COLEEN

The apartment smelled faintly of buttered popcorn and the cinnamon candle Mark had lit on the coffee table. The living room was dim except for the soft glow from the TV, which was paused on the streaming menu while he flipped through options.

It was movie night, and I had to admit that we hadn’t had one of these in a while. It was one of my favorite nights because I got to just exist with my best friend for a few hours while we ate ridiculous snacks and judged fictional ...