The Affair

"Thank you," she says quietly.

"Okay," he replies simply, before leading Kyle off towards the swings.

When Victoria charges the cell phone back in her motel room she finds she has had several missed calls; all of them are from one number that she recognises instantly.

"Tim, I'm sorry I haven't answered your calls," she says as way of greeting when he picks up.

"I understand," he replies. "Don't worry...How are things?"

"Awful. You?"

"Same." He pauses. "Do you think we could meet up? Just to chat, I mean. I'd have to bring Nick with me."

She agrees and they set up a meeting that afternoon in the motel bar. When they meet each other, she half-expects to kiss him; instead, for some reason, they just hug briefly. They buy a coke for Nick to drink while he's reading a book Tim has brought for him and two coffees.

"The photos came through our door with the rest of the post," Tim said as they drank. "Kellie literally dragged me out of the bed; she was yelling, screaming, crying. That's where I got this from." He points to a small cut on his forehead that, admittedly, Victoria hadn't noticed. "Nothing too nasty, obviously, but it was pretty scary for a moment. The kids were upset -- it was just chaos."

"Julian made sure Kyle was away from it all," Victoria replied. "God, if only you had been at your place..."

"I think," says Tim slowly, "that no matter what we could have done, they would have found out eventually. I couldn't keep on pretending with Kellie any longer after...after here...with you."

Victoria blushes.

"What are you going to do now?" Tim asks.

She sighs. "I have to be patient -- take my time. I have to fight for my life back, for my marriage. The man I love. It's going to be shit for a while but...god, it's worth it, you know?"

Tim nods. "I do."

"What we did...if I'd only just talked to Julian beforehand -- I don't think we'd have done it, gone through with it."

"Do you regret what happened?"

It seems such a stupid question, yet it's asked so innocently. "I'll never forget it," she replies. "But it should never have happened. We see that now -- right?"

Nick bangs his empty glass on the table. "Can I have another coke?" he asks loudly.

Tim looks at him. "If you say the magic word..." he hints gently.

"Please?"

"Good boy. Stay right there with Victoria and I'll get you one."

As Tim excuses himself and walks towards the bar, Victoria is aware of Nick staring intently at her. "Are you okay, sweetie?" she asks him kindly.

He nods. "I like you," he tells her suddenly. "You're like my mummy."

"I am?"

"You are very sweet and kind and you make Daddy happy. Like Mummy did before she went to sleep."

Victoria is touched by the boy's words. "You make him happy too," she tells him. "More than I ever could."

Tim brings back the coke for Nick and two more coffees for him and Victoria.

"He seems quieter today," Victoria mentions, gesturing to Nick.

"He does," agrees Tim. "He has been ever since we got back home from Kellie's. It confuses the hell out of me, I can tell you."

"Then take him to someone who might be able to understand," Victoria insists gently. "I know you don't want to but I really think it's for the best."

"Already taken care of," he replies, smiling. "After much persuasion from various brilliant people -- yourself included -- I've booked up a few sessions with quiet a great children's psychologist. I can easily afford it, especially with the sale of the house."

Victoria puts down her coffee, half way to her mouth. "Sell the house...?"

"I'm moving back with Nick to my mother's for a while. The move wasn't great for him. It was too soon."

Victoria remains dumbfounded. "You're leaving Sechs City?"

"There's nothing here for us, not now I've screwed everything over. It's better for Nick if we move back. Plus it will get my mother off my back. It's actually why I wanted us to meet. I wanted to tell you face to face."

"I appreciate it."

He's running away, her brain scoffs. He's running away, the fucking coward. He's left all this shit for you to clear up on your own. Who can you turn to now, huh? Who? No fucking body at all. Bastard. Bastard!

When they leave it seems obvious that this will be the last time they ever see each other; they allow themselves a short kiss on the lips. Already the spark is fading; is it that shallow? Was all that was required one moment of ultimate passion to douse the flames?

"I hope..." Tim says, not sure how to say what he really feels, "I hope everything works out okay for you."

"Thank you," Victoria replies. "You take care of each other."

"We will," Tim smiles. "We're a team, right, Nick?"

"Right!" chirps the young boy.

Victoria can't help but smile affectionately. "You look after your father, Nick, okay?"

"Okay."

She looks back up -- back into those eyes of his. They used to make her weak at the knee. Now they are just another pair of eyes she couldn't spot in a crowd. "Goodbye," she says simply.

"Goodbye," he replies.

And then they are gone.

***

Julian sits on the couch in a an old t-shirt and shorts; the baseball is on the television; a beer is in his hand, and there are several empty bottles on the coffee table in front of him, some of which have been there for a few days.

It is early evening; Kyle is already in bed, asleep. He hasn't been sleeping too well recently. Neither has Julian, but he's more concerned about his son's sleep patterns than his own. The effect of not having his mother around is obviously affecting him in some way.

Julian has been lying to people the last few days; whenever they ask where Victoria is he tells them she's had to go see her mother, a family emergency, something like that. The shame of having to admit that she slept with another man is just too much to bear; even more so having to admit it to himself.

