Two Hours
A couple’s first extramarital liaison closes in silence and thought, the promise of an honest reckoning left for a gentler hour when they can decide what paths the night may have opened.
THE DRIVE The road out of town was half asleep, the late evening air dense and heavy with summer heat. Her perfume lingered in the car long after she’d applied it, heavier than usual — something floral, faintly sweet, the kind that clung to the tongue as much as the nose. We didn’t speak much; there was no need. The silence between us had shape and meaning by now. She sat beside me, the hem of her dress sliding higher wit...