Aurelia and I never spoke of that night again. I woke up alone on Marco’s couch, the pillow still warm and her scent faint on the fabric. I figured that was it. That I’d never see her again. But a few hours later, she showed up at my new place, hair tidy, blouse buttoned, glasses on. Back to her neat, picture-perfect girlfriend impression. She had the check for the deposit. And when the landlady insisted, she even agreed...

“Hey,” Paige grumbles as I plop down beside her at the kitchen table. “Rough morning?” I keep the chuckle in check when I see how wrecked my little sister looks. “My head hurts,” she says, hunched over a steaming mug of coffee. “Also, I’m pretty sure I caught you necking with my best friend of fifteen years in your car last night.” That’s it. I’m done for. I don’t breathe, don’t move, waiting for the fallout. But Paige ju...

I’m not surprised to find Paige and Maddie sprawled on the lakehouse’s living room couch as I leave the bathroom. They’re munching on cereals, watching cartoons, still in their PJs. “Going for a run?” Paige asks as soon as she notices my clothes. She barely finishes the sentence before half-chewed Cheerios escape her mouth. She claps a hand over her lips, eyes wide, and then bursts into laughter. “Yup,” I smirk and head f...

“Hey, Rom!” Dad’s voice booms as he waves me over from the grill all the way to the back of the garden. “Mind taking over for a while?” “Sure,” I say, wiping my hands on my shorts. Not like I have anything better to do. He hands me the tongs, but more importantly, his old apron, scarred with grease stains and burn marks from years of cookouts. “The Johnsons should be here any minute,” he explains. “I’d like to clean up an...

It’s nice to enjoy a minute of calm. The water is fresh, not too fresh. The lake is peaceful and lonely. I’m in no hurry to swim back to the shore. My parents’ lakehouse, right above the beach, is obscured by a thin line of trees. Drying myself under the early morning sun, I’m winded but still manage to hear people approaching along the small path to the Johnsons’ cabin. I’ve not seen Diane and Kevin in years. She looks g...

Naomi’s familiar touch stirs me from sleep, her fresh hand sliding under the waistband of my shorts. “Mimi,” I murmur with a lazy grin as she wraps her fingers around my rapidly hardening cock. “Trying to get me in the mood?” Blinking away the haze, reality hits me like a punch to the gut. This isn’t my bed. This isn’t Naomi. She dumped me a month ago. I’m on the lumpy old sofa in my parents’ summer lakehouse. And the blo...

“How’d you even manage to make it here so fast?” Dad asks bluntly. “That motel you spent the night at is supposed to be a three-hour drive.” We’re having lunch on the lake house’s terrace, surrounded by the sounds of nature and the smell of grilled fish. Mom and Dad share one bench, and my sister Paige and her best friend Maddie huddle on the other. I’m sitting in my own creaky chair. “We followed Mr Johnson on some count...

“Hop in!” I call out, leaning over to push the passenger door open. The girl on the bench startles, her blonde hair catching the late afternoon sun. But her surprise washes away, replaced by a delighted grin. She springs to her feet and slings her bag onto my backseat in one swift motion. “Roman!” she chirps, sliding beside me. It is my turn to get flustered when she plants a breezy kiss on my cheeks. “Thanks for picking...

I was surprised by how quickly I'd settled into my new routine: work during the day, evenings spent checking out apartments, hitting a bar with Marco's friends, or running with Nat and Aurelia. And most nights ended in Bela's bed. Sleeping together was a welcome distraction. Though I could tell her interest was starting to fade. She admitted she used to have a teenage crush on me, a confession that had caught me off guard...

The morning had started awkwardly. Marco was sheepish, trying to laugh off his drunken antics from the night before. Meanwhile, Bela hovered around, offering lingering glances and playful nudges that made my chest tighten with guilt. She deserved better than being a temporary distraction, but that’s exactly how I had treated her. As I sat in my cubicle, pretending to focus on the client file before me, my mind drifted bac...

The sound of dishes clinking in the kitchen pulled me from a fitful sleep. I blinked against the morning light streaming through the half-drawn curtains, the familiar ache in my neck reminding me I’d spent another night on Marco Nunes’ too-short couch. After a quick shower, I dragged my weary body to the kitchen and found him there. “Morning, man. Ready for your first day at work?” His bright grin was almost annoying. He...

Aurelia Lombardi had always been captivating. In high school, everyone had been drawn to her, boys and girls alike. It wasn't just her beauty that caught the eye. But rather the way she seemed to light up a room without trying. Tonight was no different. Even in the bar's dim atmosphere, she was glowing, her presence magnetic, pulling gazes toward her. "It's so good to see you, Tom! I can't believe it's been three years!"...