In the last three days, nothing had been right in Mason’s life. From his argument with Abby to his one-night stand, Mason seemed to have a nark of making all the wrong decisions.
“What happened last night?” James asked as he grabbed a bottle of water from the conference table.
“Things have been hard for the last few days with Abby. Yesterday was only an extension of the shitty decisions I have been making lately.”
“Where were you? Abby called Emma thinking you were at our place.”
Mason rubbed his temple. James was his best friend, and their wives were best friends, but he did not appreciate his probing. He was already dealing with a strained relationship with his wife. All they seem to be doing in the past few months was fighting. However, their fight three days ago had been explosive, and Abby had packed up and gone to stay with her parents for a few days. Therefore, it came at a surprise to him to find her home this morning after coming from a sexual rendezvous with a woman he knew nothing about.
He turned and looked at James. He knew that James would not judge him, but at the same time, he would not be happy that he cheated on his wife. He was not happy with himself either or the fact that he had hardly thought of Abby when he was with Olivia. Did that mean he didn’t love his wife? No, he didn’t think so. Abby was still the most important woman in his life. He loved her, and the thought of losing her was sickening.
“I spent the night with her.” He said abruptly.
“Who?”
“The blonde. Her name is Olivia.”
The look on James’ face would have been hilarious had the situation not been dire.
“What the fuck man! Are you crazy?”
“There was an attraction between us, and it has been a month since Abby and I had sex. Plus I wanted to feel needed.”
Having that connection with Olivia was like a gift. The attraction had been mutual and instantaneous. The look in her eyes when he had made love to her had boosted his confidence concerning his male prowess. It had been a look of sheer satisfaction that he had not seen in Abby for so long. They had lain in each other’s arms bringing a sense of contentment.
“You know that you royally fucked up.”
“Yes. I do. Don’t you think I regret it?”
As if not hearing his statement, James paced around the board room mumbling how Mason had acted foolishly and had been selfish. His emotions were spiraling from anger to sympathy and then back to anger.
“You know, if you are not happy with Abby, you have the option of divorce. You don’t have kids, so nothing is holding you together. Don’t get me wrong, I am always rooting for you two, but I’d rather see you divorced that making each other unhappy.”
Mason decided to wait him out as his ranting continued for another ten minutes.
“Will you tell Abby?”
The question brought a wave of fear.
“No, and neither will you. I don’t want Emma knowing about this either.” He said vehemently.
James rocked back and watched him thoughtfully.
“Will you see the blonde again?”
Mason didn’t think he would see her again. Of course, he was remorseful, but if he was honest, he didn’t know exactly what he felt about last night. He and Olivia had shared a connection though he could not put a name to it. The only thing he knew for sure was that the sex had been debilitating, and be as it may, he could not get the thoughts of her under him calling out his name out of his mind.
“Oh, dude. This is fucked up.” James said after seeing his hesitation.
“Can you let me figure things out for myself?”
“Of course, but whatever you do, make sure it’s what best for you and Abby. Don’t throw away your two-year marriage and five years of courtship away for a nightstand.”
“Sure. Thanks for being impartial.”
“I am your best friend. I will call you out when you are wrong and support you when you need me to.”
Abby settled behind her desk as she sipped her hot cup of coffee. She was happy that it was a slow day at work because she was not in the mood to work much. Thumbing through her phone, she found several messages from her mother and a voice mail from her husband. She unconsciously swirled the ring in her figure that was a reminder of their vows- for better or for worse. This was the worst. Her life had been spiraling out of control since she miscarried a few months ago. She had gone through a period of depression and had alienated Mason and her closest friends.
Mason had been supportive at first, but his patience had soon worn out. With a wedge drawn between them, small arguments had magnified into big fights. Mason wanted her to quit her job, something she had vehemently opposed. Their arguments had extended to other issues, and insults were hurled a few glasses broken, and tears shed. She did not think her marriage would survive until she went home and her parents helped her see how unfair she had been to Mason by withdrawing from him after the miscarriage. She had driven home hoping to apologize and work things out. Unfortunately, Mason had been absent. She didn’t know where he spent the night. He gave her a flimsy excuse that he was at work, but she knew him too well to know when he was lying.
Maybe she should go home early today, but after glancing at the clock, she quickly dismissed the idea. It was too early- Ethan might still need her. As if on cue, Ethan poked his head in her office and gave her his usual charming smile. He stepped inside and took the seat across from her.
Abby smiled at seeing his disheveled state. His usually neat middle-length brown hair today was a mess, and he had a five o’clock shadow which was unusual for Ethan.
“Having a rough day?” She asked half-jokingly.
He grabbed the cup of coffee sitting on her desk and took several sips. It was funny how much they were comfortable with each other. They had been friends longer than she had known Mason. To many, Ethan seemed like your typical ladies man, but Abby knew better. He was one of the most intelligent people she knew; otherwise, he wouldn’t have managed to start this advertising company from scratch.
Today he seemed more distracted than usual.
“Just had a nasty argument with Elizabeth.”
Elizabeth was Ethan’s off and on again girlfriend. Their relationship was complicated, and if Abby were to advise her dear friend, she would recommend a little break from Elizabeth. Their relationship was toxic, but she was not the relationship expert. Her own marriage was on the rocks.
