For this story, I used both a written prompt and an image for inspiration. Both are posted at the end.

"Oh, hey Josie, what are you doing here in Paris again, huh?"

"How many times have I told you, Brad, I'm here for my job."

"And what is this 'job' exactly?" Brad said, an edge to his voice, "Why won't you ever tell me what this 'job' is?"

Josie sighed. "Babe-"

"Don't call me 'babe,' it's Brad."

"Okay," she continued, "Brad, I cannot tell you what my job is."

"Why?" he pressed, "Isn't that some basic information that I, your boyfriend should be allowed to know? You know what I do for a living!"

"This is a unique situation, and I have told you everything else about me."

Brad huffed and ruffled his feathers. "Uh-huh, yeah, that is what they all say."

"What are you even talking about?" Josie asked.

"You're cheating on me, aren't you?" he said, squinting at her in an effort to read her mind.

Josie cocked her neck at him and blinked, speechless. She sure didn't expect that of all things to come out of Brad's beak.

"What?" she finally said.

"Who is it, huh?" Brad was now pacing on the wall they were sitting on. "Is it Randall? He's got a great tail, right?"

"No, I am not cheating on you, Brad. I love you and only you," said Josie.

"Then why won't you tell me about this mysterious job? Is it... is it because you're an escort!?" Brad gasped.

Josie's bill fell open in astonishment. "No, for goodness sakes, no! Where did you get such an idea?"

"That doesn't matter," Brad retorted. "What matters is that I think you're playing me."

Josie, now thoroughly fed up herself, then said, "Fine, don't believe me. It baffles me that you cannot trust my word, and that you think I would even consider cheating on you. Come find me once you have changed your mind, I'll be waiting back in my nest."

And with that, she stood, gave her wings a good stretch, and flew away.

Brad sighed, pecking at the ground, frustrated about his girlfriend's mysterious job in the city of love.

Fin.

❋

Photo by AndrewCherkashin via LifeofPix

"A husband catches his wife in a lie and suspects she is cheating on him. She isn't cheating, but she has a new job that she doesn't want him to know about. The husband confronts the wife about her lie. Write the conversation." (Prompt from CreativeWritingNow.com)