[M4F] Scrolled one photo too far (inspired by a true story)

"Oh, and here he is dressed up as a ghost," Sarah said, turning her phone toward Cole.

Cole leaned closer, narrowing his eyes as he took in the photo of her dog draped in a white bedsheet, two perfect circles cut out for eyes.

"Ha! That’s adorable," he said, a chuckle slipping out. "How’d you get him to sit so still?"

"Lots of treats," she laughed. "My husband took the photo while I stood just out of frame with a whole bag of sausages."

"That’s hilarious," Cole said, smiling politely. His gaze flicked from the screen back up to her. Sarah always had this effortless grace about her. She was polished, confident, the kind of person who never seemed out of step with herself.

She started scrolling again. "We had to go with that costume because our first idea, Frankenstein, was a disaster. I tried to dye his fur green and—"

Cole stopped listening.

In the quick motion of her swiping, one photo flashed between the dog pictures. Just a second, barely enough to register, but his brain caught it all: Sarah, standing in front of a mirror, her hair down, a black bra and panty set, one hand on her hip, the camera angled to catch her turned figure. The look on her face wasn’t accidental.

She kept talking, oblivious, but Cole couldn’t hear. His throat went dry.

"Oh wow," he stammered. "Yeah, that... that’s cute."

Sarah smiled, still focused on the dog. Cole forced himself to nod, pretending to listen as his mind replayed the image in perfect, tormenting clarity.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Every email, every meeting, every clack of a keyboard was background noise to the echo of that split-second glimpse.

When the clock finally hit five, he exhaled in relief, shutting down his computer. Just as he reached for his jacket, a new email notification popped up: Sarah (1 new message).

He clicked it before he could think.

Subject: probably saw this anyway…

There was an attachment.