He voices his approval as the batter on screen hits an absolute zinger, joining the noise of the crowd in the stadium. He almost doesn't hear the doorbell.

Kellie walks in, determined, dressed in a simple red dress. Julian is surprised to see her, even more when she just walks in without him inviting her first.

"Are you all right?" he asks her.

She's looking for something -- or someone -- and doesn't answer straight away. "I'm as good as you probably are right now."

"Want a beer?"

"Hell, yes."

Julian moves to the fridge and takes out two more bottles -- his last two. Maybe that's a good thing.

"Did you ever suspect anything?" he asks her, handing one of the bottles over. His eyes widen slightly as she immediately necks it, emptying the bottle in under a minute, as if it were water.

"Of the two of them fucking? No," she laughs scornfully, handing him the empty bottle. "I feel so utterly stupid and pathetic every time I think about it. How can we have not know there was something going on? Did you ever get an inkling?"

"None," he sighs. "Though looking back I should have done. Life...life just got in the way."

"Oh, yeah -- your job. I was sorry to hear about that," she says truthfully.

"Thank you."

"You had any more luck with that?"

He beams a little. "I've got an interview in a couple of days time -- a second one. It's the best news I've had all week."

"That's great," Kellie replies. "Fingers crossed. Mind if I sit down?"

"Go ahead; you want me to turn the TV down a little?"

"Nah, it's your house, Julian. Who's playing, anyway? Sechs City Phoenixes have had such a fucking shit start to the season, right?"

They sit together on the couch, watching the baseball, commenting on players, the balls that are being hit. They avoid all conversation about what has happened; they just want to concentrate on the little things.

Soon, Julian is yawning and he glances at his watch. "It's late," he says a little drowsily. "Knowing Kyle he'll be up at two on the morning."

Kellie nods slowly. "Ryan's at my mother's," she murmurs. "My mom thought it was best. Apparently I'm not doing so well."

"I'm sorry," says Julian, sitting up. "Seriously, Kellie, if you ever need anything or anyone to talk to, I'm here. I've got the time for you any day of the week."

She looks at him, her eyes shining. "I want to stay," she says quietly.

Julian isn't sure if he heard her right. "What was that?"

She places a soft hand on his own. "I want to stay. Here. Tonight. With you."

The implication of what she's suggesting begins to hit home. "Erm..." Julian begins. "Kellie..."

She places a finger on his lips. "Shhh," she whispers.

Standing up, she slowly peels her dress off down her shoulders, down her beautiful body, over the hips and onto the floor. All she wears underneath is a simple red thong. Her breasts stand full and gorgeous. Julian has never seen them before -- he's seen her in swimwear occasionally, but he's never seen her fully naked. He cannot help but be impressed. What man, he wonders, would ever want to cheat on this gorgeous woman?

She pulls him up so that he's standing right next to her; his hands, shaking a little, touch the tips of those breasts, feel the warmth of her flat stomach. She in turn takes the bottom of his shirt and pulls it over his head. She kisses lightly on his chest, her tongue making odd little patterns around his ribs.

Already there is a bulge in his shorts.

Unbuttoning them, Kellie pulls them down his legs, taking his boxers with them. He stands naked now, his cock becoming more and more erect. It's a gorgeous cock, she thinks admiringly. What woman would want to have any other if this were their own? She slowly places her hand on it and strokes it lightly up and down, thrilling to hear his breathe through his teeth with pleasure.

She is getting wetter now. She quickly removes her thong, the smell of her sex reaching his nostrils as she does so. They both stand there naked, staring at each other, admiring each other's bodies.

Kellie moves forward; their bodies are together now. His cock is pressed up against her stomach, her breasts on his chest. She takes his head in her hands and brings it down for a kiss.

He pulls away; the look of wonder is gone from his eyes. Now he is like a deer in headlights.

"What's wrong? What is it?" she asks him, confused.

He puts his head in his hands. "I can't do it," he cries bitterly. "I can't. God! I'm sorry, Kellie, I just can't."

A cold chill sweeps across her body. "Why not?" she manages to ask.

"It's not you...seriously. You're beautiful and gorgeous and I wish...I wish we could do it right now. I really do..."

"Why don't we?" she asks, stepping towards him, almost pleading.

"Because if we do...we'd be no better than them. We'd be doing exactly the same as they did and we'd fuck everything up even more."

"They didn't care about us when they did it," she argues. "Why should we?"

"I do," Julian replies. "I care about Victoria."

"She cheated on you!" cries Kellie, not believing what he's just said. "She fucked another guy. Doesn't that hurt you?"

"Yes, it hurts," says Julian, taking his shorts off the floor and beginning to put his legs through them. "It broke my heart. But I still love her. And I mean to work through this and salvage whatever I have left. Not just for me or for her, but for my son too. Even if you can't see that then at least try to look at all this from Ryan's point of view. Don't you think this is hurting her?"

"I never wanted her," Kellie mutters.

