I don’t even know why I expected anything different tonight, it still stayed the same. Lifeless. Flaccid. Soft.

This was just the impossible task.

I suddenly felt his hand on my head, “I think that’s alright now,” he said as he moved away, and turned his back towards me.

I sat up, “Really, Jonathan, is there something you want that I’m not doing?”

“No, don’t worry about it. I’m fine, I just need to sleep now.”

I crawled forward, tracing his thigh with my finger, “Would you want to try again later?” I asked in my most seductive tone.

“I don’t think so,” he replied, as he picked his boxers off the floor and slipped them on, “I just want to sleep.”

“I really think you should take your money back,” I said, sitting down onto the bed.

He turned and looked at me, “Chloe, it’s fine. It’s not you. Please just keep the money. Let me sleep now, alright?”

He faced his back towards me again and I got out of bed and threw on my robe which was hanging by the side of my bed.

◊◊◊

It was only about nine, so I decided to call Bette. I figured that at least hearing her voice would make me forget about whatever had happened in the bedroom.

“Hello,” she said.

“Hey, what you up to?”

“Nothing much, just hanging at home. What are you busy with?” I could hear the sound of her television in the background.

“I’m just at home too,” I replied, sitting on the edge of my bathtub and examining my pores in the mirror, “I guess I might have an early night since it’s Monday tomorrow.”

“Don’t remind me, it’s going to be a long week,” Bette said with a sigh.

“Shall we have dinner tomorrow?” I asked.

“Sounds good,” Bette replied, “That is a sure way to chase away the Monday blues.”

I grinned to myself, “Alright, I’ll text you tomorrow then. Gonna head to bed now.”

“Great, I’ll see you tomorrow. Night!”

◊◊◊

I crawled back into bed, quite aware that Jonathan wasn’t really sleeping. I took the book I was reading from my bedside-table and began to read. After a few moments, I found myself closing the book again and saying out loud, “So what is your story?”