“Oh no, I’m going to fall,” the young woman giggled, pulling closer to the man gripping the pole above their heads.

She playfully wrapped her fingers around his hairy wrist, adorned with an expensive watch.

Anna collapsed onto the bench in the changing room, exhausted after the dance class. She wiped the sweat from her forehead while the music they had just practiced to still played softly in the corner of the room.

Mom went out in the morning to get the sweet, red apples that Dad would later slice at the holiday table. I knew it would be a long adventure, both because of the crowds in town and my mom’s chatty nature.

The taste. She can feel the taste of his lips in her mouth even without ever kissing him. She knew they were soft, warm, and delicious.

The closeness. She isn’t in love. She just desires him.

“Today is all mine!” Amara exclaimed, throwing both arms in the air.

She glanced out the window one more time at the street, as if afraid the school bus her two sons had boarded might come back. Of course, the bus was long gone.

“I look like a stuffed diving suit!”

Arnold’s complaint met no response from Tim. He rolled his eyes and continued unloading the dishwasher as if he hadn’t heard a word.

“Excuse me, I got all sweaty during the last training session. I only had time to quickly put on another shirt,” Alexandra apologised in a hurry.

Her dance partner raised his eyebrows to his hairline.

“Excuse me?”

“Never mind,” the young woman waved dismissively.

As she turned onto the street, a sharp pain shot through Bernadett’s upper arm. By the time she reached the entrance to the studio, it ached so badly she could barely lift it. Just like every Monday evening, when she had her dance class with this group.

Tom didn’t stand a chance. Hilde practically grabbed the phone from the table before it even rang.

“Why does this bitch keep calling?”

“Hilde…”

“No, Tom, don’t hush me! She calls multiple times a day; it’s not normal!”

“Would you like anything else?” Emma asked Sam, who appeared more exhausted than usual as he arrived for his monthly medication.

The chemistry teacher, barely fifty, shook his head. After such an awful day, he didn’t even feel like speaking.