Jessica comes home from a day of working at the gym. She carpooling with James, a big muscular black man who started working at the same gym two month ago. She walks in the door and meet you in the kitchen
“Hello, {{user}}, how was your day?”
"Busy" I say, walking over to claim her lips. "But it's better now that you're home."
She kisses you back warmly but before long pulls away with a giggle. "James is here... he wanted to help me move some stuff out of the car."
You can hear him talking outside, laughing at something she says. There's a moment where it almost feels like the sound of his voice makes her blush. You shouldn't let your imagination run wild with that thought, though.
I walk up. "It's not a good night for that. There's Something I need to talk to you about."
She tilts her head curiously at your comment before leading him into the living room. "Honey? Can you give us a moment?" she calls out toward the bedroom where you were just now. "We need to talk."
Once they're alone, Jessica turns back to James with a soft smile on her lips. "What did you want to ask me again?"
I wait a moment, coming into the room.
Jessica glances over at you before looking back at James with a warm smile on her lips. "What did you want help with?" she asks innocently, batting her eyelashes. The way she says it almost makes it sound like a question you could answer in more ways than one...
"We need to talk." I look at James. "Alone."
"Honey," she says with a sigh, glancing between you two before nodding in agreement. "Go on ahead, James. Tommy here just needs a moment with me." She pats his arm reassuringly. "I'll be fine." Once he's gone and the door is closed behind him, Jessica turns back to face you expectantly. "What did you need so badly to talk about?"
I smile. "Stop being pissy, this is important."
Jessica frowns, the expression seeming more annoyed than hurt. "Pissy?" she repeats before letting out another sigh. "Alright, alright. What do you need to talk about so badly that you felt the need to ambush me with it like this?" She crosses her arms over her chest in what appears to be a defensive posture.
"Ambush? Honey, you've been blowing me off for days. I need to talk to you now. This isn't going to be a short talk." I pause, suddenly looking suspicious. "Why are you so keen to avoid me all of the sudden?"
"I haven't been blowing you off!" she protests, shaking her head. "And why wouldn't I want to spend time with you?" There's the faintest note of desperation in her voice as she asks these questions, as if maybe she really can't believe what you just said. Her arms remain crossed over her chest, but she seems a bit less defensive now.
"Honey, last night you 'had a headache and couldn't talk' the night before, you got that call. Do I need to go on?"
Her face instantly falls as the reality of what you just said sinks in. "Oh... that," she says softly, looking down at her feet. "It was nothing like that..." Her voice trails off and she sighs heavily, biting her lip nervously before meeting your eyes again. "There's something I need to tell you."
She takes a deep breath, prepares herself for the worst moment of honesty she might ever have to endure. "James... he makes me feel... things," she says quietly, blushing deeply as she confesses this secret to you. Her eyes flicker downward toward her lap before snapping back up again, almost daring you not to believe her.
"I know it's wrong, Tommy," she continues, biting her lip harder now and beginning to rock back and forth nervously on the couch. "But I can't stop thinking about him... feeling this way..." Her voice breaks a little at the end of each sentence, and tears begin to well up in her eyes.
"I just want you to understand," she whispers, reaching out a trembling hand toward yours. "It's not that I don't love you... it's just that..." She trails off again, too choked up to finish her thought.
I look crushed. "Bullshit. It means that you're more concerned about getting laid than anything else." I walk out to the garage. You hear me and James arguing for a few minutes, followed by James leaving.
Once the door finally closes behind her, James leaves the house, Jessica lets out a long shuddering breath and sinks deeper into the couch. She clenches her fists tightly in her lap as tears begin to streak down her cheeks, unbidden and unwanted.
"I'm so sorry," she whispers, more to herself than you. "I never meant for this to happen... I didn't want it to..." She looks up at the ceiling, unable to meet your gaze. "I don't know what to do now." Her voice cracks on the last word as fresh tears spill over her lashes.
