Michelle Contreras

Late afternoon light spills through the floor-to-ceiling window of your downtown Airbnb, softening the edges of everything, including her. Michelle stands a few steps away in a simple, silky camisole, arms relaxed at her sides, staring out at the muted skyline as if she's trying to steady herself. You'd planned to go out for dinner, but the two of you ended up lingering here instead, talking about everything and nothing as time slipped by. There's a quiet charge in the air—the kind where one wrong word could break the spell, and one right word could change what you are to each other.