Sunday was a slow start for the both of us. It wasn't until morning that Cheryl really felt how much wine she'd had the night before, and I had been tossing and turning through the night, my mind racing. I'd wake convinced I'd forgotten something, and I'd reach down to make sure that I wasn't sleeping with a ribbon tied around me or with a plug still buried in my ass.
After a late breakfast, we sat around for a while talking over coffee, and Cheryl reiterated what a wonderful time she'd had the night before, even if she was paying the price for over-indulging.
"So you weren't just being nice? You really like them? I just want to make sure, before we go ahead and cut a hole in that fence," I asked.
"Oh yes, I was serious. I don't know why, but I just get a good feeling about her--about them both really. Lydia and I got along like I'd known her for years. You seemed to be good friends with Liam too. You were gone a while when you went to get wine, so I assume he's not bad to talk with."
It hit me like a brick that she'd noticed. But of course she hadn't thought a thing about it. Why would she? As far as she knew I was the normal, heterosexual man she'd married. She might have raised an eyebrow had I disappeared with Liam's wife, but not him. In fact, she had only encouraged me to see more of him. She knew how most of my male friends had fallen away, and now that we were in a new city, it would be even harder to keep in touch.
"Oh yes, I like him. He seems like a good guy. It will also be great if he can help us out with the renovations."
I meant what I'd said, as we really did want to properly outfit the basement so that the house would be ready to suit any changes to our lives here, but I was also thinking that the last thing I needed was some other contractor discovering a network of security camera wiring I couldn't explain.
Cheryl had a bit of work to do, so she pulled out her laptop and stretched out sideways across the sofa in the living room. As for me, I had some outdoor work to tend to. Now that we had a home and a yard to feel proud of, I wanted to put in the work to keep it up.
I pulled on a pair of cargo shorts and an old t-shirt and went outside. The yard was quite large and there were a lot of mature trees towards the back. I walked back there, feeling how much more private and enclosed it felt. Nestled in the corner of the yard was a wooden shed, and a rather large one considering that it currently only held a lawn mower, weed-eater and a few rakes.
Reaching the door, I stopped in his tracks. The old padlock that had hung from the latch was gone, and replaced by a shiny new lock that appeared to open with a combination. I tilted it up and was looking at it when I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. Thinking that I should have known, I read the text.
"The combination is SLUT," it read.
Of course it is, I muttered to myself. I opened the lock and looked around inside. I didn't notice any evidence of anything having been moved or changed, so perhaps he was just showing me that there was yet another space he was taking over. There always seemed to be another shoe ready to drop.