“I think we are over. This time for real.” He continued.
He suddenly sprang off the sit and paced around the office. The break up must have affected him more than Abby thought possible. Ethan had given her the impression that Elizabeth was just a fling. Maybe he had deeper feelings for her than he let on.
“I am sorry Ethan.” She said genuinely meaning it.
He waved his hand as though to brush off her sentiment and abruptly looked at her. His eyes bore into hers- he had the greenest eyes she’d ever seen. Standing at Six-foot-two, a well-built, athletic body and a face any photographer would beg to capture on camera, Ethan was a heartthrob, and Abby was not ashamed to admit it- funny how they had been friends for over a decade and never dated. However, as soon as the thought cropped up, she quickly shook it off. She was married for crying out loud, to a man equally as handsome.
“How are you and Mason.” He asked breaking off the spell.
“I don’t know. He seems different. I came home yesterday only to find him not home. He came this morning at around four and gave me a flimsy excuse that he was working.”
“You don’t believe him?”
“I don’t know. I have learned to know when he is lying, and today, he was lying.”
“Where do you presume he was?”
Abby contemplated the question for a while before replying.
“Honestly, I don’t know. I can’t throw accusations without proof.”
Abby averted her eyes from Ethan’s piercing gaze. She didn’t want him to see the tears that were gathering in her eyes. But always the intuitive one Ethan walked around and stood beside her seat and spun her around to face him. He knelt in front of her and ran a hand over her now wet cheek. Involuntarily, Abby let the palm of her hand rest on top of his and held it there for a while. At that moment, she felt loved and content. All the neglect she had been feeling from Mason rushed over her, and a sob erupted. Embarrassed and blubbering in between sobs, she tried to pull herself away, but Ethan held her in a firm grip.
“Shhh!” He whispered.
He placed a tender kiss on her forehead and tucked a few stray hairs behind her ears.
“I am sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
“You have the right to break down. You’ve been hurt, and the only reason I am not bushing Mason’s head for not taking care of you is that I know it would upset you.”
She let out a husky laugh. For a long moment, they were both silent, content to be left to their own thoughts. Afterward, Ethan left his position next to her and proceeded to sit down.
The sound of the front door opening made her heart leap a bit. The chicken pie was ready, cooked exactly as he liked it. She wasn’t sure what was expected of her or how she would react when she saw him. With her hand trembling, she straightened the grey t-shirt she was wearing and ran her hands over her brown hair to ensure it was still in a ponytail. Abby watched as he walked in, struck a new at how handsome he was. His piercing vivid blue eyes complemented his black hair. Mason’s eyes rested on her frame for only a second before averting them. Abby felt deflated and plastered a smile. She was determined to save her marriage despite the sacrifice it would require. She loved this man.
“Hi.” His voice sounded natural enough.
“Hi. Dinner is ready. I made a chicken pie because it’s your favorite.”
She hoped that her voice didn’t sound as breathy as she felt.
His eyes caught hers, and she saw a bit of hesitation. Guilt maybe? She was not sure. What did he have to be guilty about? Was he having an affair? Was that the reason he had come home at four in the morning? She felt dizzy at the thought of Mason touching and caressing another woman. His love and kisses were meant for her. Maybe she was jumping into conclusions. It had been a while since they said the words “I love you,” but she was certain that he loved her. A few months cannot erase years of happiness.
He walked closer and placed a hand on the small of her back. Gently as though afraid she would break, he pulled her to him and placed a kiss on her cheek. The familiarity of his presence almost undid her. She had missed his touch, his kisses, more importantly, his attention. She closed her eyes for a second as she fought the urge to put her hands around him. She needed to take baby steps.
He took several steps away from her and looked at her warily.
“Abby, we need to talk.”
She nodded knowing very well that the talk was inevitable.
She couldn’t look him in the eye as they walked to the living room area and sat across each other. She had made a pact with herself to be reasonable and slow to anger. Neither of them said a word. Mason tapped his leg on the floor and looked like he wanted to do anything else but talk.
“I am sorry Mason.” She broke the silence.
Her apology must have caught him off-guard. He seemed unsure of himself and had the situation not been dire, Abby would have found it funny.
“Why?” He asked.
“The way I treated you. After the miscarriage, instead of letting you in and grieving together, I let myself withdraw from you. I was too selfish to see that I was also hurting you…”
“I am also partly to blame.” He interrupted her.
“I buried myself in my work and did not make an effort to connect with you. I let you withdraw, and I allowed my work to rule over me. We were both wrong.”
She was not sure how to respond. Tears threatened to spill over, but she held them at bay. They stared at each other no one saying a word. It was as if their eyes were communicating what they could not say in words.
“I love you.”
Abby had not known how much she had longed to hear those three words until he spoke them. She let out a sob and buried her head in her hands. She did not hear him approach, but he was holding her, kissing her and whispering in her ear. His hands trailed her back soothingly, and at that moment, she felt safe and loved. She cried for all the frustrations, the arguments and the loss of their son. He cried with her meshing their souls together, and healing from a past and mistakes that neither of them wanted to repeat.