I was standing under the stairs of her apartment, holding a bar of chocolate. It was her birthday, after all, and I told myself I was only there to wish her the best on her special day. Just before ringing the bell, I felt the impulse to turn around and walk away. I guided my finger toward the bell, reminding myself of the last time I had been upstairs. Only two weeks earlier, the night had been sweet, exciting, and passi...

Sarah sat cosily on her couch, wearing her softest robe, laptop on her lap. She looked at the rain-splattered window as she hit 'book' on her flight: Departing Flight: 11:45 AM London Gatwick Airport (LGW) Travel time: 2 hr 55 min 3:40 PM Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport (AGP) Returning Flight: 1:05 PM Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport (AGP) Travel time: 2 hr 55 min 3:00 PM London Gatwick Airport (LGW) She had been looking forward...

The rehearsal dinner dragged late into the night. Between the speeches, the toasts, and the endless parade of family I hardly knew, I spent the whole evening on edge. Not because of the event itself, but because of Calvin. Every time I glanced across the table, his eyes were on me; hungry, daring, like he was daring me to look away first. I couldn’t. Not once. By the time I slipped out of the ballroom and made my way back...

Daniel woke up and lay in bed for a moment, staring at the ceiling. Then he remembered the convention he had to go to and got up immediately. He stopped wondering where he was; the room was different, and a sudden realization hit him. “I was isekai’d to another world by that book,” he said to himself. Daniel recalled the events of yesterday: he was now in a new world, with no idea how to get back to his own world. Daniel...

I look to my right. There’s a presence looming, though I don’t see a soul around. I keep walking, breath frantic as my pace quickens. I lace my fingers around each key. Just in case. My knuckles are turning white as I grip the car keys between my finger and thumb. I yearn for the safety of locked doors and a speedy escape. Soon, I see my tiny bug brightly reflecting the light from the single lamppost in the abandoned lot....

She did not answer with her words. She leaned forward. Her dupatta slipped off one side. The thin gold chain around her neck caught the light. The small black bindi on her forehead was a little smudged. She looked up like someone who was checking if the door was really shut. Her shoulders got tense for a moment as she shifted her position. Her left hand was still on my thigh. Her thumb was pushing into the muscle. I smell...

Yadev opened the door and found the delivery he had waited for with much anticipation. He picked it up and quickly went back to his room. His bedside window was already opened ever so slightly, so slightly that he could see the outside from the room, but no one outside could see the inside easily. After carefully unpacking his bird-watching telescope, he pointed it at the upper floor of the neighbors' house. His neighbor,...

Tuesday, a week after my encounter with Kele, I watch Alison as she walks up to the wine bar door and peers in. I’d called her number a couple of days after she’d given it to me and arranged this meeting. She sees me with a hint of relief and enters, glancing around like she’s nervous someone’s going to recognise her. I’m over by the bar, and when she reaches me, I ask what she wants to drink. She orders a white wine spri...

“You are fifty,” the consultant said as he examined the scan of my knee. “Not twenty.” Tell me about it. I'm sitting in a wheelchair, in his consultation room, my leg sticking straight out in front of me, the knee joint swollen to the size of a football. I had decided to hop over a five-bar gate rather than go to all the trouble of opening and closing it. The knee hadn't quite exploded on the landing side but had come clo...