I wanted to write something in a different style so instead of serialising it I've written this as a one-off longer story. As always I deliberated over which genre I should place this in but eventually decided on romance as it is a story about love.
Before the misogynists and moralists amongst you start to comment about what should have happened please remember it's just a story, it isn't real life and it's written this way because it's just the way I wanted things to work out. If you want a different ending then please feel free to write your own.
I appreciate feedback about the story, both good and bad, but trolling, moronic comments will be removed.
Enjoy.
FORGIVEN or FORGOTTEN?
'19:45'
Robert Carver stared up at the glowing red numerals on the kitchen clock and shook his head ruefully. Stephanie, his wife of three years, was late, again. When she had left for work that morning she had promised him faithfully that she would be home by 7 p.m. at the very latest.
It wasn't unusual for her to have to stay a little later during the week but he knew that on a Friday at five o'clock her boss, Clayton Henderson, closed the office and insisted that everyone went for at least one drink after work. Steph hadn't been with the company very long and, keen to make a good impression, she felt compelled to join the rest of the staff.
Rob understood her motivation but it was still grating on him when it impacted on their precious time at the week-ends.
She had invited him to the first couple of Friday evening get togethers but he had felt so out of place at them he had declined to go to any more.
None of her colleagues had really spoken to him, not that that surprised him. They were all from the high-profile marketing company and quite glamorous and outgoing while he was an IT geek who got his hands dirty for a living.
Add to that the fact that he had told his wife that he thought her boss Clay, as he insisted everyone call him, was an egotistical sleaze bag who had designs on anything in a skirt, meant that she was more than happy that he didn't come again.
He tried not to complain about it but, after three months, he was starting to feel that he was coming second to her job, although he also accepted it was partly his fault for not making more of an effort.
Sighing resignedly, he was just about to turn off the oven and eat by himself for yet another Friday when he heard the front door open.
"Sorry. I lost track of time babe."
Stephanie rushed in, dropping her coat and bag, and gave him a brief kiss on the cheek.
"Is dinner ready?"
"Yeah, it's a bit overdone but still just about edible, I think."
She giggled, "Great, I'm absolutely starving. Just give me five minutes to shower and I'll be back down."
Rob had just finished setting the table and was just starting to dish up their meal when his wife reappeared in a t-shirt and a pair of casual shorts.
"You know you spoil me." She kissed him and settled into her seat, ready to eat, "This looks absolutely fabulous."
"Well, one of us has to earn the money while I try to get my business off the ground." He smiled back at her trying to hide his feeling of impotency at the fact she was the main breadwinner.
"And how are things going on that front?" Steph enquired between mouthfuls of food.
As always it felt like an accusation to him.
Several months prior Rob had, with his wife's blessing, set up on his own building customised IT packages, comprising of both hardware and software solutions.
Leaving a well-paid job with a large multi-national company had been a gamble and, as yet, he had only managed to acquire a few small contracts with local businesses. It was enough to keep him going but he needed to expand his customer base and, if possible, sign a much larger client.
"Much the same. I have enough work to keep things ticking over but not much else."
Steph reached across the table and squeezed his hand, "It will happen Rob. I'm certain that you'll get a break soon. You'll see."
"I hope you're right."
She smiled, "I know I am but in the meantime I can keep us going so you don't have to worry."
The couple had discussed Rob's going out on his own for a while but it wasn't until Stephanie had been offered a new, better paying job, at McMillan & Henderson, that he had finally taken the plunge. They knew it would take some time to get his business going so her new improved income would have to support them for a while.
However, more than four months on and things were still moving slowly for Rob, he had taken on a few small companies but nothing close to the major client he really needed to get established.
In that time his wife had settled into her job and, after passing her probationary term, was enjoying some spectacular success having already been promoted to the role of a full account executive.
"Yeah I know. I really thought I had a chance when I had that meeting with old man Jacobs but then he decided to go with someone bigger at the last minute."
