The Weight of Staying
Her phone chimed against the counter.
The sound cut through the stillness, scattering Laura’s thoughts like startled birds. She ignored it.
Ignoring things, especially small urgent things, had become an art form for her lately. The yogurt smelled fine.
She dipped a spoon in, scraping at the pale surface, her tongue prickling with anticipation and a touch of dread. That was how people died, probably. Not dramatically. Not by shipwreck or murder or some glamorous Victorian illness. They stood alone in an apartment kitchen, sniffed at questionable dairy, said "eh," and made a terrible decision.