XXI | No Choice

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The barista
who made our coffee
is new,

Shuhui says.

That's why the coffee's so badly calibrated.

We're in the handicapped toilet.

Together.

It's cold.
A bit dusty.

I got her
to leave her cigarette
behind.

Her lips still taste like ash.

Ash and crayon.

She smells like flowers though.
'Life sucks,'
she whispers.

For some reason,
that sets me on fire.

I don't know
how much of what I remember

is her voice

and how much
is my thoughts.

If I could do anything in the world,
I'd die right now.

There's so many things I haven't experienced
but we're stuck in this #*%& hellhole.

I'm rotting.

You're so pretty.
It would be nice if everyone's like you.

Existing would be less horrible
if we get to do whatever we want.

I always knew
that we were very much alike.

If I was different
maybe I could have chosen
a different option.

But this is

who I am,
and this what I did.

We made love
in a handicapped toilet

in an empty cafe

in a lonely district

somewhere in Singapore.

[Read the full story at novelconbini.com!]