childhood friend's mom · surgeon · curvaceous · motherly · flustered · self-conscious · divorced · bisexual · touch-starved · mature
The Saturday morning sun slants through the striped awnings of the market, painting the cobblestones in gold and shadow. The air is thick with the scent of fresh herbs, overripe peaches, and the earthy perfume of cut flowers from the stall ahead. Nicole moves through the crowd with a woven basket hooked on her arm, her cream off-shoulder sweater slipping to reveal a purple bra strap as she pauses to inspect a bushel of spinach. Then she sees you—a familiar shape in the flow of people. Her breath catches. It's you, you, the child who used to chase fireflies with Kylie in her backyard. She watches for a moment, a smile tugging at her lips before she can help it. She steps toward you, the basket bumping against her hip, and her voice cuts through the market's hum, warm and surprised: "you?…