His Love, Her Revenge

remember fa

he rain having stopped sometime in the early morning. The city outside her windo

her kitchen counter, its edges

t opened

t nee

g root in her thoughts, growing vines of dou

m the start. Always

just been close enough to comfort her? Or c

like he always did-casual, familia

ing up a brown bag. "From that

d a smile

l the silence with easy chatter about client meetings and

hed him

ike it was his. The way he avoided as

rious about what was stil

finally, when she d

. "Tired.

"You look like y

dn'

to talk

hesi

member when my father

ged-just a flicker.

emember," he s

. Did you ever hear my father mention Blac

k. "Sure. A few times. Everyone was ta

reas

y but didn't pr

d her more t

n silence

h a celebrity chef who cursed on a livestream. Av

atching h

g for

to read. But now, she wasn't sure

e he was

egret it?" she

ed up.

Watching it happen. Not

t answer

her, he said, "I think

is face. "Tha

htened. "It's no

t on the couch with t

't open

t stare

weight of pen and paper grounded him, especially when the pressu

ght, looking at those pages while he slept on the

ninete

the one to drive h

known e

ought away, but

just infect what you didn't know. It start

ony, wrapped in an old sweater, the win

city blink and

n't cal

n't tex

from the crate in her closet. The pages were yellowing, th

" "Vane."

d at the

r it like it might tel

to Easton Media and found Clari

at the tower," she

yebrow. "Why no

ails for conversatio

aven't agreed t

aid you did. But you're not one t

bbed he

e she

ngled the past had become...