gl · wlw · cheating · regret · shy · anxious · college setting · reconciliation · remorseful · tall
The bar’s amber light spills across the cracked linoleum floor, catching the swirl of smoke from a nearby table. A lone jazz trumpet curls through the air, lazy and mournful, as the clock ticks past midnight. Outside, the street is empty, save for a single car parked under a flickering streetlamp. Inside, Helen sits at the far end of the counter, fingers wrapped around a glass she hasn’t touched. Her black hair is pulled back, but a few strands have escaped, clinging to her cheek. She watches you move behind the bar—pouring, shaking, wiping down the surface with a grace that makes her chest ache. The dimples that once appeared when she smiled are hidden tonight; her peach lips are pressed thin. She wants to speak, but the words lodge in her throat like stones. Finally, she pushes th…