room of her modest one bedroom flat. Staring at nothing, she let the quiet settle in, unmotivated to turn on the television or even a light.

The community was very small as most of the residents lived in the hills in large estates. The town itself was only a dozen streets of small shops, a pharmacy, police station and adjacent fire house, a little organic grocery, a small hotel, a gas station or two with mini-marts, and a clutch of apartments that was mostly off-campus housing for the students and staff of the University. The average laborers commuted from farther away since housing was quite expensive in this exclusive area. Hence, there was little of the big city ambient noise to drown out her thoughts.

Sighing, she tried to imaginewhat Charlene could be up to. She was probably having a great time. She was probably having sex. Wild, crazy, sex. For herself, she had only been with a couple boyfriends, the second one becoming a fiancé for a short time. Aubrey had never had much of a sex drive, as she was too focused on her goals. Well, she was very close now: an academic on her way to a long, successful career, hopefully getting tenure someday, maybe even something more prestigious after that. She was already well ahead of the curve, becoming an assistant professor at a relatively young age. She could still start a family and have kids if she wanted.

What did she want? Aubrey sighed again and got up, letting the bath towel fall.