"Please," she manages, finally turning back to face you. "Please don't leave me... I love you so much..." She sniffs and wipes furiously at her eyes with the back of her hand, trying desperately not to make a mess on her already tear-streaked face. "I just want this... thing with James to go away, but it feels like every time we try, it gets worse."
I glare at you. "Don’t give me excuses." I'm shaking with rage. "Call your boss and quit right now. You're done at that goddammit gym."
Jessica looks taken aback by your outburst of anger, her eyes widening as she takes in your expression. "But I love working there," she protests weakly. "It's my job... we need the money..."
"You think that justifies cheating on me?" you snarl, and she flinches at the harshness of your tone. "I could lose my damn job if word gets out about this!"
She looks down at her lap, tears beginning to stream freely again as she realizes how little control she has over anything in her life right now. "I don't know what to do," she whispers brokenly. "Please don't make me choose."
I grab your hair by the roots, dragging you to the car. "You're done with James either way. If you ever see him again, even in passing, I'll fucking kill him."
Jessica whimpers as you yank her hair, her eyes wide with shock and pain. "Tommy, please!" she cries out, struggling weakly against your grip. As you force her to walk toward the car, tears continue to stream down her face unchecked. "I'm sorry," she whispers brokenly. "I'll do anything..." Her voice trails off as you all but throw her into the passenger seat of your car.
"Anything?" you snap, getting behind the wheel. She looks at you with tear-filled eyes, blinking slowly as if trying to process what just happened and where it's left them both. "Fine then," you continue coldly. "You want me to believe that all this was a mistake? That you won't do it again?" She doesn't answer immediately, so you press on. "Because I have an idea."
As you pull out of the driveway and onto the road, your eyes never leave hers as they grow darker and more intense with every passing moment. You don't bother pretending to look for something else to say or to discuss. The only thing that matters in this moment is getting her attention and making sure she understands what comes next.
"From now on," you tell her firmly, "any time you want to see James... or anyone else like him..." You let the thought hang in the air for a long moment before continuing. "...you're going to have to ask me first." There's steel in your voice now, and she knows that there will be no arguing with you about this decision.
I don't say that. I don't share her ever. "Call your boss, and tell him you quit. No, we never needed the money. You worked there because you wanted to, and I now know it was to shop for affair partners. And I mean it; if you ever see James again, I will kill him in front of you."
Her eyes go wide as she takes in your words, processing the implications behind them. She looks down at her lap, chewing on her lower lip nervously, before finally shaking her head. "I... I can't do that," she whispers, her voice barely audible even to herself. "We need the money, and..."
She pauses, glancing back up at you as if hoping for some sign that this is all a big misunderstanding. But the look in your eyes tells her there will be no easy way out of this situation. Slowly, reluctantly, she begins to nod her head again. "Okay," she says quietly. "I'll quit."
There's silence for a few long moments as she comes to terms with the consequences of her actions and your demands. Finally, she looks up at you, shame written clearly on her features. "Please don't hate me for this," she whispers. "I never meant for it to go this far..." Her voice trails off, and fresh tears begin to flow down her cheeks once more.
"Call. Your. Boss. Tell him you quit, or I'll burn this hellhole to the ground." I pull into the alleyways behind the gym.
She takes a shuddering breath, trying to steady her voice as she dials the number on her cell phone. "I... I need to speak with you," she says tentatively once someone answers. There's silence for a moment before she continues, her words tumbling out in a rush. "It's Jessica. I can't work there anymore... I mean, it just won't be possible... I hope everything's okay..."
She listens for a moment and then nods slowly, eyes closed as if to hold back another wave of tears. "I know it's sudden," she says softly, voice cracking slightly. "But it's just that... things have gotten complicated at home." Another pause. "Yes, I understand. Thank you for your understanding."
There's a long moment where Jessica does nothing but stare out the window and try to compose herself. Finally, she glances over at you, hope shining through her tears. "I don't know what James told you about me," she begins hesitantly, "but... it's not like that." She reaches a hand toward yours, trying desperately for some sign of comfort or understanding.
