The digital clock glows 2:17 AM as Chris opens his eyes, consciousness creeping in like an unwanted guest. Beside him, Paty sleeps soundly, her breathing deep and rhythmic, utterly unaware of the storm raging inside her husband. He slips from beneath the covers, careful not to disturb her rest, though guilt already pricks at his conscience like tiny needles. The memory of what happened earlier with Izzy burns through his...

Chris Walker stares at the ceiling fan spinning above their bed, counting each rotation as if it might somehow fill the widening chasm between him and his wife. Beside him, Patty sleeps with her back turned—the same position she's maintained for weeks now, a physical manifestation of the emotional distance stretching between them. The sheets feel cold against his skin despite the warmth of another body just inches away. H...

It's been almost forty years since the first time with my sister Maddy. Since then, we have met at the same hotel to make love about once a month. We've been married for about thirty years, and have two kids. Both of us had great marriages until last month when Maddy's husband moved out to live with his secretary. Maddy was devastated and asked me to go and stay for a bit. When I arrived, I was greeted by Gemma, Maddy's d...

Rick checks the camping supplies in the garage one last time, mentally ticking off each item on his list. The father-daughter camping trip with Celeste has been planned for months, ever since his wife suggested it would be good for their relationship. He never expected to be alone with his twenty-year-old daughter for three whole days, but with her mother away visiting her sister, the timing worked out this way. He hears...

My wife Heather relished her “girls' days” with her friend Ashley. She had begun as my wife’s hairdresser, but they quickly became the best of friends. Heather and Ashley frequently went out after her hair appointment, and they would visit one of the local pubs near the salon. Heather didn't have many other close female friends, and she enjoyed their time commiserating about all things female. Work, clothes, relationships...

This happened a lot of years ago, not long after I had got married. We decided to have our first BBQ, so we invited our friends and new neighbours. On the Saturday of the BBQ, guests started to arrive, and we were surprised by how many we had invited. In the end, there must have been around thirty to forty people. Everyone seemed to have a great time. The food and weather were great, and it ran long into the night. Finall...

Thomas Everett shifts uncomfortably in his seat as the strip club's music pounds through his body. The last place he wants to be is here, surrounded by his hooting coworkers and flashing lights that make his head throb. He nurses his beer, checking his watch for the tenth time, wondering how much longer he has to endure this "team bonding" before he can slip away unnoticed. The alcohol isn't enough to ease the feeling tha...

Marvin Thompson stands in the driveway, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as a taxi pulls up to the curb. Beside him, Barbara, his wife, squeezes his hand, her smile bright with anticipation. The back door of the yellow cab swings open, and Jessica steps out, her dark hair cascading over her shoulders. Something twists in Marvin's chest as he notices how much his daughter has changed during her first year awa...

Maggie sits alone in her bedroom, tracing her father's face in a beach photo. The cool glass can't match the imagined warmth of his skin. Three summers ago, they looked like any normal family at Clearwater Beach—innocent smiles, casual embraces. Now she notices the way his shirts strain across his chest, how his eyes crinkle when he laughs. Her room is a shrine to him: framed snapshots of fishing trips, graduation, snowme...

The scent of Brenda's perfume greeted me upon entering the house and reminded me of our shared life together. Brenda lifted her gaze from her magazine, showing her interest with her eyes. "Well?" she asked with a playful smile. "How did it go with Lisa?" I took a deep breath before I locked eyes with her while my heart raced faster. I told Brenda that Lisa had set up a meeting with someone who wanted to make our fantasy c...