( Today goes in the win column. )

Nicole didn't notice for days that she'd lost the delicate hoop earring. Gold with flowers etched on it, the pair came from a vintage shop in the Village. She bought them the day she got back into the city after dropping Gwen off and while they weren't terribly valuable, she liked them ( Read more... )

( Now, little boy lost, he takes himself so seriously
He brags of his misery, he likes to live dangerously
And when bringing her name up
He speaks of a farewell kiss to me
He's sure got a lotta gall to be so useless and all
Muttering small talk at the wall while I'm in the hall
How can I explain? )

( All she ever wanted was for him to see her. )

Nicole wanted to read minds. She had spent a lifetime learning how to read the tiny give aways every person had. This one's eyes twitched left when he lied, that one reached for a drink even if she didn't have one. This person talked in bed when he felt guilty about who he was with but was silent as the grave when he was honestly in love. Most ( Read more... )

The letters had to go through two mail drops before they got to her, but they came with clockwork regularity. Each one was read three times, no more or less, then put safely in a box under Nicole's bed. Some day, if even one god were smiling, Nicole would see Gwen again. She didn't hold that dream terribly close, though. There was little point ( Read more... )

The last gasps of summer included chilly, sunny days that seemed to confuse everyone. Some people walked around in tank tops and shorts and others were in heavy coats. Nicole was the only one walking on her block dressed appropriately. Jeans, a light sweater and a leather blazer were just right to keep her comfortable. She knew she looked good ( Read more... )

( White knight after white knight had come to save her. )

( She vanished from herself. )

Nicole accepted an invitation she knew she shouldn't. After finding herself taking wild risks to connect with a man who could do her nothing but harm, she had to find something else for herself. Instead of getting a better job or finally making herself leave the city, she had given a relative stranger hope that he would have her body ( Read more... )