The Menu

Emerson didn’t speak right away, and neither did I. The silence between us felt strange and heavy. But it wasn’t just the news about Eric and Rita, it was everything that had brought us to this point, all the unspoken things I couldn’t name.

I wanted to ask him why he had felt the need to tell me, why he thought I needed to know this. But I didn’t. Instead, I just sat there, numb, the quiet between us stretching on.

"Okay then, um, I think I'll just go," Emerson said, almost like he didn’t want to.

"Okay," I answered.

He stood up, looking around the room, his gaze lingering on the objects that filled the space, but his thoughts seemed far away. I couldn’t tell if he was actually going to leave or if he was just lost in the moment.

He took two steps forward, toward the door, then suddenly stopped and turned back. He came back to the chair and sat down, still watching me, as if waiting for something. I kept my eyes on him, unsure of what was coming next, my mind racing, trying to figu