Nina The air was thick with laughter and clinking glasses, everyone ecstatic over the end of another grueling semester. Lori, Jessica, and a handful of others from our pre-med program had gathered in my living room to celebrate our triumphs, academic and otherwise. The room was a vibrant mixture
Enzo The air in the gym was thick with the stench of sweat. The fluorescent lights beamed down from the ceiling, casting a whitish hue over the various machines and free weights that occupied the room. The soundtrack for that day was the usual mix of grunts and sparse conversations, the clatter of
“Either way,” Matt said, taking another sip from his water bottle. “It sounds like you’re in the middle of some serious soul-searching. Just don’t go ripping your muscles apart in the process, okay?” I chuckled, standing up and gripping the barbell once again.”No promises.” … I was wiping down
Nina “Could you pass the salt?” Enzo’s voice snapped me back to reality, pulling me out of the deep train of thought that I had been stuck in; constant questions of what-if, anxiety, maybe even a little fear. “Sure,” I said, handing him the salt shaker from across the counter. Our hands brus
Nina The moment the nausea hit me, I knew something was off. It wasn’t just a twinge of discomfort, either. It was a mad dash to the bathroom to keep myself from making a mess all over the entire house. When I finally leaned over the toilet, emptying whatever remnants were in my stomach, I felt
“If you say so,” he replied, but I could sense the reluctance and restrained anxiety in his tone. “I do. Now go get some dinner, and enjoy your night.” “Alright. I love you, Nina.” “I love you too, Enzo. Goodnight.” We hung up, and I was alone again in the silence of our empty home. I sank o
Nina The sterile smell of antiseptic solution filled the air. The hospital lights overhead were blinding, casting everything with a whitish glow. As I lay there on the hospital bed, shivering in that awful, open-back gown with an IV poking out of my arm, I couldn’t shake off the sense of dread t
Nina The familiar scent of home enveloped me, instilling me with a sense of calm as I walked through the front door. The bag of medications and pamphlets was still clutched tightly in my hand, but I wasn’t quite ready to face reality and read what the doctor had given me. Not yet, at least. With
Nina The warm summer breeze brushed across my skin as I stood on the patio, clutching my robe tightly around my body. Laughter and splashes echoed up from the pool below, where our friends were already gathered for our big end-of-summer party. I should have been down there too, soaking up the ve
“What... what do you mean?” He braced his hands on the doorframe, leaning in closer with a heavy sigh. “I mean, by the time I caught up to them this morning, I only saw them long enough to get that photo before they were boarding a speedboat and taking off. Hell, I’m still not even totally sure wh
Nina My breath caught in my throat as I pulled open the front door expecting to see excited party guests, only to be immediately met with the sight of Luke’s grim expression. His brow was furrowed in a deep frown, his lips pressed into a tight line—clear signs that something was very wrong. “Luk
Nina I huffed out a breath as I hoisted the oversized cardboard box higher in my arms, carefully navigating my way through the living room. Strings of fairy lights poked out haphazardly from the top, and I could feel the weight of glass jars and other assorted decor inside shifting precariously wi
Then, at the last possible second, the scout seemed to find an extra burst of speed. He surged forward, hurtling between two towering oak trees and vanishing into the cover of the forest beyond. “Dammit!” I slammed my palms against the rough bark of the nearest trunk, powerless to do anything but
Enzo The crunch of leaves and snap of twigs echoed through the trees as Matt and I tore after the Schreiber scout. Our breaths came in ragged gasps, the hot summer air burning our lungs. Overhead, a little red bird chirped and flitted through the green canopy of trees; Daphne. But even she wasn’
Shaking my head, I turned without another word and stormed out of the fitting room. I took the two strides across the hall to Jessica’s fitting room and knocked on the door, folding my arms across my chest. “Jess? You in there?” There was a muffled thump in the fitting room, followed by the soun
Nina “How’s it looking in there?” I called out, rapping lightly on the wooden door of Jessica’s fitting room. “Um… decent, I guess?” her muffled voice floated back a moment later, although I could sense the uncertainty in her tone. “Decent? That’s it? Come on, Jess, this is your wedding gown w
Had I really known him at all, I wondered? Or had I merely been too self-absorbed and naive to see past the facade of unshakable command he projected? After a long silence, I found my voice. “Why didn’t he ever tell me that?” “He didn’t want you to see his weakness, I suppose,” Angelica replied