"Well, that's their loss." His wife said as she started to focus on eating.
"So, what kept you at the bar?" Rob enquired casually after a minute or two.
"Just Clayton. He wanted to discuss the new account that we're working on."
"What the whole company or is it just you and him?" He was immediately apprehensive.
His wife didn't look up at him, keeping her attention on her food, "Um... it's just Clayton and me... at the moment."
"I see...." He let his sentence trail off, his expression one of disapproval.
Steph glanced up at him knowing what he was thinking, "Don't look at me like that. He's my boss."
"I don't trust him, that's all."
"Him.... Or me?" She responded rather more tartly than she intended.
"You know I trust you but he just strikes me as a real lecher." Rob tried to keep his tone relaxed but failed miserably.
It didn't work and he could see Stephanie starting to get irritated.
"We've talked about this before Rob. He's the boss of the bloody company and he's married. What do you think he's going to do? Jump on me one day."
"No. It's just that..."
"Just what Rob? What exactly do you think we're going to get up to?" His wife asked angrily, slamming her knife and fork down on the table.
"I... I... nothing... it's just..."
"If you don't trust me then just say it. I took this job so I could support us while you started your own business." She continued to rant at him, "Perhaps if you got off your arse and got some customers we could think about us for a change."
They both wanted children, they had agreed that when they married, but he had wanted to get his new enterprise off the ground before they started a family.
Finishing her tirade, she got up, leaving the rest of her dinner untouched.
"I'm going to bed. Don't bother joining me."
With that statement she stormed out of the room leaving him sitting alone.
Rob put down his cutlery, his appetite suddenly gone, and sat back wondering where things had started going wrong for them.
He had been 22 when he met Stephanie Franscombe during his final year at university.
They were both attending a career seminar and, as fate arranges these things, they both walked up to the same stall at the same time. He couldn't, for the life of him, remember which company it had been and had simply found himself totally smitten by the tall, slim blonde standing next to him.
Twenty years old, the 5' 8" Steph was just a few inches below his six foot one and had been wearing skin tight jeans which clung to her long legs and a figure-hugging top which showed off what he later found to be a firm, willowy 34B-23-34 figure. With long blonde hair that hung well below her shoulder blades and ice blue eyes she had grabbed the company rep's attention as well as his.
Fifteen minutes later they had walked away from the stand without him able to remember a single word of what the guy manning the stall had said.
She had smiled at him, said goodbye, and gone to move away when, taking a chance, he had invited her for coffee.
When she had readily accepted he felt like he had won the lottery and all the way to the coffee shop he was walking on air.
Chatting over their cappuccino's it quickly became clear to the pair of them that they had a lot in common and it appeared that Rob's interest in Steph was very much reciprocated by her.
A dinner date followed that same night and it was just a week later that they had sex for the first time. Neither of them were virgins, although on the other hand neither of them had a great deal of experience, but they took a lot of time and had a lot of fun discovering each other and learning what each of them liked.
Rob had proposed after she had graduated and three months later they had married in a small registry office ceremony with just family and friends present.
Renting a small 2-bedroom house and starting work, life had been close to perfect for them and, despite having to be careful with money, they had been idyllically happy. They both eventually wanted children but agreed they needed to be settled in their careers before they started a family.
Things had progressed slowly and three years on they had agreed that Rob should start up his own business while Stephanie had changed jobs and, for a time, became the primary breadwinner.
It was then that things had started to go downhill.
The pressure on them to succeed had grown, the demands on Stephanie's time at work had increased while Rob had struggled to get his new venture off the ground.
At the same time sex had become less frequent and they had started to argue more, usually over the same thing; their work.
Sitting at the dinner table and trying hard he struggled to see a way out for them if things stayed the way they were.
Sighing, resigned to spending the night alone, Rob stood up slowly and collected the dishes, heading out to the kitchen to clear up before organising his sleeping arrangements.
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