“God, I missed you,” she said, with a smile. Dolce watched Ethic walk to her adjoining bathroom. Every muscle in his body was well maintained, from his thighs to his abs, to his strong arms. He was just the perfect mixture of strength and lean. If I could just get him to slip up one time, she thought, as she watched him flush the condom carrying his seeds down the toilet. He showered, and she went to gather his clothes from where they lay strewn in her living room. In all the years she had known him, he had never stayed the night, so she placed his clothes out on the bed as she shrugged into a robe. She went to the bathroom and closed the lid on her toilet, staring at him through the shower door. It was a shame how damaged this man was.

“Why can’t things be different between us? More?”

Ethic closed his eyes and lowered his head under the water. This was why he had to draw a line with her. Women confused sex with love. It was like, when he entered her, his dick beelined straight to her heart. For him, it was simple to separate the physical from the emotional. He pulled back the shower curtain and stepped out, wrapping a towel around his waist.

“If I could give you what you wanted I would. I can’t be that for anyone. It ain’t in me,” Ethic said. He saw her disappointment and he kissed her cheek, to lessen the blow. He dressed, quickly, in silence. There was nothing else he could say. Nothing she could say. He was leaving. It was what it was and love it was not.

She walked him to the door, with tears in her eyes. When Ethic turned back to say goodbye, she couldn’t help but to plead her case. “Why won’t you just try? You could learn to be happy with me,” she said, eyes shining, sincerely.

Ethic knew that time wasn’t what they needed. It had been 10 years of casual sex but he didn’t want to be cruel by pointing that out. The fact that he had come to her home and transferred his energy, without intentions of staying, suddenly made him feel guilty. She wouldn’t cut him off. He knew that. He had to be the one to show some restraint.

“We used to have fun, at least,” Dolce reasoned. “Now, it’s like I’m only good for one thing. I’m just asking you to give us a chance.”

Ethic felt tension at the nape of his neck. “It’s not my intention to mishandle you. There’s a diner not too far from here. You hungry? We can talk about this over food.”