The rule was not about health.In Eden, nobody got sick, or injured. There was no warning labels on sweet fruits, no funerals in the afternoon. Every sunrise looked as if it had been polished before being hung in the sky.The rule existed because smoking was unnecessary.And in a world designed to be complete, unnecessary things … Continue reading Cigarettes in the Garden of Eden
Tag: romance
In Sacred Spaces
The first thing I noticed about his apartment was that it did not feel lived in.It felt prepared.We had been dating for six weeks when Daniel invited me over for dinner, He made a delicious arrabbiata, apologizing a dozen times for the mess while standing in a kitchen so clean that it looked staged. When … Continue reading In Sacred Spaces
Muse
I will write you in every story I can.In every way I know.For as long as I have words left.Sometimes, you might be the heroine.Sometimes, just a stranger passing through the lines.Sometimes, you will not be there at all,yet every sentence will belong to you. In one story, I might compare you to a rose.In … Continue reading Muse
A Writer’s Sin
In the middle of the night,my mind writes.It writes of dreamscapes and fantasies,of old love and new heartaches,of conversations that never happened,and stories that ended differently.It writes letters to those no longer here,and speeches I will never give.It rewrites past,and drafts future.It invents worlds,and mourns their death.My mind,in the middle of the night,does not wish … Continue reading A Writer’s Sin
How to Romance a City
The ten dollar bill was lying lonely on the pavement, fluttering slightly in the morning breeze like it had somewhere important to be. Jade bent down to grab it, feeling both lucky and a little guilty, as if he was stealing someone else's treasure.He looked around, expecting someone to shout “Hey, that is mine!”But the … Continue reading How to Romance a City
The Girl Who Burnt Troy (at my coffee shop)
That single side look of hers made me feel like someone had thrown me into a blender and pureed my soul.You know the lookNot an intentional look, that can be explained. This was one of those corner eye glances, the kind that burnt Troy to the ground. The kind that has men writing poetry or … Continue reading The Girl Who Burnt Troy (at my coffee shop)
Love You Like a Poem I Never Wrote
They say that people who write poems are a lost breed of die hard romantics, who would lyrically put their heart on the line. I have been sitting here for the past hour, staring at an empty page that seems to stare back at me. All I have managed to write is "To me, you … Continue reading Love You Like a Poem I Never Wrote
Blind Nights
They say that broken women know how to love, but not always who to love, and she stood as proof of that.She looked around the room, last night lingered in small, scattered ways, like light filtering into a space through crooked blinds. It had been good, he had been what she wanted him to be, … Continue reading Blind Nights
Love Poem Inside
It was one of those chocolates that looked like it melted away sweetly inside the mouth and left a memory on the mind. He stood in the aisle longer than necessary.He had originally reached for a chili chocolate. Something that reminded him of her, fiery yet cute.But then he hesitated, chili felt like a statement. … Continue reading Love Poem Inside
The Last Time She Was There
It is not common for your ex to be dancing at your wedding, but there she was, moving easily through the crowd, spinning as if the night bent itself around her. For a second I wondered if she had come by mistake, wandering into the wrong life, the wrong ending. Then she looked at me … Continue reading The Last Time She Was There
Eye Stealing Raven and His Friend Todd the Frog
He was a thief by trade and a philosopher by delusion. He usually stole because it made him feel alive, not because he needed shiny things, though, admittedly he did like shiny things. "The world" he once said, dark wings fluttering besides his friend Todd "Belongs to those who dare take a closer look" "You … Continue reading Eye Stealing Raven and His Friend Todd the Frog
Loops (of us)
He found the earring under the cafe table after Nila left. Instinct made him pocket it, the way you keep a movie ticket, as if holding on to a piece of someone could anchor them back into your life. One evening, when he was closing shop, he realized his bike keychain had snapped. With nothing … Continue reading Loops (of us)
Mom Never Taught About Dating
Ethan and Leslie chose a date that was fun, a crowded Saturday night farmer's market. They laughed over ugly shaped carrots, debated over the tariffs, suspiciously examined artisan soaps that looked like pastries and treated themselves to ice cream. By the time they ended up in the park, the moon was climbing high. Ethan congratulated … Continue reading Mom Never Taught About Dating
Silent letters to you
Every morning Edgar sorted letters in the back of his small white mail truck while the sun slowly rose from the mountains around Pine Willow. The town was so small that he knew every crack on the side walk and every name on every envelope. His favorite stop had once been the newspaper office on … Continue reading Silent letters to you
Leaving Twice
The car idled at the yellow line, the low hum of the hybrid engine noise filling the silence between them. Inside, she adjusted her scarf, fussed with her passport, doing everything to avoid looking at him. His hands were still gripping the steering wheels, knuckles red in the wash of the overhead light, also because … Continue reading Leaving Twice
Crash into me
The crash erased his past. That is what happens when you push a car built for 130mph to 200. When he finally opened his eyes, a year had slipped away in a coma, his memories along with it. His old life was now a stranger’s diary.Friends filled the gaps in his memory, some with laughter, … Continue reading Crash into me
What we call home
That final note from Druv was folded once, neatly and tucked between the pages of Ishika’s favorite book, the one she always said smelled like her childhood. He had not said goodbye in person. For all the writer he was, words always betrayed him when it came to her, so he let the pen do … Continue reading What we call home
Art of the Stare
Nijitha was not sure of how well Liam’s strategy of picking up girls at the pub would work, for her, anyway. Liam, self proclaimed ladies man and newly appointed mentor, his words, had taken it upon himself to guide her through recently-out-of-the-closet life like a campaign driven Instagram influencer coach. His methods were questionable to … Continue reading Art of the Stare
Rakshashi Curse #2
The next morning, Kunal woke up and sat on the edge of his bed for a long time, replaying his conversations with Rashmi. At least ten lines from their talk could go straight into his book. Talking with her was like a breath of fresh air for his creativity; she was his muse. He remembered … Continue reading Rakshashi Curse #2