember. But you have to b

me much

It was hers.

to he

he turned the page, her wr

she could k

er creaked, and

rned s

doorway, his dark

oke for a

h

ed into a slow,

dn't

tightened on

lie had

th

was

, pushing the jour

y, her stomach quivering

er, his eyes nev

nto bed," h

e, her he

th

no

e drawer behind her without a s

around, one

, the walls sta

his arm arou

Poss

fin

d at him,

asn't trembli

t discovered a secret he ne

ke she alr

he beginning of

re so many m