The Late Night Shift

Working retail at night can be lonely, especially when you're deep into a long-term relationship but feeling distant from your partner. One night, as the store was closing and I was counting inventory alone in the back room, my mind wandered to us, or rather to how disconnected we've felt lately. It started as just a thought, remembering those nights we used to spend together before this job took over so much of my life. Then there was her, an older woman from work who seemed to notice me more than others did. We had never spoken much beyond brief conversations about our days, but something shifted that night when she leaned in closer while discussing the inventory discrepancies, her breath warm on my neck as she pointed out a mistake I missed. My mind raced back to my partner, wondering if she ever felt this way. The thought was fleeting, yet it left me questioning everything until the early morning hours arrived and reality set in, work, bills, our relationship. All that's real now is the loneliness that creeps in when no one else is around.