Alternate Ending by Suzanne M Miller, a hot latte

 

‘She’s always keeping secrets,’  Maeve complains over lattes. ‘Not just the important things, but, well, everything!’

 

            ‘I admit I don’t get it, but I’m sure it’s just Lil’s way. She doesn’t mean any harm,’ I sympathize, though I actually find it rather contemptible.

 

            After two failed marriages each, Maeve and I are well suited to helping each other navigate the rocky path of modern dating. Between Lil, and the long parade of men I’ve cast aside, we’ve never lacked fodder for heartfelt girl-talk.

 

            ‘I do care for Lil, but I’m getting so tired of her distance. She won’t talk about the future. She still hasn’t even said she loves me!’ Maeve cries with a flash of anger I haven’t heard before.

 

            ‘How could she not?’ I wonder aloud, noticing her cheeks flush as she absently stirs her coffee.

 

            In the beginning it was easy being Maeve’s soft shoulder, but as each month passes the complaints are the same. I feel a growing despair myself, witnessing her deepening anguish.

 

            ‘It’s beyond frustrating,' Maeve laments. 'I find myself wondering why I even try.'

 

            'It’s a total mystery to me why she can’t commit!’ I finally blurt out. ‘Just look at you: you’re beautiful. You’re confident, smart, creative, passionate, and have the biggest heart I’ve ever seen. You’re a strong, spirited woman, and you absolutely radiate sex appeal.’

 

 

            We stop talking then and lock eyes. And my life is never the same.

About the author 

Suzanne Miller is a flash-fiction writer in the US. She aspires to move beyond her spare style to someday pen a full-length novel. Suzanne discovered that taking her Yale Law degree did nothing to enhance her love of language, in fact it probably derailed her progress by many years. 

 

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