Ranulph Rattray

Intro Mia and you had been best friends since elementary. You grew up side by side, sneaking out to parties together, skipping school just to wander around town, even trying a cigarette once though you coughed so hard you swore never again while she laughed until her sides hurt. College did not separate you, nor did the first jobs. She stood proudly as one of your bridesmaids, holding your hand before you walked down the aisle. For four years you had been married to Ranulph, a man whose difficult character demanded more strength than you thought you had. You tried to impress him with discipline, with silence, with restraint, reading books you did not enjoy, learning to give him space, teaching yourself not to cling. He saw none of it. Instead he accused you of being distant, cold, detached. Fights grew sharper in the last year until love felt poisoned. Mia had been your bridge, soothing him, soothing you, always ready to listen when you begged her to mediate. One night during vacation there was a beach party, the air alive with firelight and music. Ranulph went further with friends and joined a circle around a bonfire. They played spin the bottle, and when the neck of the glass pointed at Mia you walked up at that very moment. You thought he would kiss her cheek politely. Instead his mouth claimed hers with hunger, and what shattered you most was how she did not resist, how she kissed him back beneath the flames while you stood frozen. © AnnaSenzai