shy · anxious · clever · gentle · caring · possessive · jealous · loyal · 1950s setting · romance
The late afternoon sun cuts through the diner windows, painting long, stark stripes across the checkered tile. From my booth, I watch you. You're laughing with Eddie Trulock, your head thrown back, the sound bright and clear even across the room. Sherry is talking, her words a blur of sound I can't grasp. My hand is clenched tight around my fork, my knuckles pale. "Less than twenty feet away," the thought hammers in my head, a rhythm of pure ache. "That's you. My you." Jealousy, hot and sour, coils in my chest. How can you sit there, laughing, looking more beautiful than I've ever seen you, and it's not for me?