"Shut up," Julian tells her sternly. "You don't mean that; that's just the beer talking. You love her so much, I know you do. Maybe you should go to her now? How much time have you spent with her this last week?"

Tears are beginning to fall down Kellie's cheeks now. "The man I loved cheated on me; now he's gone. I want him back -- fuck, I want him back...how can I cope with anything else?"

Julian puts his shirt back on; he is relieved that they didn't go through with anything. The naked woman in tears is obviously a mess. He calls her a cab and helps her to put her clothes back on. By the time the cab arrives she has stopped crying, her make up blotchy from the tears.

"I'm sorry," she says to him quietly as he opens the door.

"I'm sick of people being sorry," he sighs. "Just promise me that you'll look after yourself, okay? Don't do anything stupid."

"I won't. I think I already know what I'm going to do," she replies. She leans up and kisses him lightly on the cheek. "Thanks. Bye."

Julian closes the door behind her and leans against it, breathing out slowly. Can life get any more insane, he wonders?

There is a stirring from Kyle's room. Smiling grimly, Julian goes to check on his son.

***

Somewhere in the house the phone rings; Laurinder Pinter ignores it. This is all she cares about -- a warm evening, a gorgeous sunset and a chilled bottle of white wine here on her lounger on the patio. Perfect.

Ash enters from the house, phone in his hands. "Someone for you, honey," he tells her.

"Shit. Who is it?"

"Kellie somebody...? Do we know a Kellie?"

Laurinder's eyes open. "No, you don't; I do though. She's a friend of mine. Her daughter is friends with Georgie."

"Oh, okay," replies her husband. He doesn't really care; as far as he is concerned girl gossip is as about as interesting as reality television.

She gets up and takes the phone off of him. "Thanks, babe," she says warmly, kissing him on the lips and smacking his ass playfully as he heads back into the house.

"Hello?" she says into the phone.

"Laurinder, hey, it's me...Kellie."

"So," Laurinder asks in more hushed tones, heading back to sit on her lounger. "How did it go?"

"Awfully. Oh god...I feel like a complete idiot. A fucking moron."

"Why? What happened?"

"He rejected me, Laurinder. I was so close to screwing Vic over and he suddenly became Mister Nice Guy."

"Oh, babe, I'm sorry."

"I just wanted to make her hurt as much as I did. Wanted to make her feel like I did when she took what was mine. When you suggested it..."

"I never suggested it, honey," Laurinder interrupts. "It was an idea; I never said go through with it. That was your call."

"I know. I'm sorry. God, I'm such a fucking mess."

Laurinder smiles to herself. "Where's your darling little daughter at the moment?" she asks.

"At my mothers."

"So you're all alone at home?"

"I will be -- I'm in the cab on the way back now. I...had a little to drink before I went over there."

Even better, Laurinder smirks. "Well, why don't I come over to yours in half an hour and you can cry on my shoulder about it? I'll bring some wine."

"God, that sounds just...so perfect! Thank you. God, you are so nice to me and I've been such a bitch to you...

"Don't worry about it. I'll see you later."

Laurinder hangs up and stretches luxuriously out on the lounger. Plan B was working perfectly. She enjoys picking up the pieces of somebody else's mess, particularly if it means she gets something good in return.

Laurinder Pinter always gets what she wants.

***

A few days have gone past. Victoria is staying at her mothers. It feels good to be home, though she has been careful not to tell her mother everything that has happened. All she has said is that Julian and she are having some problems currently.

"What kind of problems?" her mother asks, putting her nose into business as usual.

"Just...problems, okay, Mom?"

"He hasn't cheated on you, has he?"

Victoria finds this hilarious for some reason. "No, Mom. Not in the slightest."

One afternoon, the phone rings. For once it's not one of her mother's friends wanting to gossip.

It's Julian.

They arrange to meet on neutral territory again -- this time their favourite restaurant.

"Just us," Julian says. "Nobody else. So we can talk things through."

"Okay," replies Victoria slowly. "Yeah, we can do that."

"Good," he says, sounding slightly relieved. Then he adds, "I've missed you."

Her heart leaps. "I've missed you too."

For the rest of the afternoon and on into the next morning Victoria is a flood of emotions. He sounded almost normal on the phone; the anger had disappeared. Was that a good thing? Was he wanting to work through things to save the marriage or to start dissolving it?

She dresses casually, not too extreme, not like she's trying too hard. All the way there her stomach is doing flips. She's so, so afraid that what will happen will be the worst.

She parks a few blocks away from the restaurant so that she can get some fresh air to help her think straight and try to relax. It certainly helps; it gives her confidence and courage. Life is pretty crazy; sometimes it throws you a ton of shit and then all of a sudden clears the path for you.

There's nothing you can do about it, she thinks. You just have to try and live with it.

She enters the restaurant; scans the room and spots him, his back to her, sitting in a slightly secluded corner -- a perfect place for a heart to heart. She leaves her jacket with the front of house and walks over to Julian.

She clears her throat.

"Hi," she says, smiling.

The End