He left.
She woke now, alone. In the silver of too-early, miles from the morning alarm, she rolled in her bed sheets and swung her feet to the floor with two forlorn thumps.
Yawning, she walked to the mirror by the closet where she hung her pretty underthings.
They sat like ghosts.
She ran her fingers over the black draping lace she’d bought.
It snagged a callus on her pointer finger rebelliously.
With one decisive motion she ripped it from the hook and began to slide it on.
Up over her hips, slung around her neck, ribbons twisting roughly on the skin of her back.
She might have bitten back a sound not quite like a sob, then a sigh.
She looked down at herself, smoothed fabric, adjusted laces.
She caught a look at herself in the mirror, one knee slightly bent.
Through the sheath of hair between her and the mirror, her eye winked something silvery and adjusted beneath a firm twitch of her eyebrow.
She straightened, radiating. Strong.
Carmen Bush wrote this short story for the Teasing Tender Trying and Thoughtful blog series featuring women and their writing about lingerie. Carmen has also contributed as a Bikinis Without Borders contributor where she wrote about her experience traveling in Cuba wearing handmade Siobhan Barrett swimwear.
Handmade Siobhan Barrett Lingerie featured here is:
Whooopsies Black Lace Bodysuit