The Kiss

When Jack entered her flower shop, all Jen could do was stare. It had been years since she’d seen him, years she’d spent regretting their final quarrel, yet she still felt the same attraction. His heavy-lidded gaze told her he felt it, too.

He held out a hand, and she let him draw her close for a kiss that spanned the years. She snuggled into his embrace. Everything would be perfect now that they were together again.

“How did you know I was here?” she asked.

“I didn’t. I just came in to buy flowers.”

“For me?”

“For my wife.”

Colorized

The drab little man in the gray suit entered the bar at five o’clock as usual, huddled on the same bar stool he always did, and waited to order his usual martini.

An almost pretty woman perched on the next stool smiled at him as if they were going to be good friends. Then a fellow wearing a loud shirt approached and handed her a rose. As she got up to follow him, a single petal fluttered to the floor.

“Your usual?” the bartender asked.

The man glanced at the rose petal, straightened his shoulders. “I’ll have red wine today.”

The Perfect Wife

“Are you coming right home after work?” Gina asked.

“Yes. Why?”

She gave him a sultry look. “I have a surprise for you.”

Bob’s heart beat faster, wondering what delight she had in store for him this time.

He finished his breakfast, rose from the table, and kissed her. Her lips were warm and full of promise. He ran his fingers through her hair, then pressed the button at the back of her skull. She went still.

“Bye, Sweetheart,” he said. He paused at the door and looked back. “I can hardly wait to get home and turn you on.”

The Locket

Effie felt like the last woman left alive, and maybe she was -- she hadn’t seen another soul since the blizzard began. It had been screaming outside the cabin for more than a month, and all that remained in her larder were a cup of flour and a pinch of yeast, enough to make a small loaf of French bread.

She raised her fingers to her throat and closed them around the locket containing an old photograph of her beloved Jake, who had died in a long ago war before they could wed.

“Soon,” she whispered. “We’ll be together soon.”

Promises

Their gazes met across a crowded room and, just like that, they tumbled into love. A prince, he made her feel like a queen.

"Why now?" she wondered. "Why not last month before my wedding?" She hadn't believed in true love, thinking it fairy tale stuff, so she'd vowed to honor and cherish a kind and gentle man, a dear friend.

"Will you come away with me?" the prince asked. "For a weekend, a year, an eternity?"

She twisted the gold band around her finger, her heart breaking.

"I love you. I always will. But I have promises to keep."