Sublime

She saw herself as a charming street urchin, a pet for wealthy mothers.

I’m not a household name. I won’t go into the tedious specifics of what I do, but picture a woman who had success in several mediums at a young age and has continued very steadily, always circling her central concerns in a sort of ecstatic fugue state with the confidence that comes from knowing there is no other path—her whole life will be this sin

like an obsessive-compulsive angel, working furiously on the side of good.

I pulled down my jean shorts and lifted my shirt over my head.

RON – SIXTY-SEVEN-PIECE ART SET

I looked away, my face a smiling mask.

I watched her walk into the store as unself-consciously as an animal in a nature documentary.

Each night I came in from the garage as late as possible, the evening hours with Harris and Sam being the most treacherous as I mimed my way through interactions that should have been second nature, a perpetual houseguest nervously trying to demonstrate how at ease she felt.

I could feel the accordion between my hands and how impressed he would be if I said yes.