Chapter 4
D rew: Hey, baby. How's your day going? Let me know when you're on your way home.
That message was sent two hours ago, but Frankie still hadn't replied. I knew she had a photo session booked this morning and was likely busy, but a part of me wondered whether she was purposely ignoring me. Not that I could blame her. I still felt like shit for forgetting to message her on Saturday when I'd been out. I always checked in with her, especially if she was driving back in the evening from a shoot, but time had slipped away from me.
Liar.
I pushed that annoying voice away; one that had started to nag at me a lot more frequently than before. It sat like an uncomfortable weight on my chest, choking me with guilt.
The brutal, confronting truth was; when I was out of the house I didn't have to think . I didn't have to force myself into uncomfortable conversations I wasn't yet ready to participate in. Conversations and issues that came easy to my communicative wife to resolve. She was a talker and liked to confront our problems head-on. I didn’t mind it; it stopped us from being complacent—from letting those little annoyances build up.
I threw my clothes near the laundry basket but not in it? No problem. I could make a conscious effort to aim for the actual basket this time. I wanted to go to a boys night out instead of her friend’s art exhibition? I purchased the cheapest option in her showcase before meeting the boys an hour later. Piece of cake.
Taking her dad up on his offer of a loan for a house? Trying for a baby? My next career move? Those were issues I couldn’t muster up the strength or words to talk through.
I loved Frankie, but things between us were strained. Despite my insistence that we were fine, I knew we weren't. Frankie knew we weren't, and I felt like a dick trying to convince her otherwise. I was aware whose fault it was. I just didn't want to deal with all the nagging and pressure. I hated feeling like I was failing; that I would fail.
But not messaging my wife because I was having too much fun from all the stress and arguing? That was shitty.
I adored Frankie more today than I did when we first met, but I could feel the shift in our relationship. Things had changed. We weren't the same us anymore, and I didn't know what to do. The smart thing would be to just talk to her, but I didn't know how to even start discussing everything that had been building up inside of me for the past year.
My phone chimed, but it was just a text from Sene. Still radio silence from Frankie. She probably saw through my message for what it was: A poor attempt at an olive branch.
"Hey, you." Fingertips danced on my shoulder and a shiver slid down my neck at the soft touch. Carly leaned on my desk, beaming down at me.
"Hey, Carly. How's things?"
She pouted at me. "You left so suddenly on Saturday. We were having fun."
Too much fun.
Carly had been the life of the party, as she usually was on nights out. I only had one beer since I was driving, but she'd taken advantage of the round of drinks that were flowing. I ignored most of her antics; she was a harmless flirt who could be a little over the top with her attention. Nothing serious. Sometimes I reciprocated, and it was always a little fun when our banter volleyed back and forth. But it was all completely innocent. She did it with most men at the office.
Carly and I had always gotten on well, but it was only when she was promoted to our RV division's general manager that I started working closely with her. Did we text each other a little too often? Probably. But it was usually just memes and office gossip. Harmless fluff.
Until Saturday night happened.
I was deep into a second round of pool when Carly sauntered up and asked me to teach her how to shoot. I thought nothing of it, but it wasn't until I'd guided my hand over hers and felt her ass stick back into my front that I realized the precarious position we were in.
Her body felt strange against mine. I couldn't say that it didn't stir something within me. Not arousal; I wasn't a creep. But the feeling was strange. Not bad. Just…different. But it was enough for me to quickly make my excuses and leave. Frankie had already made her feelings about Carly's attention clear. There was nothing going on. So I had to keep my distance in order to make that statement true.
"Sorry. Frankie was gone all day, and I just wanted to see her."
That part was genuine. Things were easy when I was away from my wife; but as soon as I’d arrived home and spied Frankie sitting in our bed—the lamp illuminating her beauty—all I wanted to do was crawl in beside her and place my head on her lap. I longed for her to stroke my head and tell me we were okay, that she loved me and always would.
A shadow crossed over Carly's face before it quickly cleared. Her smile was tight. "Right. Well, we have to set something up again. That was fun."
Did Carly think my wife forced me home? Frankie didn't mind if I was late or if I wanted to catch a drink with friends as long as I gave her a heads-up. Saturday night aside.
After our Christmas party, Carly had asked me if Frankie liked her. The question had caught me off-guard. Frankie had been pleasant enough, like she always was, but women tended to be weird about things like that. Vibing off each other or some shit.
Sure, Frankie had questioned me about her a few times, but that didn't mean she didn't like her. She hadn’t spent enough time with her to form an opinion. When I mentioned to Carly that my wife was probably annoyed that work encroached on our time at home, Carly had rolled her eyes and joked I was whipped.
I had an awful feeling I shouldn't have disclosed that to her.
"Yeah, for sure. I'll bring Frankie next time."
When I showed up on Saturday, Mike was there with his wife, and Tony had brought his girlfriend. I had an excuse for where Frankie was—-a legitimate one—-but I still could’ve texted her to meet me out if she wasn’t too tired from her shoot. Seeing two sets of couples together, having fun and cuddling, poked that conscience inside of me that teetered on guilt.
Carly's mouth pinched before she flicked me a wide grin. "Sure thing. I'd love to get to know my competition," she tittered.
I frowned, my eyes falling to her ass wiggling around my desk. 'What do you mean?"
She laughed again and her hand slapped at my shoulder. "It was just a joke about you being my work husband." Another friendly rub on my back. "I have to get back to work. Lunch today?"
"Yeah, sure."
My phone beeped. Frankie finally replied.
Frankie: Just finished up a shoot. Chicken parm for dinner or will you be out again?
I deserved that.
When I got home, Frankie was in the kitchen, stirring a pot of fragrant parmigiana sauce. She kept her back to me, her bunched shoulders her only tell that she’d heard me.
My greedy eyes drank my wife in. Her long hair was like a midnight river, shimmering against the light as it rested down her back. It was the first thing I’d noticed about her. She’d been standing by the notice board reading a poster while I stood there like a fool, mesmerized by her long, glorious hair.
Feeling very much like a creeper, I’d approached her and without thinking it through, gave her luscious locks a discreet sniff. Coconut and vanilla. Delicious. But then she'd turned around and I was lost in the most gorgeous girl I'd ever seen: brown skin, dark brown, almond-shaped eyes wrapped within a heart-shaped face.
God, I missed her.
I cautiously approached, unsure what my reception would be. I wrapped my arms around her waist and dropped my head into the crook of her neck. She smelled so good. Her ass against my front stirred me, and this time there was no doubting the arousal that swirled deep within me. My twitching dick was proof of that.
"I'm sorry, baby, for not checking in on Saturday. I've been a shitty husband lately."
She turned to me and my arms immediately detached from around her body. I instantly missed her warmth. Her brown eyes shimmered with hurt and the guilt clenched my gut. I couldn’t seem to stop letting her down.
"I don't know what's wrong." I hated how small and unsure she sounded.
Instead of alleviating her fears, I gently kissed her soft lips. "Sene invited me over for dinner tomorrow. He asked after you, too. Wanna come?"
Her face shadowed. "You were going to go without me?"
Shit. "No. I just didn't think you wanted to go." She saw through the lie but kept a brave smile on.
"Okay, that sounds good. I haven't seen Sene in a while."
"Good." I kissed her again, relieved when I felt her soft lips reciprocate. "Let me wash up, and I'll help with dinner."