Years of trying to balance the love I wanted and the love he gave ended in a whimper, not a bang The conversation happened at a time when we were still trying to “work it out.” As if the failures of a two-decade relationship were little more than a stubborn stain requiring a bit more soap and scrubbing. We sat at “my” table in the apartment I had moved into in an act of separation. I had made a pot of steaming chamomile tea. He was a guest in my home. It was a strange dynamic between two adults who had known each other since before they’d been allowed to drive...

Vanya opened his eyes. There was no one around but naked walls and a bed on which he was lying. "What am I doing here? Where am I? I was spinning in my head. A girl came into the room. Vanya immediately recognized her. Kira! She! The one he loved so much. And loves... Hi, how do you feel? She asked quietly, walking up to him just a couple of steps. Kira... Where am I? What happened? You don't remember anything? Her eyes were rounded. No. What should I remember? When she went to 9 "A", Vanya's class, she was immediately attracted to him...