A Short-Lived Romance

The first thing she noticed was that he was short. She only liked tall men. The two of them could never be anything more than friends.

-

He was smart - really smart. He made her think, and then he made her laugh.

When she talked, he listened. He understood.

She realized that she made him nervous, even though she couldn't figure out why.

-

She'd never been good with platonic friendships. She always ended up wanting more.

Her friends rarely returned these feelings. When they became aware of her desires, they got scared or disgusted. They didn't stay.

On those occasions when she met someone who did feel similarly for her, they wanted her all to themselves. She couldn't live like that. She wanted everyone; she needed to be free.

This time, she wouldn't make either of those mistakes. They would be friends, and that would be all.

Catching Up

"Alice! Over here."

Madison waved at Alice from a table to the right of the patio. Big earrings, big smile, cigarette in her hand. It had been a while since the two young women had seen each other, but Madison hadn’t changed a bit.

“I got you a coffee,” Madison said, pushing a cup toward Alice as she sat down.

“Oh.” Alice paused to set her purse down on the table. “I don’t drink coffee.”

“I forgot,” Madison said sheepishly. “I’ll go get you some tea. Maybe a hot chocolate?” Alice began to acquiesce, but Madison had hardly caught her breath before speaking again. “Actually, I’ve only got a couple minutes anyway. Hair appointment. You’re not thirsty, are you?”