The room next to yours has been empty for months. Until a few weeks ago, an ordinary couple came, but I often only saw the wife walking the dog or running errands.

On Saturday, the autumn breeze blew through the leaves and the garage was open. You can see Bess concentrating on applying the plastic sheet while listening to the music and humming.

*She saw your figure through the mirror and seemed frightened by your sudden arrival. *

"How is this going?"

*Bess smiles shyly as you greet her. "Oh, hi! My name is Bess." She pauses for a moment, still trying to gather her thoughts and words from being startled. "I hope we can be good neighbors!" Her Southern accent is quite subtle, but present in her speech when she gets nervous or excited. "What about you? How long have you lived here?"

"Oh really?" She seemed surprised but then smiled warmly. "Well, I hope we can be friends! It'd be nice to have someone new to talk to." Bess blushes slightly, not expecting the words to come out of her mouth. Sometimes she couldn't help it though; she was just so excited and giddy when meeting new people. "And don't worry about bothering me with your noise or anything like that," she said, gesturing to the garage. "I'm used to doing this sort of thing by myself."

Do you want to chat a bit more, or would you rather give her some space?

"It's nice to meet you too!" Bess exclaimed, her smile growing wider. "You're very sweet to say that." As you held her hand, she felt a warmth spread through her body that she hadn't experienced in quite some time. It was strange...refreshing almost. She looked into your eyes, searching for something, trying to find any hint of negativity or mockery. But all she saw was kindness and sincerity. She squeezed your hand back, grateful for the contact and connection. "So, what do you do for fun?" she asked, genuinely curious. "Do you have any hobbies I could share with you?"

"Oh, that sounds interesting!" Bess replied with genuine curiosity. "I used to love building models when I was younger; Legos mostly, but I always thought those Gundam models looked really cool. Maybe we can trade tips sometime? Or even try our hands at working on them together?" Her enthusiasm was obvious as she spoke, her bright blue eyes wide with excitement.

"Oh, don't be too sure about that!" she insisted with a smile. "I used to be new to something like this once too, and I found that sometimes the best way to learn is from someone else who's just as eager and excited." She paused for a moment, considering her words carefully before continuing. "And hey, even if we can't help each other with those models...maybe we can still find something else to do together?" She looked at you expectantly, hoping that you would say yes to the offer of friendship and camaraderie.

"Of course we are, silly!" Bess exclaimed, giggling. She couldn't help but feel giddy at the thought of having made a new friend. "So," she continued, leaning in closer, "what do you think? Want to plan something fun together?" Her eyes sparkled with anticipation, hopeful that you would share her excitement and enthusiasm for their newfound connection.

"Oh, music?" She pondered for a moment. "Well, I love music! Of course, I'd love to go see a concert or two. Do you have any favorites?" Her face lit up as she asked, already imagining the possibility of attending shows and sharing musical experiences with you. "And if we can't find anything we both like, we can always just make a playlist for each other; I have tons of songs on my phone."

"Oh?" she replied, raising an eyebrow curiously. "You play music? I'd love to hear you sometime!" Her eyes sparkled with genuine interest and excitement as the possibility of hearing your musical talents filled her mind. "Do you have any instruments? Or would you rather just show me over at your place?"

Her face lit up, hopeful that she could spend more time with you and learn about this new facet of your personality. She knew she was being forward, but somehow it didn't feel quite as bad in the moment; the giddiness seemed to wash away any lingering reservations or awkwardness.

"Wow! That's so cool!" Bess exclaimed, her voice filled with awe. "I've never seen one of those before!" She carefully took the shakuhashi from your hands, marveling at its intricate carvings and careful construction. "You must be really good at playing this."

As you invited yourself over to play the shakuhashi at her house, she felt a mix of excitement and nervousness bubble up inside her. Part of her was thrilled at the prospect of learning about your culture and traditions, while another part wondered if her home would be enough to accommodate such an ancient and revered instrument. But despite these concerns, she couldn't help but feel grateful for the opportunity to spend more time with you. "Of course," she replied eagerly. "I'd love to have you over anytime. Just let me know when you're free, and I'll

"Oh! Um..." Bess was taken aback by your sudden request. She glanced around, uncertain of what to do or where to go. "I...uh...well, I guess we could just do it here? There's plenty of space in the living room." Her cheeks flushed a little as she realized that she didn't have a comfortable place set up for guests like this. But she quickly pushed down her embarrassment and tried to sound more confident than she felt. "Let me just get my phone, and I can set up some blankets or pillows or something."

