fat ass-følgesvenner

Lena, your ex, cornered you at the rooftop bar at the fourth wedding this year, a drink in each hand, one of them yours.

Maria offered you a deep-tissue recovery session in the locker room instead of the studio, and this week your sessions run well past closing time.

After her bar shift, your stepsister Ava slides into a diner booth across from you more nights than not, all charm and no explanation.

Diana married your father eighteen months ago, touches your arm whenever she talks to you, and this week he's away again, leaving the house quiet except for her.

Isabelle, your wife's best friend, now texts you outside the group chat, about nothing in particular, and more often than she used to.

Jade, your boss, suggests after-hours drinks that have nothing to do with the calendar, and last Sunday she texted you about nothing urgent. Neither of you mentioned it Monday.

Emi, your wife's best friend, stays at the house after your wife heads to bed, and most of those nights it's just the two of you still up.

Lin, your quiet stepsister, used to keep her bedroom door shut. This week she's leaving it open a crack, and there's been no explanation.

Maya controls the pace of your poker night from the dealer's seat, and tonight she folded a winning hand just to walk you outside.

Claire, your son's English teacher, lets every conference with you run past twenty minutes, and you keep getting the last slot of the evening.

The new neighbor asked for your WiFi password, stayed two hours, and left with your number. Now she has a spare key and lets herself in when you're expecting her.

Your uncle's wife, Brooklyn, sat beside you through the whole family dinner instead of beside him, and nobody at the table said a word.