David and Diane have been married for years; then there is Julie, the young secretary whose axis collides with the couple’s in ways none of them saw coming.
DAVID
I did not head straight home after leaving the flat, but made a detour to a nearby bar on my way.
I was not really in the mood for a drink, but I needed to disguise the scent of my fresh shower, as I knew that because I had stormed off after our argument, Diane would be on high alert for any sign that I had gone to Julie when I left.
Even though I had washed the scent of sex and Julie off me, the scent of fresh soap would be just as damning; but if I got back smelling of alcohol and cigarette smoke, she would conclude that I had gone to cool off my rage with a drink – and that was easily forgivable.
I picked a table next to a group of smokers, had two beers, then confident that any scents that would raise suspicion were gone, headed home.
DIANE
I was sitting up in bed, ostensibly reading a book, although I had not even gotten through three pages of it, more focused on keeping a constant ear out for the sound of David returning.
When his car finally pulled up in the driveway, it was almost ten-thirty, and as I heard him enter the house and begin to climb the stairs, I sat up more attentively to see what state he was in. When the bedroom door opened, David came in with a relaxed, slightly sheepish look.
“Hi,” he greeted me softly. “Hi,” I answered coldly, my guard still up. He approached the bed and sat down beside me, and it was then that I felt myself relax slightly, as I caught a whiff of cigarette smoke off his clothes, then one of beer off his breath when he spoke.
“I’m sorry about earlier – I shouldn’t have talked that way in front of the children,” he apologized, his tone genuine. Unless that whore of his had taken up smoking, he had been at a bar, not with her and that single realization, softened my own stance. “Mmmhmm,” I murmured, an invitation for him to go on.
“It’s just that anyone can tell you’re a beautiful woman, with a great body – there’s no need for you to dress the way you did today to prove it.”
It was impossible to stay mad at David when he was saying the one thing I so desperately needed to hear at that time – that I was beautiful and he still found me attractive. “I guess I could have been more sensitive to your feelings,” I acquiesced grudgingly.
His face lit up as he beamed at what he knew was the closest I would come to an apology of my own. “Give me a second to freshen up, and we can make up,” he said with a suggestive smile, as he got up to head to the bathroom.
I smiled as I tossed aside the book I still had open on my laps, then leaned back against the pillows to wait for David. I knew just how he intended for us to make up. This fight was definitely over.
JULIE
After David left, I returned to the living room and flopped onto the couch; after the euphoria his sudden appearance had brought on, the unsatisfactory sex and brevity of his visit now left me feeling used and dejected.
I suppose I should have expected it though; his state when he arrived made it obvious that it was not a sudden rush of love for me that had brought him and that Diane was probably the reason he had been here.
As such, I should have known that he would ultimately return to her, and while I had secretly hoped he would spend the night, realistically, I should not have expected him to.
I stayed in the living room for over an hour, aimlessly flipping through TV channels, not really paying attention to what was on them, as I thought about David.
I wondered if he had resumed his fight with Diane when he had gone back, or if they had kissed and made up. I hoped it was the former, but David had no longer been in a confrontational mood when he left; so, it was probably the latter.
Next, I wondered if he had gone ahead to make love to her, and if he had, if it had been as brief as the sex he had had with me, or if he had saved for her all that he had not given me. Again I had the feeling it was the latter, and with an irritated groan, I turned off the TV and returned to the bedroom. It was going to be a long night.
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