Nothing

Lana wakes naked and alone.

The bed is empty again. She finds him in the kitchen, coffee in his hand, the same chair as the morning he could not sleep. She does not ask what is wrong. She crosses the tile and kneels in front of him, the morning duty, mouth already parting.

Adam’s hand comes to her shoulder. Not rough. A stop.

“Not this morning.”

She looks up.

“I need to tell Mia,” he says. “About Kyler. The couch. I agree with you. I have needs. It still isn’t something I want to keep from her. If I only fuck them because she wants it, she should know when I do the other thing.”

Lana stays on her knees a second longer. Then she nods.

“Okay,” she says. “Tell her.”

She gets up. She makes her own coffee. They do not turn it into a fight or a speech. Breakfast is quiet. They go to work as usual.

In the evening, dinner is simple. They talk about nothing that matters. When the plates are done, Lana takes them to the sink and starts the water. Adam stays at the table. He looks at his phone for a moment, then calls Mia.

It rings. Lana keeps her back to him, hands in the soap, and listens to it connect.