Olivia Parker 
My friend Priya called me at 7am, laughing, three days after getting engaged at a lake cabin. Her ex had just texted her out of nowhere. She read me the message twice before she could even react properly. Her college boyfriend Collin had somehow already heard the news. She asked me what she was supposed … Read more
It was 9pm on a Sunday when I snapped at him about the dishes. He set down the towel and barely spoke for three straight days. I texted normal things and got one word answers back each time. The silence stretched so long I started replaying the fight hourly. By Tuesday I did not know … Read more
We pulled into Lakeview around 4pm on a cold Saturday in October. I had not driven that exit in almost six years. He asked which way to turn before I could even point. I realized I had never once described my own town out loud to him. Every street suddenly felt like a small test … Read more
Last Tuesday at 6:40 I sat in my car outside Trader Joe’s. I hit record and told him about my day instead of texting. My thumbs were too tired to type out the whole story. So I just talked to my phone like he was sitting right there. He sent one back twelve minutes later … Read more
Last Friday at baggage claim, our flight sat delayed for two hours. I heard myself say sorry to him before the bags even moved. He asked what exactly I was apologizing for in that moment. I had no real answer, since the airline had caused the whole delay. That tiny sorry was not new, just … Read more
My friend Mara texted me from a coffee shop on a Thursday in October. Her coworker had just shown her a photo without thinking first. It was Chris, her ex, with his new girlfriend at a concert. The girl had the same bangs and the same round glasses Mara wears. Mara stared at the photo … Read more
My friend Priya called me last Saturday night after a dinner party. She was still sitting in her car outside the house at eleven. Earlier that night she mispronounced a wine name at the table. Daniel corrected her loudly enough that three guests turned around. She laughed it off at the table, the way most … Read more
Last Sunday at 3 pm, we drove home from Costco with no detergent. I had asked him twice, in the gentlest voice I own. He laughed and asked why I did not just tell him plainly. That question stuck with me the entire drive home. I realized I had turned a simple request into a … Read more
My friend Sana almost moved in with a guy named Derek last year. It was a Thursday night in late October, around 9pm. Derek lived twelve minutes from her office, which mattered more than it should. He handed her a spare key and said it just made sense. Sana told me she nodded, though something … Read more
My friend Priya texted me at 4am this past January. She had just woken up from a dream about Jordan. In the dream they were still living in their old apartment. Priya said the dream felt more real than her actual Tuesday. It had been eight months since Jordan moved out for good. She could … Read more
