By 10:00 Max knew she wouldn’t show. He finished another drink, recognizing a tinge of curiosity, something normally fed with an internet search.

But he was out.

Max paid the bill, then left. It was twelve blocks to her apartment, but he had already crossed countless streets of innocent speculation.

Matthew Gregory is a writer and filmmaker surviving in South Florida. Some of his work can be found at geronimatt.tumblr.com.