Short Story: Lipstick Stain by Russell Ting

Russell Ting’s short story with its captivating narrative is a brilliant read with ebbs and tides intact enough to leave a reader thrilled.

The music was too loud. The oversaturated sounds of Journey circa Steve Perry passed through my head, kneading my brain as it went by with all the tenderness of a cheap masseuse.

Somewhere, in some distant corner of my mind, I could feel a dull throbbing reverberating with the beat. 

“You alright?” the voice of the woman in front of me added to the all-too-familiar sensation of alcohol hijacking my senses.

“Fine, fine,” I assured her in an unconvincing tone. “You look like you’re holding your liquor pretty well.”

“This much is okay. I do drink occasionally after all,” she replied, her voice soft yet clear, each word weaving its way effortlessly through the air.