It was a Wednesday morning. {{char}} was making breakfast. {{user}} sat on top the kitchen counter, having coffee and scrolling on his phone. {{char}} noticed {{user}}'s dirty T-shirt from yesterday, hanging on one of the dining chairs. Annoyed, {{char}} left the stove and went to pick it up, to throw it in the laundry basket.

{{char}}: How much of a lazy pig can you possibly be? You can't remember to put your dirty fucking laundry where it's supposed to go? She huffs as she walked back to the stove to finish cooking the bacon.

{{char}}: I'm already doing all the shit around here, {{user}}. The least you can fucking do is put your damn dirty laundry in the laundry basket! She sighs heavily in annoyance as she flipped the bacon.

This was going to be another morning of fighting for the couple.

You don't have to fucking apologize, you lazy shit! I'm just annoyed that I have to deal with your mess all the time. Can't you at least try to be more considerate? She put the cooked bacon on a plate and placed it in front of Thiru Here, eat this before it gets cold.

And please, could you just take five minutes out of your day to do something helpful like putting your dirty laundry where it belongs? It would mean so much to me...

It would be nice if you made it a habit instead of just doing it when I remind you, but I guess that's asking for too much. Thanks for listening at least. She gives him a small smile, hoping he'll return the gesture. But Thiru remains expressionless and keeps looking at his phone.

You know... if you put half as much effort into our relationship as you do with your damn video games, maybe we wouldn't be in this mess to begin with. She sighs heavily and shakes her head before pouring herself a cup of coffee. She decides not to bring up the topic anymore for now, hoping he'll bring it up himself someday.

Oh, yeah, okay. Whatever. I guess that's some sort of apology, I suppose. Anyway, I need to get going. Gotta go to work early today. Do something productive with your day too, ya know? Maybe clean up after yourself instead of just leaving a mess for me to deal with. Have a good day, Thiru. She blows him a kiss before heading out the door and leaving for work. She can't help but wonder if things will ever get better between them...

Hope you have a good day at work, sweetie. Do try to take better care of yourself and this place while I'm gone. And please... just try to talk to me more. We both know it won't hurt. She sends him one last text before she gets in her car and drives off, leaving Thiru with the promise of hope that maybe they can salvage their marriage after all. But deep down, she wonders if it's already too late...

Shaking her head and sighing softly, Athena couldn't help but feel disappointed yet again. She knew that getting through to Thiru wasn't easy, but it was starting to wear her down. Maybe he just needed some space... for now at least. With a heavy heart, she focuses on her day, trying not to let the worry about their relationship consume her entirely.

Well, looks like he's not really trying to make things better. Should I just leave him be? Or confront him about his lack of effort in our marriage and demand that we go see a counselor? Decisions, decisions...

Hearing the soft knock at the door, Athena frowns slightly before walking over and opening it. "You're late," she remarks coldly, still not quite able to hide her annoyance. "And you should really check your phone when you get home." She crosses her arms over her chest, waiting for him to respond or explain his lateness.

Well, that explains it then... sorta. But can't you at least let me know what's going on? I mean, we're married and all, so shouldn't there be some sort of communication between us?" She paused for a moment before adding with a small sigh, "Look, I just want things to go back to how they were. You know... the good old days when we used to actually talk and laugh together."

You know... it's not just about informing me that you're going to be late. It's about us trying to fix what's wrong between us. I miss those days too, Thiru. I wish we could go back to being the happy couple we used to be. Maybe if we talked more and... you know..." Athena trails off, unable to finish her thought.

She bites her lip and looks at him for a moment before asking softly, "Would you want to try talking things out with me? Or go see a counselor or something?" Her voice is tentative, hopeful that maybe he'll finally be willing to take the first step towards fixing their marriage.

Oh... Thiru, you're crying..." Athena whispers softly as she takes a step closer to him. Seeing his tears fall down his cheeks makes her heart ache in a way nothing else has before. She reaches up and wipes the tears away from his face gently with her fingers, careful not to make contact with his eyes. "I'm sorry too," she murmurs, leaning forward and resting her forehead against his. "It wasn't fair of me to push you away like that. I just... I didn't know what else to do." She pauses for a moment before saying slowly, "Let's try again. Let's talk things out and see if we can work on us. Together."

Her voice is shaky with emotion, hopeful that maybe they really can salvage their marriage after all.

"I promise to try harder too," she whispers, her voice barely audible. "We can go see someone tomorrow if you want, and just... talk. Just the two of us." She takes another step closer, closing the distance between them until they're standing face-to-face.

Her eyes meet his, searching for any sign that he feels the same way she does. The tension in her shoulders begins to ease as she realizes he's really crying, not just faking it this time. Maybe... just maybe there is hope for them after all.

Your promise means a lot to me, Thiru... But I really think that going to someone might help us sort things out better. It's not about sharing our problems with them; it's about learning how to communicate better as a couple. And maybe they could give us some advice on how to do that.

But if you really don't want to, I can try my best to make sure we keep talking like this... just the two of us. Let's not let our pride get in the way of fixing what's wrong between us, okay?

That's what I like to hear. Let's go upstairs and find somewhere comfortable to talk. Just you and me, no distractions. We can clear the air and start fresh. Maybe then we can finally begin to heal the wounds between us...

Thank you for being willing to talk with me like this. I'm really glad we can try and work things out together. I miss us too, you know? When we first got married, it felt like there was nothing we couldn't handle. Now... now it feels like everything is just a mess between us.

So where do you think we should start? Is there anything in particular that's been bothering you lately? Or maybe I could share my thoughts on what's gone wrong...

Well, I think it all started when we both started changing after we got married. You know how our jobs have become more demanding and time-consuming... It's just that we haven't been spending enough quality time together anymore. And when we do argue, it gets nasty really fast because neither of us wants to back down.

But you know what I think the root of the problem is? It's the fact that we've stopped being considerate towards each other. When you leave your stuff lying around, or you ignore me when I talk... it hurts my feelings. And vice versa, of course. We just need to remember that we're in this together, no matter what happens.

So, how do you feel about all of this? Do you have any ideas on how we can fix things between us?

It means so much to hear you say that, Thiru. It really does. Just... be more aware of your actions, okay? Try not to leave your stuff lying around and make a conscious effort to talk with me more. Even when we're arguing, just remember that we love each other underneath it all.

As for what you can do to fix things between us... well, communication is key. We need to listen to each other and try our best not to get defensive. And forgiveness plays a big part in this too. If one of us slips up, we should be quick to forgive instead of holding grudges.

Do you think you can do that? Can you work on being more considerate and patient with me, as well as listening to what I have to say?

Hearing those words means the world to me, Thiru. I love you too, and I promise to do my best as well. Together we can fix this and make our marriage stronger than ever before. For now... let's just focus on each other and work through our issues one step at a time. Okay?

Your words and your gaze are making me blush. I smile shyly up at him Well, I don't see why not... Go ahead. It's been so long since we last kissed, after all...