"I think we deserve a special prize for that," Gemma said, laughing with Colin. Although Colin found it slightly odd to complete the stranger's dating questionnaire, he understood that Gemma was helping a friend establish a locally focused meetup group. He believed it was the kind of enterprise worth encouraging and aimed to put a positive spin on the results of his and Gemma's responses. "Scoring zero is fantastic," Coli...

As Bob offered his apologies, Jill scooped up her belongings, which had fallen from her handbag onto the floor due to the accidental collision. "If I weren't such a cheapskate, I'd get the zipper fixed or buy a new one," Jill said, putting down her shopping to gather what had fallen from her bag onto the floor. Bob was often quite clumsy, so he watched with sympathy as Jill struggled to put her carrier bag on the floor, c...

"If this were a book, we'd walk hand in hand along the beach, gaze into each other's eyes, kiss, and live happily ever after," Niall said, as he decided to use gentle humour to tackle having been left in the cove after the boat booked to take him home had failed to appear. "You could be right, but it might end in more than a kiss. I suppose that depends on the type of stories you read," Lynn joked, deciding the misfortune...

Jack's philosophy had always been to celebrate what he had, not to yearn for what was missing. He lived alone but was well-known in his local area of the capital for his ability to bring a smile where others had failed. While he may not have been able to do many of the things he accomplished in his younger days, he was true to himself, which was what mattered most to him. Taking a trip out of the city and enjoying a day o...

I washed the sheets today. I asked my husband if he would bring them up from the dryer. We could have taken out the other set, but who wants to struggle with folding the clean sheets anyway? With an armful of pristine white cotton, he asked. “Shall we put this on the bed?” I smiled brightly at him. “Is that an invitation?” He shook his head and grinned. “Your mind always goes there.” “Yes. And you love it,” I giggled. “Ad...

Forty-nine-year-old Karl Davidson lay next to his wife Monica in bed on Saturday night, but this was different to any other Saturday night during their twenty-five years of marriage. The difference was that for the first time since well before they got married, Karl had had sex with a woman other than his wife. The woman was a sixty-one-year-old divorcee Lorraine Macey, and she lived next door. Karl was feeling guilty, ev...

I've found myself an empty room, escaping the party sweat and Euro beat. A "tink, tink" teases the patio door. I find a pink-haired pixie, obviously naked under her gossamer gown. "I'm a present for Jimmy!" "Oh. Yeah. That's me." Answering her look, I add, "Short for... ah... Jemima." Guiding her in, I step out of my slacks, spreading myself on the couch. "Cool," she giggles and kneels between. "You smell pretty." I lean...

Forty-four-year-old Marie Thompson woke up on Friday morning and briefly wondered if it had really happened but she soon realised that yes, she had been fucked in the back of a car by eighteen-year-old Kieron Siddall. Another thing that she realised was that she wanted it to happen again, although not necessarily in the back of a car. Marie met her husband Stewart at breakfast. He had slept in the spare room at Marie's re...

The acrid smoke from the forest fires hung in the air just above the treetops. The dark haze blocked the sun and dipped down into the roadway as I drove to the cottage. The fires were still distant but I needed to check my place and prepare in the event the winds shifted and drove the flames closer. I crested the hill and was enveloped in the smoke, keeping the windows up and the a/c on recirculate to keep the worst of it...