Phillipa and I stared at the box of chocolates sitting in the Xi’an shop.
“Maybe we could split it?” she suggested, looking earnest.
Andrew shifted back and forth. “Maybe if you girls get chocolate, I’ll buy some smokes?”
The lovebirds were in China celebrating their anniversary. And still, after five years together, each felt guilty about the bad habit which annoyed the other. They both looked at me, eyes hopeful.
The train ride to Beijing would be long, noisy and dirty.
“OK,” I agreed to the chocolates.
Andrew and Phillipa exhaled a huge sigh of relief.
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Hi, Bridget, thanks for writing. I think the sentence about the lovebirds' guilt lends insight into their psyche, I wonder if it couldn't be stated more through their actions (for example, their hopeful eyes). The visuals are the most striking parts of this story.
Nitpick: I'm confused, geographically, about who is standing where and when they're doing it.