It felt surreal to contemplate. After a decade of relentless dedication, we were on the verge of owning our own home. "Are you excited, Brian?" I turned to my wife, Stacy. "Yes, absolutely." Stacy replied with a slight shrug. We were in the midst of packing our belongings in our apartment, preparing for the impending move. As Stacy carefully placed dishes into a box, I couldn't help but admire her.
Her lustrous blonde hair cascaded effortlessly over her shoulders. Standing at around 5 feet tall, she possessed a remarkable figure, with curves that spoke of femininity and grace. However, what truly captivated me was her inner strength and the unwavering support she provided. I considered myself immensely fortunate to have her by my side.
We packed up the last of the boxes and put them into the moving truck we had rented. I got into the driver's seat, and we began the short drive to our new home.
As we drove, my wife appeared lost in contemplation. Nearly a decade of marriage had fine-tuned our ability to sense each other's inner musings. "Is something on your mind?" I inquired, breaking the silence.
"Just thinking about our conversation the other day," she replied softly.
"About starting a family, right?" I asked. "I understand, especially now that we have a home, but I need a few more years to feel secure about our finances before taking that step."
Stacy let out a sigh. "Yeah, I know."
The remainder of the drive passed in silence. Her quietness left me with a pang of guilt, but the reality remained--despite our stable, well-paying jobs, the new house had significantly impacted our financial landscape. I couldn't afford to jeopardize our stability, and that was something I couldn't compromise on.
As we pulled up to our new home and began the long process of unpacking I knew that our lives would never be the same.
Five months later.
As the house became more of a home over the months, Stacy and I thought it would be a good idea to install security cameras all around the house and I was in the process of installing the last one in the basement living room. It took me awhile but when I was done I went upstairs to let Stacy know the good news.
"Everything's done!" I exclaimed with excitement. "Our basement is finally complete, and the security system is up and running."
"Fantastic news, dear!" It had taken us several months of hard work, but now that our basement was finished, we could set our other plan in motion: renting it out for some additional income.
"Well..." Stacy began thoughtfully. "Now, the only thing left is to find a tenant."
"Shouldn't be too challenging. I'll start looking next week," I assured her, eager to fill the space and start reaping the benefits.
Looking back, some days I regret finishing that basement. My and my wife's lives would be dramatically different. Over the years, she would spend more time down there than with me. She and I, as well as the men who would rent it, would love every minute of it.
3 Months Later
As I walked down the stair's I could hear Stacy and the potential tenant talking to one another. and as I opened the door and turned the corner I saw both of them standing it the basement living room.
Standing before Stacy and me stood a remarkably fit 20-year-old man, sporting black hair, brown eyes, and what Stacy would later describe as a "Pretty boy face."
"Here we are," I said to the young man, Steve. The three of us were giving him a tour of the basement. "What do you think of the place?"
"I think it's great!" Steve glanced around once more before eagerly asking, "When can I move in?"
"As soon as you're ready, just keep in mind the deposit," my wife interjected. "You'll receive it back upon moving out, provided there's no need for repairs."
Steve grinned. "Not to worry. I'll be attending college full-time, so I won't be here all that often. But about those camera," he pointed to the security camera we had installed in the basement living room, "what's the deal?"
"Oh, that." I fumbled for my phone, launching the security app to show him. "They're part of the security setup, this particular one is deactivated. It's the only camera down here. We set it up before considering renting the space out."
Steve nodded. "No problem at all. I was just curious. I won't be around much anyway." Handing back my phone, he said, "I'll go start packing my stuff!" with palpable excitement.
Steve had been renting our basement for five months, and like he said he was hardly here. We never had any issues or complaints and he always paid his rent on time. As far as we could tell he only came here to sleep.
One evening, I returned home to find my wife unusually quiet, her demeanor suggesting a hint of anger. "What's wrong?" I asked, concerned.
"Nothing," she snapped sharply, signaling that something was indeed amiss.
"Alright," I responded calmly. "But if you want to talk about it later, just let me know."
She paused for a moment before blurting out, "The power went out."
"Did it come back on?" I inquired.
"No," she said after a few seconds. "I went downstairs to check the breakers, but when I turned the corner, I saw..." She hesitated. "Steve. He had just gotten out of the shower... he was naked."
I was taken aback, but before I could react, she continued, tears welling in her eyes. "We were both startled, and I ran upstairs. I'm sorry."
I took a moment to gather my thoughts before responding, "It's okay. It was an accident. Everything will be fine." My words felt inadequate, grappling with the complexity of the situation that seemed beyond my immediate understanding.
The following day, I ventured down to the basement, intending to have a conversation with Steve to clear the air for all of us, but he wasn't there. Deciding to send him a text, I composed a message: "Hello, Stacy mentioned she walked in on you unexpectedly yesterday. To avoid any further incidents, we'll send you a text before coming downstairs."
As soon as I sent the text, a notification from the security app on my phone caught my attention. Opening the app, I was surprised to see the basement camera was activated, displaying a live feed of myself standing in the basement living room. "The power outage must have reset it," I thought to myself, intending to turn it off in the settings. Before I could, a reply from Steve popped up.
"Sounds great! Sorry about the whole thing. Stacy and I startled each other accidentally, but I grabbed a towel and apologized. We had a brief chat, and then she went upstairs. Sorry again!"
"Talked for a bit?" I pondered. Stacy hadn't mentioned conversing with him. Feeling a bit flustered, I chose not to text her about it since she was at work. I carried on with the rest of my day, and by the time Stacy arrived home, it had slipped my mind entirely.
A few days later, while seated at my desk at work, a notification buzzed on my phone--the basement security camera detected movement again. "Forgot to turn it off," I muttered, reaching for my phone. As I opened the app, what I witnessed puzzled me. Stacy occupied the armchair while Steve sat comfortably on the adjacent couch. They appeared engrossed in conversation, sharing smiles and laughter.