CLAIRE
She was tall, slim, dressed in a camel-colored coat that probably cost more than six months of my rent. Her hair was dark and glossy, blown out with the kind of precision that required a professional and two hours of commitment. Sunglasses covered the upper half of her face, expensive ones with gold hardware, but beneath them I could see her mouth, and her mouth was doing something that made the hair on my arms stand up.
Chloe was unaware. Her gaze was fixed on a squirrel along the path, her grip on my hand firm and trusting. I subtly shifted my body, positioning myself between Chloe and the woman's view, a reflexive action that I didn't even contemplate until it was already executed.
When I glanced back, the woman had disappeared. Just like that. She melted into the flow of jog
