( Oneliner + Drabble )

“Could you hold her a second?”

That’s all the warning Helen gets before a tiny, soft bundle is pushed in her hand. She holds it at arms-length, like a bomb that could go off any moment and meets the huge, inquisitive eyes with fierce determination. She’s mindful not to show her fear just like one would when facing wild animals. She stifles a ( Read more... )

In Janine’s first memory, Nick’s playing with his purple dinosaur, Mortimer, and jealously cuddles it close when she reaches out for it. She can’t remember their constant fights over it only from Mama’s stories, but she does remember when Mortimer changed owners to stop her angry tears seeing Nick leave for University. Years later, Janine hoped ( Read more... )

“A book?” surprise colours Janine’s voice. “He agreed to that?”

“He doesn’t know anything yet,” the man says in a conspiratory way that gives her goose humps. “It’s supposed to be a birthday gift from his colleagues.”

“I see.” She’s still not convinced - the idea of a biography on Nick is slightly absurd - and she hesitates whether to let him ( Read more... )

XXX

The sex had been rather spectacular and Sarah feels a pang of remorse for leaving the beautiful woman sprawled on the tangled sheets. If only she could remember the name reluctantly given in the crowded pub but by the time she develops a genuine interest in her partners - after sex, when the feverish urgency doesn’t mask the person anymore - ( Read more... )

The Beginning of the End

24. Kiss

The first time she kisses a woman - someone’s pretty blonde wife on a fieldtrip - it’s to get Nick’s attention, but he just stares like he’s been hit with a shovel, then decides to ignore it completely, and there’s no way to tell if he liked what he saw.

10. Beach

She makes no secret out of how much she ( Read more... )