Written for writerverse Drabble a Day Challenge. Prompt: replacement


An icy feeling settled over Pete as he watched Sam help Jack ready the barbecue. The way they moved, never in each other's way, grinning at silent jokes... He'd never seen that look on her face before.

Later, his arms around her in his bed, he tried to ignore the ache in his chest. He felt like a replacement part, trying to fill in where something else had been originally but not quite fitting. He wondered whether, with time, the fit would smooth itself out, or if the tension would become too much and they would crack under the pressure.