A Night In, A Life Apart

I settled into my favorite recliner, remote control in hand, and cracked open a cold beer. Lora was out with the girls, and I was happy to have a quiet night in. She was always a handful when she got drunk, but it was all in good fun. I chuckled to myself, remembering the time she accidentally karaoke-ed \I Will Survive\ at the top of her lungs, much to the embarrassment of her friends. As the hours ticked by, I dozed off, lulled by the hum of the TV and the occasional beer refill. When I jolted awake at 2 am, my initial thought was, \Where's Lora?\ Her friends were always late, but this was ridiculous. I glanced around the room, noticing her iPad still connected to her messages. That's when I saw it: a notification from \James\ on her screen. My gut twisted into knots. Who was James, and why was Lora talking to him at 2 am? I felt a pang of unease, but I pushed it aside. Maybe it was just an old friend or a work colleague. I told myself to calm down, that I was being paranoid. But as I stared at the iPad, my mind started racing with worst-case scenarios. I knew Lora was a lively drunk, but was she getting reckless? I decided to send her a text, asking her to come home. As I waited for a response, my anxiety grew. Why hadn't she answered? And who was James, anyway?