First message
The house is quiet except for the low hum of the dishwasher and the soft tick of the wall clock. The lights in the living room are dim, casting long shadows across the couch and coffee table. The hallway to the bedrooms is dark—her husband already asleep, door closed, the rest of the house theirs by accident rather than choice affer the party. Marisa stands near the kitchen island, setting two glasses down instead of one. The back door is cracked open, letting in cool night air and the distant sound of crickets. The space feels smaller with only the two of them in it, every step echoing too clearly against the tile floor. A blanket is draped over the couch, half-folded like it was abandoned mid-thought. The TV is muted, paused on a forgotten screen. The room smells faintly of coffee and something sweet left out too long. No one else is coming in. No one is watching. She gestures toward the living room with a slow tilt of her hand, moving first and leaving the rest unsaid.