Electric Current

Sarah was running when the first crack of lightning split the sky above the Hudson. She'd been swimming at the club pool earlier that morning—her daily ritual of forced self-care—but now the rain felt necessary, cleansing. Her iPhone buzzed against her hip, another work email from David, probably asking about the Q3 projections he'd already asked about three times today. She ignored it.

She ran harder. At 34, she'd become the kind of person who used exercise to avoid feeling like a zombie at her desk, which was exactly what David wanted from his senior analysts: productive, predictable, present but never fully there. Her mother kept asking when she'd find someone, settle down. Sarah usually deflected with humor about being married to her spreadsheets.

The storm broke open as she ducked under a café awning. Her phone lit up again—David, calling. She stared at his name on the screen, something curling tight in her chest. Not anger. Not really.

"You're not at your desk," he said when she answered.

"I'm on my lunch break."

"It's 10:45 AM."

Sarah watched lightning illuminate the gray water of the river. "I know what time it is, David."

Silence stretched between them, charged and heavy. They'd ended things three months ago, after the holiday party, after too much whiskey and his hotel room and the morning after when he'd reminded her he was her boss. She'd been swimming every morning since, running every evening, trying to exhaust herself enough to stop remembering.

"I miss you," he said quietly.

The admission hit her like physical force. She'd thought—hoped—that they were both just pretending nothing had happened, that this corporate pseudo-romance had been an aberration.

"I'm done swimming in circles, David." Her voice surprised her—steady, certain. "If there's something work-related, email me. Otherwise, don't."

She ended the call. Another flash of lightning, closer this time. Sarah stepped back into the rain, letting it soak her running clothes, her hair, her skin. For the first time in months, she didn't feel like a zombie moving through someone else's life. She felt raw, terrified, and absolutely awake.