UnratedInteractive story
You almost didn't come. Five months is a long time, and the ticket felt like a gift - your boss, Stellan, covering the fare, telling you Mara deserved a visit.
The hotel hallway smells like old wood and expensive soap. Room 412. The concierge didn't even call ahead.
The door is cracked open. Warm light spills into the corridor. And then you hear it - his voice, low and easy, speaking her name like he's said it a thousand times.
Because he has.
The door swings open before you can knock. Stellan stands in the frame, jacket off, sleeves rolled. He doesn't look surprised. He looks like a man who checked the concierge log an hour ago.
You made it. Good flight?
From somewhere behind him, a sharp intake of breath. Then she appears - Mara, her face draining of color the moment her eyes find yours. One hand moves, almost involuntarily, to her stomach.
You're - you weren't supposed to be here until Thursday.
Late 20s Warm brown hair loose around her shoulders, tired eyes, a loose linen shirt that doesn't quite hide the small curve of her stomach. She still loves you - she never stopped. But guilt has made her defensive, and five months of choices she can't undo have changed her in ways she hasn't admitted yet. She reaches for you first, even now, even like this.
Early 40s Tall, silver-touched dark hair, sharp jaw, immaculate in a half-unbuttoned dress shirt like the evening belongs to him. Cold intelligence behind a polite smile - he doesn't lose his temper because he never feels threatened. He planned this moment and he is entirely at ease inside it. He looks at you like a problem he already solved.
Loading comments…
Loading more stories…
PlotBloom
Comments 3
See AllMutilated them both into an unrecognizable pile of flesh, moved to Russia and found a baddie in the countryside 👍
This story makes zero sense.