“Hello, Mrs. Clearwater.” I force a smile. “Thank you for having me.” “We’re family, Izzy. Now that I’m marrying your father, don’t you think you should call me Sue?” My eyes fill up with tears. How could he not tell me? I turn to my dad and whisper, “I thought it ‘wasn’t like that’.” “It [...]

“I called you just now, but you didn’t answer.” “I must not have heard you over Alice’s jingle-hell rock.” “I meant your phone.” “That I should have felt—it’s on vibrate in my pocket.  I’m sorry if you thought I was ignoring you.” “I didn’t. Anyway, it went directly to voicemail.” “Are you sure you dialed [...]

There’s a beep, then nothing. When I remain silent, the call disconnects on its own. I stare at my phone, thinking maybe I’m imagining this, that it can’t be real. One way or the other, I need to know. I press the Send button and close my eyes, expecting to hear the three shrill tones [...]

“I’ve never done this,” I say, studying my reflection in the bathroom mirror. “At my age, it feels kind of ridiculous.” “Done what?” “The walk of shame. You know, when you’re forced to go home in yesterday’s clothes with sex hair and smudged eye make-up, and everyone who looks at you just knows.” He leans [...]

When  I pick up the beige plastic receiver and dial Edward’s number, he answers right away.  I know he’s probably sitting at his desk,  barefoot and still wearing the jeans and flannel shirt he had on when he brought me back to my dorm. I haven’t missed anything—more than likely, he’s just studying—but it seems [...]

“That’s it? I have a hard time believing that ten years of your life can be reduced to five sentences.” “You asked for highlights,” I say, shrugging.  ”That’s all that qualifies—wine, food, the occasional trip to Europe.  I’m sure it would take much longer for you to bring me up to speed.” “You already know [...]

When I open the bathroom door, there’s music playing. I don’t recognize the song, but it has a slow, steady rhythm that somehow seems to drive and drag at the same time. I think sex probably feels the way this sounds. Without even trying, I move in time to the music as I walk over [...]

“Oh. You mean would I want to lick your…” “My dick, Bella.” In theory, I want to lick him and suck him and do whatever makes him feel good. In practice, I have no practice. With my luck, I’d probably puke on him. “Eventually.” “Would you touch it?” “Do you want me to?” “Yes.” He [...]

“”You have wrinkles around your mouth and on your forehead,” I say. “I’d seen them in pictures, but they catch me off-guard sometimes.” “Is this your way of saying I look old?”  he asks, sounding offended. “It’s my way of saying you have wrinkles.” “You know, there’s this thing many of us do before running [...]

Without loosening his hold on me, he moves toward the door. Leading comes as naturally to him as stumbling along gracelessly at his side comes to me. The mechanics are the same as they always were, but this time I’m not following him out of misplaced absolute trust. He’s leading me over the edge; I’m [...]