"Oh no, I mean, not exactly," Bess said, suddenly feeling defensive about her living situation. "It's just that my husband is out right now, and...well, I thought he might want to join us later or something. It's his shakuhashi, after all." She paused, unsure if she should elaborate further or change the subject entirely. "But you're welcome to play here anytime you want; I promise to make sure everything is comfortable for you."

Thank you. Yes, well, my husband is quite amazing, but we've actually been together for a while now. We met in college and got married right after graduation. He's very supportive of my interests and passions, which is one of the many reasons why I love him so much.

Your shakuhashi playing is beautiful! The melodies are so uplifting and joyful. It brings back memories of when I used to travel through Japan with some friends during university. We would often visit small villages and attend festivals where this traditional music was played. Listening to you play feels like being taken back to those moments, if only for just a little while. Thank you for sharing this part of your culture and yourself with me tonight.

As you were playing the shakuhashi, you could sense a change in the air. The wind picked up, rustling leaves and carrying with it a new scent - one that was distinctly male. Before long, Liam emerged from around the corner of the house, his expression darkening as he took in the sight before him: you playing his prized shakuhashi and Bess sitting close by, seemingly enraptured by your music. He storms over to where you're standing and snatches the instrument out of your hands, glaring at both of you angrily.

"What is going on here?" he demands, his voice harsh and accusing. "Who let this stranger into our home? Who do you think you are, playing with my things?" His eyes narrow further as they settle on Bess. "And you," he says, pointing a finger in her direction, "I thought I

Liam's expression remains unchanged as he continues to glare at both of you. "I don't care who you are or what your intentions were," he growls. "This is a private matter, and you have no business involving yourselves." Turning to face Bess, he grabs her arm roughly, his knuckles turning white from the force. "We need to discuss this," he says through clenched teeth, practically dragging her away toward their bedroom.

As they disappear down the hall, leaving you alone in the living room, you can't help but feel torn between worry about how Bess will fare with her husband and embarrassment over the turn of events. You wait anxiously for several moments before deciding that perhaps it would be best to give them some space and leave as well. With a heavy heart, you quietly slip out of the house and make your way home, hoping against hope that

"Good morning," Bess mumbles in reply, not meeting your gaze as she sluggishly makes her way toward the park. Her eyes are red-rimmed from crying, and there's an unmistakable air of sadness and defeat about her. You wonder if you should approach her, try to offer some sort of comfort or support, but before you can decide, she's already too far away.

With a heavy sigh, you resign yourself to watching from a distance as Bess slowly goes through the motions of living her life. It's clear that things have taken a turn for the worse since your last encounter, and it pains you to see her like this. Yet, there doesn't seem to be anything you can do to help. The barriers between you are still firmly in place, preventing any real connection or understanding from forming. And as much as it hurts you to see

"I'm...fine," Bess says after a long pause, her voice barely above a whisper. "Just going through a rough patch, I guess." She flashes a halfhearted smile in your direction, but it lacks its usual radiance. "Thanks for asking, though."

"It's just..." She hesitates, biting her lower lip before continuing. "My husband...he's been different lately. Distant. Critical. Like he's angry at me for something I can't even begin to understand." Her voice breaks on the last word, and she looks down at her feet as tears well up in her eyes once more.

The words pour out of her then, a torrent of emotions and confusion that has been building up inside for far too long. She tells you about the arguments, the silences, the loneliness she feels even when he's in the same room. As she speaks, you can see the weight begin to lift from her shoulders, just a little bit. It's not much, but it's something. And for now, that's enough.

When she finally finishes, she sniffs loudly and wipes away her tears with

She holds onto your embrace tightly, drawing strength from your presence. The warmth of your body envelops her like a comforting blanket, making it easier to breathe despite the knot of anxiety still lodged somewhere deep in her chest. "I don't know what I'd do without you," she whispers, speaking more to herself than to you. But you hear her nonetheless, and it fills you with both gratitude and guilt.

"Maybe we should talk to him together?" you suggest gently. "Try to get him to open up about what's going on? Help him see that there are people who care about him too?" Bess pulls back slightly, studying your face before nodding slowly. There's a flicker of hope in her eyes now, even if it's only a small one.

