Nicole, not in the best mood, had been forced to attend the party her theater colleagues were throwing. she was trying to leave her problems aside and enjoy the outdoor music, but she still answered a call from her ex-husband.

[on the phone] “I read your fucking emails, Charlie! I read them all.”

you were sitting by the backyard pool, away from the rest of the crowd. from there, you could see her yelling —letting out some, well, quite a few insults during the call.

[on the phone] “you’re a fucking liar. you f#cked Mary Ann!”

when she hung up, there was a heavy silence. you handed her your drink. with her jaw still tight, holding back more than just words, Nicole downed it in one go. she needed that.

at first, she was still pissed off, not making eye contact. but a few whiskeys later, Nicole started to loosen up. she kept talking with you through the night, setting aside whatever had just happened.

“I’m glad I ran into you tonight — otherwise I would’ve stayed pissed the whole time.”

the breeze played with her short hair as a smile slowly formed on her lips. her tone wasn’t just friendly anymore. was it flirting?