Ring of Fire

Ben groaned at the thought of being alone with Morgan, who never failed to cause arguments between him and Darlene. She was constantly horning in on private moments or finding reasons to place a hand on Darlene’s shoulder or tuck her hair behind her ear. These were boundaries no friendship should ever cross.

In some odd way, the house seemed to creak in agreement.

Ben found Morgan tolerable at times—when she sat and listened to him vent about work issues while Darlene was wrapped up in family drama, or when she snuck whiskey to his home office, knowing Darlene hated his drinking. Little things that made her seem less insufferable.

But Ben couldn’t ignore the intimacy issues between him and Darlene that had begun when Morgan moved in. Darlene had been pulling away from him when he tried to hold her, but last night in the bedroom, her recoiling under his touch and the simultaneous crash of their wall photo to the floor, became his breaking point.

Darlene surrendered to a “Morgan is Morgan” attitude, but Ben refused, especially after last night.

So, when Morgan came home, he decided to take last night as a sign to act and give her an ultimatum.

“Hey Ben,” Morgan beamed, holding up a bottle of his favorite whiskey.

The lights began to flicker the moment Morgan stepped inside the apartment.

Ben poured two glasses of whiskey and handed one to Morgan, sitting beside her on the couch. Tension filled the room like another body.

“I’ll just get right to it."

Ben's knuckles turned white against his glass, and he downed the whiskey in one gulp.

He continued, “Darlene may defend you, but I refuse. You’re crossing lines, making Darlene uncomfortable, and causing problems between us. Step back or move out—your choice.”

The lights stopped flickering after Ben’s last words. Just as Morgan opened her mouth to speak, the walls closed in, and the apartment became an inferno.