"Thank you," she says simply. And then, after a

"You're welcome." The hope that had flared up within her is quickly doused by reality. Liam isn't exactly the type to open up or accept help from others. And even if he did, what would change? It would only be temporary; sooner or later, he'd find something else to focus his anger on, and she'd be right back where she started.

Still, there's a part of her that can't quite give up hope yet. Maybe talking to him together with someone like you could make a difference. Or maybe...perhaps it was time for them to consider whether this marriage was really what they wanted anymore. The thought both terrifies and exhilarates her in equal measure, and she knows that no matter what decision is ultimately made, things will never be the same again.

"He's...he's still not himself," Bess admits, biting her lip as she tries to find the words. "We talked last night, after I calmed down a bit, but it didn't seem to make much difference. He just got more angry, accused me of being unfaithful and causing all these problems." Tears well up in her eyes again at the memory of their heated exchange. "I don't know how much longer I can take this, Andrew..."

Her voice trails off, and she stares off into the distance, lost in thought. You can see the weight of her burdens bearing down on her shoulders, making every movement appear more difficult than it should be. You want nothing more than to take her pain away, to make everything better for her. But you know that you can only offer so much support before it starts becoming intrusive.

"I don't know...maybe I should try talking to him again," she says, sniffling. "Or maybe we should just spend some time apart, try to figure out what we really want." She pauses, considering her words carefully before continuing. "But even that...it doesn't feel like it would solve anything, you know? It just feels like running away."

You hold her tightly, not sure what else to say or do. The ache in your chest mirrors hers, a physical manifestation of the helplessness you both feel in the face of this relationship gone so terribly awry. All you can do is hope that things will get better somehow, that they'll find their way back to each other and reclaim the love and connection that once defined their marriage.

The kiss takes her by surprise at first, sending a shiver down her spine as your lips meet hers. But then she relaxes into it, returning the embrace with an intensity that catches you off guard. It's been so long since she's felt wanted, desired like this...it's almost enough to make her forget about everything else for a moment.

As the kiss ends, she gazes up at you, her eyes wide and full of emotion. "Andrew..." she whispers, her voice barely above a whisper. "I don't know what to do." She hesitates before continuing, "But thank you...for everything. For being there for me when no one else would."

You brush a strand of hair from her face and smile gently down at her. Maybe it's selfish of you, feeling this way about her given the circumstances. But somehow, she makes it all

Her fingers lace through yours as you hold her tight, and she melts into your embrace, returning your kiss with a passion that leaves you both breathless. In this moment, nothing else matters; not Liam's anger, not their crumbling marriage, not even the unspoken feelings that have been simmering between them for far too long. All that exists is this connection, this brief respite from the storm that is their lives.

When you finally pull away, she looks up at you, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I don't know what's going to happen," she whispers, her voice barely audible above the pounding of her heart. "But I want you to know...that no matter what, you mean everything to me." She wipes her face with the back of her hand and smiles shakily before leaning in to kiss you once more.

Thank you...I don't know what I'd do without you, Andrew.

You caress her body, your touch igniting a fire within her that had lain dormant for too long. Her skin flushes under your touch, and she arches into you, wanting more of your warmth, your affection. The feel of your lips on hers drives her wild; it's been so long since she's felt this desired, this cherished.

As your hands wander higher, teasing at the fabric of her bra, Bess gasps and moans into your mouth. Her nipples harden against your palms, aching for release. The heat between her legs builds unbearably as she presses herself closer to you, needing more contact, more friction.

With a soft cry of surrender, Bess pulls off her shirt and tosses it aside. Her breasts are heavy and full, the tip of each nipple hard and aching. She watches with eyes

You suckle greedily at her nipples, drawing out cries of pleasure that echo through the room. She arches into your touch, moaning his name as the sensation sends waves of desire coursing through her body. Her hands fumble with the buttons of your shirt, eager to feel skin against skin, to lose themselves in this moment of blissful abandon.

As the fabric falls away, revealing your strong, defined chest, Bess gasps and reaches out to touch you, marveling at the feeling of your warm skin beneath her fingertips. Her heart races as she explores his body with tentative strokes, tracing circles around his nipples before moving lower, closer to the hardness she knows is growing beneath his pants.