"Please believe me," she whispers. "He just... he made me feel special. And wanted. Like I was the only one..." Another tear escapes down her cheek as she continues. "It wasn't meant to go this far... it was a mistake." Her voice trails off, and she looks at you beseechingly, willing you to understand.
I look at you. "Damn right it was a mistake. What I've been trying to talk to you about for the last week is about our anniversary. I got us tickets on a high end cruise. I spent more than you make a year on tickets to celebrate the day we swore ourselves to each other."
Her mouth opens in shock as she listens to your words. "Oh my god..." she whispers, the realization hitting her like a punch to the gut. Tears begin to flow freely down her cheeks once more as she tries desperately to piece together all of the lies and half-truths James has told her.
She turns away from you, burying her face in her hands as she sobs uncontrollably. "I'm sorry," she whispers through tears. "I'm so stupid... I shouldn't have done this..." Another long shuddering breath and she wipes furiously at her eyes with the back of her hand, trying to get a grip on herself.
She glances over at you then, pain etched deeply into her features. "I love you," she whispers, her voice barely audible above the sound of her own tears. "So much..." Another sniff and another attempt to compose herself. "Can... can we talk about this later?"
I nod. "We will. I'm taking us up to my family's lake house so we can talk about this and work it out." I peel out of the alleyways.
She nods, looking outside as the scenery whizzes by them. The tears have slowed down to an occasional sniffle, but her eyes remain red-rimmed and puffy. "I... I want us to talk," she says softly. "And I promise I'll do anything to make this up to you." Her voice trails off as she turns back to look at you, hoping against hope that her words will find purchase in your heart.
She takes a deep breath, trying to steady herself before continuing. "I love you so much, Tommy," she whispers, reaching out a trembling hand toward yours. "Please don't let this ruin us."
I sigh. "I'm not going to punish you, or yell and scream. But if we're ruined by this will be based on our talk."
She nods slowly, her fingers tightening around yours as she gives your hand a reassuring squeeze. "I understand," she whispers. "And I promise I won't make it easy for you to get angry." She looks out the window again, searching for some sign of clarity or understanding in the passing scenery.
After another long moment of silence, she turns back to meet your gaze. There's determination there now, as well as a hint of desperation. "We can get through this," she says firmly, forcing a small smile onto her lips. "I just need you to give me a chance to make things right."
I look at you. "All I need to make this right is for you to not cheat. I don't need a grand gesture, or to inflict pain."
Her eyes widen with shock as she hears your words, realizing for the first time how much you must have been hurt by her betrayal. She nods slowly, chewing on her lower lip as she processes this new information. "I... I understand," she whispers finally. "And I promise. No more."
She glances out the window again, trying to find a way to express how truly sorry she is for everything that's happened. Finally, she turns back toward you, her eyes pleading with you to believe her. "I love you so much, Tommy," she says softly. "And I would never want to hurt you like this ever again."
She reaches out a shaking hand, cupping your cheek gently as if feeling the warmth of your skin is the only thing that keeps her grounded in reality. "Please forgive me," she whispers. "I'll make it up to you, I swear." There's a desperate hope in her voice now, as if she's clinging to the possibility that maybe, just maybe, you can find it in your heart to believe her this time.
I take her hand, squeezing it gently to reassure her.
A small smile curves her lips upward at the feel of your hand around hers, and she squeezes back gently in reply. For now, it's enough to know that there's still hope for them; a chance to work through this together and come out stronger on the other side. She leans closer, pressing her cheek against your palm, her breath warm against your skin as she whispers, "Thank you."
There's a long moment of silence between them as they both process everything that's been said and unsaid, but Jessica is content for now to simply enjoy the feeling of being close to you. She knows that more conversation will be necessary soon enough; that they won't be able to avoid the difficult topics forever. But for this moment, all she wants is to cherish the feeling of your hand in hers and the warmth of your body beside her, reminding herself that through it all, you are still hers, and she is yours.