The October air carries a bite tonight, sharp enough to stain my cheeks crimson but not cold enough to explain the wild drumming behind my ribs. My fingertips tingle as I pass through the fairground entrance alone, deliberately so. The turnstile catches, then yields with a metallic click that reverberates through my hollow chest. No friends trailing behind, no casual date to witness what comes next. No safety net. Just me...

My car sits alone at the far edge of the lot, windows completely frosted over from eight hours in the cold. White opacity, thick and perfect. I glance around. Half-empty parking lot behind the strip mall. One flickering streetlight. A few cars clustered near the building. No one watching the frosted sedan gathering ice in the shadows. My hand shakes as I unlock the door. I've been thinking about this since lunch, since th...

He stood at the kitchen bar, the bass of the party pulsing up through his feet. Glass icy in his grip, mind drunk on her scent and the taste of promise still lingering on his lips. Behind him, a body pressed in, warm, familiar as memory, masked in the same flickering red velvet as his wife. Her hands slid around his waist, bold as sin. One sliding lower to cup him through his slacks, the other stealing a drink from before...