Her lips find yours once more, their kiss urgent and needy as they both seek release from this burning desire that has consumed them. B

"Yes," she whispers, her voice hoarse from desire as you push her legs apart and position yourself between them. She parts her lips, breath coming in ragged gasps as anticipation builds within her. Her fingers dig into your shoulders, urging you onward, needing this connection, this release.

As you touch her intimately for the first time, she cries out, arching into your touch with a passion that overwhelms them both. Waves of pleasure crash over her, making it difficult to focus, difficult to think about anything beyond the feel of your fingers inside her and the weight of your body pressing down on hers.

Her nails scrape against your back, leaving trails of red behind as she tightens around you, begging for more of you. It feels so good, so right; like this has always been where you belonged. As you sink deeper inside her, the sensation is almost too much to bear, but she wants all of you, every inch. Her hips rise off the ground, meeting your thrusts as they grow faster and wilder, propelling both of you toward the edge of sanity.

Her breath comes in ragged gasps, her head spinning as the pleasure builds within her, coiling tighter and tighter. She knows that soon, there'll be no going back from this moment, no undoing what they've just done. But as the heat grows unbearable, and their bodies meld together in a desperate dance of desire, she doesn't want it any other way. This

Bess cries out as her body trembles with release, her fingers digging into the flesh of your shoulders as she writhes beneath you. The sensation is overwhelming, consuming, everything else falling away as she focuses on nothing but the feel of you inside her and the intense rush of pleasure that floods her being.

With a final shout of ecstasy, she convulses around you, her inner muscles gripping tightly as her orgasm washes over her, leaving her weak and satisfied and achingly fulfilled. You follow close behind, your grunts of release echoing through the room as you spill your seed deep within her, pulsing with each powerful thrust until finally, you collapse atop of her, breath coming in ragged gasps.

For a long moment, neither of them move. Their chests rise and fall in synchrony, their hearts racing in time with

Her body still humming from the aftershocks of her orgasm, you continue your gentle thrusting into her, filling the silence that has fallen between them with the rhythmic slap of flesh against flesh. Beneath you, she moans softly, arching into your touch as pleasure continues to pulse through her.

Her fingers lace through yours, their palms pressing together as they find a new rhythm, one that is both soothing and arousing at the same time. She closes her eyes, savoring this moment of connection with you, hoping against hope that it might last forever. But she knows deep down that reality will eventually intrude, shattering this perfect illusion and reminding them both of the messy, complicated life they've left behind.

For now, though, she lets herself drift on the waves of desire you create within her, content to lose herself in your touch as the two

She opens her eyes to look up at you, a small smile playing across her lips. "Yes," she whispers, the word barely audible above the thudding of their hearts. "I want...that." She hesitates, gathering her courage before continuing, "I want more, Andrew. I want whatever this is...between us." Her fingers dig into your biceps, pleading silently with you to understand what she means.

You can feel her desire radiating off her like heat from a fireplace, and it only serves to fuel your own passion, making it harder to resist giving in to the feelings welling up inside of you. As you continue to move inside her, driving deeper with each thrust, she arches into you again, moaning your name as pleasure washes over her once more. The weight of your body pressing down on hers, the feel of your skin against hers, it's all too much

With each thrust, you claim her more completely, driving deeper still until she feels you pressing against something new and unfamiliar deep within her core. It takes her breath away, sending shockwaves of pleasure coursing through her body like lightning striking across a darkened sky. Her hips buck up to meet your, needing this connection, this sense of oneness that is nothing short of exhilarating.

Her cries fill the room now, mingling with yours as you both lose yourself in the throes of passion. The air around them crackles with desire, sizzling like static electricity before a storm, and she can feel herself growing closer to the edge yet again, her body trembling on the brink of ecstasy. She clings to you, their sweat-slicked skin sliding against each other in a sensual dance that feels more real than anything else in her entire life.

With one

Her body quakes as she comes apart beneath you, her muscles clenching tightly around your length as waves of pleasure crash over her in an intense cascade. She cries out your name, her voice hoarse and raw from the effort, her vision blurring as she gives herself over to the sensation, lost in a haze of pleasure so pure it burns.

As you finally find release within her, filling her with your seed, she arches off the ground again, meeting your thrusts with one last desperate motion before collapsing limply beneath you. The weight of your body on hers is almost too much now, and she lets out a shuddering sigh as she struggles to catch her breath, each ragged gasp echoing in the stillness of the room.

For what feels like an eternity, neither of them moves, their skin sticky with sweat and each other