Friday Fictioneers – The Quarrel

~ Neil MacDonald
PHOTO PROMPT © Mr Binks

“Did you sleep with him?” I keep my voice calm and matter-of-fact.

There’s a long pause before she replies, “No.”

But she wants to—I see that.

What to do now? Rage or understanding? Heal or widen the rift? This is one of those moments where things change. Forever. A spinning coin tottering before the fall.. Of all matters, I tolerate uncertainty least. And so I maintain a dignified silence.

“Sorry,” she says and tries a look seeking permission to continue.

The silence is working, so I do nothing to break it.

She turns on her heel. “Fuck you.”

.

Friday fictioneers is a weekly challenge set by Rochelle Wisoff Fields to write a 100-word story in response to a photo prompt. You can find other stories here

36 thoughts on “Friday Fictioneers – The Quarrel”

  4. If you’re at the point of thinking of sleeping with another, and the other doesn’t seem to want to make any effort towards you, best to walk away, methinks.

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  11. This piece got my attention right out of the gate. You picked at all the open sores in this one, Neil. Two dysfunctional people in a messed up relationship playing the stonewall game. Very messy affair which you managed to bundle up quite nicely into a neat little read.

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  15. Ah, the nuances at play here – spoken and unspoken. A beautifully crafted snapshot of a decisive moment – a pause before the ‘spinning coin’ falls – that could have gone in a multitude of directions. Brilliant.

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