The thing about Sally and Marissa's relationship was they never fought or cheated, never argued. All that filled the walls of their home was the quiet air, the white noise of a TV, and the soft clink of dishes being washed.

"How adorable those two are, what lovebirds. Why can't we be like that?" The neighbours next door, the Masons, exclaimed to each other over morning coffee while sitting on their front patio and green-grass lawn. The sky was overcast, the sun a milky yellow.

"Yes, well. And when Sal went and got her tubes tied, remember when she announced this at dinner two weeks ago––when poor Mar has that whole little notebook of baby names." Mrs. Mason set her coffee down, watching the steam curl up like a caress. "And look at them, still happy as the day of their honeymoon."

When disorder withers and dies, that is where love blooms, she thought to herself.

Two weeks ago, Mrs. Mason had spotted a big white calendar taped to the wall of Sal and Mar's kitchen, which was marked with scheduled dates, and drinks with friends, and office Christmas parties, where the couple would arrive with one arm around the other to model the perfect yet unremarkable relationship. And when they got back to their clean-modern home and slipped through the door, a hand would fall from Sally's waist. Marissa would say nothing, and leave to take a shower.

Two years later they were in therapy. Near the end of the session, with hot tears scorching down their cheeks for the first time in five years, they walked away, hands in their pockets, a sky of emptiness above.

So you see, Sally and Marissa didn't argue, not because they didn't have anything to fight about, but because they had nothing worth fighting for.

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Small writing challenge for myself. I like to ramble, but this might be a style I'll explore more.

Art is 'The Kiss' by Gustav Klimt <3