Luke doesn’t know where he’s going exactly. It’s way too early to go home, as his wife is only due to be getting picked up by the guy about now. Luke’s driving toward the park intending to go sit in the gazebo when his phone buzzes with a text.
Annabelle: He’s here and I’m super nervous! Wish me luck xx
Luke pulls over. His chest has tightened and his gut has turned.
Luke: Love you baby xx
He watches the screen for a response but there’s nothing after a few minutes so he drives on across town. It’s a 30 minute drive to the park. The place is almost deserted on a week day afternoon. He sits in the gazebo staring out at the gardens, trying to picture where Annabelle is and exactly what’s happening with the guy. She didn’t know where he was taking her, and she was planning to dress in plain, conservative clothing Luke has seen her wear out to cafes and the like quite often. He keeps flashing between the image of a simple coffee between a couple of school friends still going on and the guy having skipped the coffee and taken her back to his place where he’s currently fucking her.
It’s four-thirty when Luke drives away from the park and almost five when he approaches his street with his skin in a cold sweat and his heart thumping. He turns the corner and his chest tingles with some weird kind of relief when he sees there are no cars at his house.
He slows but doesn’t stop, pulling up after driving another block to the shopping centre parking area where he won’t be detected spying. He checks the time again and decides it’s more likely that they haven’t arrived back at the house yet, rather than the guy having already left.
Another painfully slow twenty minutes pass where Luke virtually stares at the time on the car radio tick over. Then his phone buzzes and his heart leaps excitedly. He fumbles with the screen lock and gets up the message.
Annabelle: At home getting changed for him. Love you too xx
Luke types with shaking hands, his entire body weak and almost numb.
Luke: Okay baby I’ll be waiting
He drives. His mind is floating now. He can easily picture what’s happening between the guy and his wife but he doesn’t want to anymore. He sees Annabelle’s smile and feels her in his arms. He hears her laugh and smells her beautiful scent.
He pulls up across the street and along a bit from their home. There’s a late model dark-grey sports car parked in the driveway. The house is closed, blinds shut. Luke swallows at the ache in his throat, not watching the clock tick over this time -- just staring at his front door as shadows slowly lengthen and the street lights come on.
Almost two hours have passed and he has hardly moved a muscle. His front door finally opens and the guy closes it behind him striding to his car, backing out onto the road and speeding off in the opposite direction.