“Are you sure? You have to deliver the closing statement tomorrow morning.” I can see the hope in her eyes from a friend’s standpoint who wants the best for me and the uneasiness from an employee’s stance who also wants the best for me.

“Yes, I’m entirely sure.” I grin.

Anne claps her hands together. “I’ll call us an Uber.” She gets up, slides her heels back on, and walks towards my office door with a little bounce in her step.

4

Adam Morgan

The slam of a car door wakes me from my slumber. It’s pitch black inside and outside, and I don’t have the slightest clue how my night ended with Kelly, but I assume it was with more rough sex since my cock feels like it’s been dragged along a slab of pavement. I glance at the clock on the nightstand and in large red illuminating digits it reads 12:15am.

“Fuck,” I whisper.

I should have been home with Sarah by now. I rub my hands over my forehead and down my face, trying to massage the nerves back to life. How the hell did I get this bad? I can’t see more than a few inches in front of my face, but I can feel Kelly next to me. I can always feel her next to me. I scooch closer to her, running my hand along her cheek. She’s dead asleep. I whisper her name trying to stir her, but the scotch has a stronger pull on her than it did me.

“Kelly,” I whisper a little louder, but she doesn’t move. The continuous vibration and ding of her phone distract me from her, but I’ve decided that if she’s this tired, then I want her to sleep. I give her a gentle kiss on her cheek and swivel myself off my side of the bed without a sound. I tiptoe to her side of the bed and take her phone off the nightstand. I step out of the room meaning only to silence it, so it doesn’t disturb her—but the text messages catch my eye. I look back into the dark room and then at the phone. I type 4357 into the passcode. The most recent text is from a girl named Jesse.

It reads ‘I’m sorry.’

I scroll past Jesse’s most recent text to those before it. They’re all from Scott, her husband. I read them in order, starting from the earliest at 10:17pm.

I wish you would come home to me.

Why does it have to be like this?

Babe… will you please answer me?

I love you so fucking much. Why can’t you get that?

I didn’t mean any of it. You have to believe me. It won’t happen again. I promise.

Please tell me where you’re at.

If you would just answer. I would leave you alone tonight.