Clare rolled over and picked up her phone off the bedside table, clicking the button so she could see what time it was. 11:51. His plane would still be in the air.
"Three whole days of this." She groaned to the empty room. She propped herself up on an elbow and rearranged the pillows so she could sit up. That familiar ache flared and she felt the sting around her eyes as if she was going to start crying. She pulled her laptop across the bed and opened the cover. "Where are you when I need you?" She whined to the dark space where Matt should be sleeping.
She clicked the three dots at the right side of her screen and selected "incognito" mode. The screen went dark, and she knew her browsing activity was safe from unwanted eyes. A few keystrokes later she was immersed in an array of interesting looking links. She scrolled down the page, past some of her favorite blogs and clicked on a link that promised videos. She pulled up a video she hadn't seen before and slid her left hand down to soothe the ache between her legs.
Just then her stomach growled and she realized she was hungry. She had barely eaten dinner after returning from the airport. This was the first time since their wedding they'd be apart for more than a few hours, and she was feeling petulant. Yes, traveling was part of his job, and this trip was super important. She still wasn't happy about sleeping by herself for three days. She slid the laptop to the side and slipped out of her warm blankets.
Padding softly through the house without turning on any lights, she found her way to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. A sandwich sounded good, she pulled out some deli ham and cheese, and the mayo. She hated soft bread so she popped a couple pieces of bread into the toaster and pushed the lever down. She pulled out strawberries and the chocolate dip. She'd have some of those for dessert. She poured apple juice into a glass and took a long drink, setting it down just as the toast popped up. As she assembled her sandwich she heard the keypad on the door beeping. She jumped and tucked herself around the corner out of sight. Thankful she hadn't turned on the overhead lights she would have a good look at whoever was coming through the door before they saw her. The door opened, and in the garage light she saw the frame of her husband silhouetted.
"Matt! What are you doing home? You're supposed to be 20,000 feet above the earth right now!" She exclaimed, as he set down his carry on bag. He rubbed his face, looking tired and held out his arms to welcome her soft body as she stepped into them.
"So, we were about to board the plane, and I got a message from our client. Several members of their team tested positive for COVID today, and they're all in quarantine. They told us we'd have to reschedule the meeting in a couple weeks". He looked irritated to be notified at the last minute, but smiled down at her as she turned her face up to kiss his lips.
"I'm sorry about your meeting babe." She lied, the fire between her legs flaring again.
"What are you doing out of bed? You should be sound asleep." He sounded worried.
"I couldn't sleep, and I was hungry." She replied. "I'm making a sandwich, are you hungry? I'll share." He smiled down at her, she was absolutely perfect.
"I could have a bite or two. Thanks." He planted another quick kiss on her lips and picked up his bag and headed off to their bedroom to unpack.
She skipped back to the kitchen and quickly slapped the sandwich together, set it on a plate and rinsed the strawberries. Balancing plate, bowl of berries and chocolate dip on one hand she grabbed her glass of apple juice and headed back to the bed. As she entered the room her eyes fell on her laptop, sitting forgotten on the bed, the video still playing. She could hear the gasps and grunts of a female in pain from across the room punctuated by a slapping sound on skin, and her face flushed crimson. Her husband was staring down at the screen, his face completely devoid of expression.
It was too late, he had seen what she was watching, there was no getting around this. She was going to have some explaining to do, and it was going to be very awkward.
She quietly set down the food on her bedside table, steering very clear of the laptop. She positioned herself against the pillows and then moved the plate and bowl of berries to the middle of the bed for their middle-of-the-night picnic.
"I'll be right back." He said quietly and stepped into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.
"Oh have I blown it." She whispered, she knew he was not going to approve of what he'd seen, and she had no idea how she could explain herself. It seemed an eternity before he returned from the bathroom with his bathrobe tied around his waist and joined her on the bed.
The laptop sat untouched in the space between them. She determined not to say anything about it until he did, and offered him the sandwich. He leaned in and took a bite. Her shoulders relaxed a little, and she leaned her body into his. He picked a strawberry out of the bowl, dipped it into the chocolate, and held it to her mouth. She bit it, leaving only the green stem still in his fingers, but it tasted like cardboard. She'd lost her appetite. He ate a strawberry himself and kissed her mouth again.
Wordlessly they carried on with their picnic, enjoying each others company, and dreading the conversation that was coming. When the food ran out she moved the dishes to her bedside table and slid her body next to his. He pulled her laptop onto his lap and looked down at her.
"You are browsing in incognito mode, Clare, are you trying to hide what you're doing online from me?"
She shook her head quickly. "Not at all honey, I noticed the other day that the recipe I searched for on my tablet showed up on my computer at work, and I realized that whatever I do at home is showing up on my work computer. You know when I'm out for a day my boss and the supervisors use my computer. They doesn't need to know what I do in my free time."
