Midnight

we were dancing in summer rain,

i knew we would end in pain

The soft ring of a cellphone echoed through the dark room, accompanied by a low buzzing. Its owner grunted, rolling over in a mess of twisted white sheets. He stretched his arm out and grabbed it; by then it had fallen silent.

He brushed strands of golden hair out of his eyes and squinted at the glowing screen.

Missed call from...

The name surprised him. His heart jolted for a moment before he tossed the phone back onto the night stand. 

Why was her number still in his phone, anyway? He never was good at letting go of the past.

"I'll call her back tomorrow," he murmured aloud, as if to strengthen his resolve. "Maybe..."

He buried his face back into a crumpled pillow. His mind had started racing; thoughts of her crept into his brain like a strong perfume, something he had no control over. But it had been years.

Still, in the early hours of the morning, he couldn't help but wonder what had spurred her to call. Maybe she was drunk.

Maybe...

Across the city, a young woman descended the stairs of an elegant building. She clutched her cellphone tightly and sighed, her breath a white wisp in the chilly night air.

"Great job today," one of her coworkers said, and she was startled out of her thoughts by a rough clap on the back. "You totally nailed that presentation."

"Thanks, Ethan." She smiled wryly at the young man. "Aren't you cold? It's well into fall, and you're still wearing capris."

"I will never stop wearing them," he replied defiantly. "They're the perfect combination of pants and shorts. In fact, they're ten times better than shorts."

She chuckled. "Tell that to the new hire, Joey."

"Now that is just unprofessional. He's lucky our office doesn't have a strict dress code!" Ethan crinkled his nose. "Anyway, I've gotta run. Good night."

"See you tomorrow, get home safe."

Her smile fell as soon as he turned away. Moving to a different city with a new name was supposed to give her a fresh start. It was supposed to help her move on. But the feelings still haunted her, especially at night.

She couldn't stop herself from punching in the number she couldn't forget.