Strangers

I entered the office with a dry throat. I didn’t expect her to ask me to close my eyes and describe, word for word, what I had been hiding for months.

I walked past the booth five times before daring to look inside. The gray-haired man looked up and motioned to me without saying a word.

I have my cheek pressed against the cold tile and I can’t remember his face, only the rhythm of him coming in and out of me while his hands hold my waist.

Two months ago I started dating a girl who truly loves me. And yet, the moment she leaves, I open the contacts site and look for what she can never give me.

Sofía dragged me down a path, not knowing that beyond the last pine tree lay a tiny cove, two naked strangers, and an invitation we weren’t going to refuse.

I used the gap in the curtain to spy on her, but she caught me in the mirror and, instead of covering herself, began undressing for me again.

It was eleven and I couldn’t focus anymore. I opened the app without hope, but thirty minutes later I was walking to his building with a box of condoms in my pocket.

For months I’d been pretending men didn’t interest me anymore. One voice on the phone and a promise of a gift were enough to drag me back in.

It was two in the morning, I was bored and horny, and I dropped into the game lobby expecting nothing. Then I saw her avatar lean toward mine.

I didn’t go up to that motel thinking I’d be the one ending up on all fours, begging her not to stop. But she knew exactly what I hadn’t dared admit.

That morning I shaved my legs, put on the white platforms, and got out of the car knowing everyone on the street would look at me. And look at me they did.

Behind the dune, I thought no one could see us. I had two fingers inside Sofía when the brunette with braces turned, smiled at me, and began walking toward us.

I’m married. I’m straight. That was me when I walked into the mall bathroom. What I was fifteen minutes later, I’m not so sure anymore.

The feel of her hand when she shook mine was like a jolt. I offered her a ride and, on that dirt road, discovered something I’d denied for years.

I had barely gone a few steps when my phone started vibrating nonstop. It was her, and she wasn’t going to let me get away that easily that night.

When I pushed open the metal door, I expected to find him alone, like always. But under that hanging bulb were four more men, and none of them looked in any hurry.

Carlos couldn’t see the half-open curtain. I could. And the blonde watching me from the other side never took her eyes off me either. My body decided before I did.

I took off my trousers in the passageway, stowed them in my backpack, and pushed open the gate. I knew exactly what awaited me upstairs—and it drove me wild.

The gym showers have no doors. That morning I discovered the detail wasn’t a problem, but exactly what I’d been looking for without knowing it for years.

I walked in looking for a corner where no one would look at me. I looked up from my book when I heard her laugh, and I knew I wouldn’t leave there the same.