M.K. Lee's Blog: Telling Tales, page 124

Turn Around

You can feel his stare on the back of your neck.

He’s not in the same room as you, he’s not even inside the house. But you know with full certainty that if you turn from the kitchen counter, away from the overripe tomatoes you are chopping and towards the full glass doors that form the only barrier between you and him, he will be there, watching. His eyes will flit from your face, down to the sharp knife in your hand as the tomato juice drips from its point, pooling and splashing onto the sla...

To Forget

Rebound sex is supposed to be messy. Sweat stained sheets and spit-slick lips, no thoughts other than want, no feelings but release, a momentary pause in the heartache to remind that life goes on.

This bar, just the right side of sleazy, is perfect.

A room thick with bodies, the heat from the summer sun so heavy that the atmosphere in the bar feels almost smoky, and liquor on tap to smooth the way for getting exactly what you came for.

A wall of sound that is the disembodied conversations o...

Diary Drabble: Float

Lewis’ first memory of meeting Billy is a sticky coke float. Their parents had sat at neighbouring tables in the shiny new ice cream house that had just opened. And when Lewis had looked, Billy’s face was already covered in ice cream. He’d not tried one before, so after discreetly leaning on his mum to ask what it was, a coke float had been what he’d ordered. He’d been just as sticky and messy after probably a minute, and is equally bad now, years later, replicating the thing with rum and cok...

Diary Drabble: Post

The post goes viral on a Wednesday morning, sometime between seven and eight. He’s not sure what analytics would have to say about optimised timing, but has far bigger things to think about now.

He used to love memes. But now it’s his face accompanying who knows what awful version of the thing it is today, he’s distinctly against them.

He clicks the bookmark for Twitter, holding his breath for whatever delights he’ll have to face today. 78 notifications, 14 direct messages; not so bad. He o...

Diary Drabble: Breakfast

Seth’s never made anyone breakfast in bed before. Gone for an early morning McDonalds to soak up hangovers with, once or twice. Maybe started up the coffee machine for any guests to drink their fill. Not that he’s had all that many guests stay over. This is different. This feels special, even if Neil has stayed over so many times before. They have been a thing for four months now, and every moment they share together just makes them closer. Seth sees it that way, anyway, and hopes Neil does t...

Diary Drabble: Confidence

When Theo walks into the pharmacy, all the confidence his rehearsed words had given him disappears.

It’s frustrating; there is only one other member of staff in besides Fletcher. He can’t make up many more ailments for fear of Fletcher thinking him actually sick.

He’d come here for an infected splinter three weeks ago, falling in love with the pharmacist for his gentle care of his thumb. Since then, Theo’s had a sore throat and patchy skin, all to get Fletcher’s attention.

“I know just wha...

Diary Drabble: Joystick

Geoff takes the shiny new joystick out of its Amazon packaging and connects it to his C64. The red of the buttons seems violent against both the joystick itself and the pale grey of the computer keyboard, and it takes a bit of manoeuvering to get used to its grip.

Everything is set up; Geoff hits the volume on the TV it’s connected to and grins for the Donkey Kong music, letting it transport him back to being a teen. He takes a sip of his beer, shoves a handful of crisps in his mouth, and se...

Diary Drabble: Pumpkin

The best place to hide in her grandmother’s garden was between the long strings of beans and the pumpkin patch. Josie was just the right height to peer over the pumpkins, clutching on to one as she stretched up on tippy toes. It was a good hidey spot if she hadn’t finished playing for the day, and where she could watch the neighbour pegging out clothes. She liked Mrs. Hibbard; she always looked like she was dressed for a special occasion, even when hanging out washing. Today she wore a long r...

Diary Drabble: Galactic

It was a galactic war. The war to end all wars, they said, as had their ancestors before them.

At least the fight was in the stars, the planet fully united by a common cause; avoiding annihilation. Though the same prejudices were there, only transferred to another species. Derogatory names repurposed to breed the usual misunderstandings and hate.

But they were the ones who came here, claiming our home as theirs. Attempting to colonise us as we have always colonised. Perhaps we were just mad...

Snapping

He’s snapping. He’s snapping at Jordan, and he knows he’s snapping at Jordan, and worst of all, he knows exactly why he’s doing it. He knows what’s set him off doing it, like he’s known every other time it’s happened in the past.

But nothing. Not one part of it. None of this is in any way Jordan’s fault.

Joe’s internal, repetitive monologue lurches between you’re so obvious any idiot can see, and it’s all your fault anyway, and worst of all, what if this is it this time, at breakneck speed. He’...