Finally things get smexy.
This is a series in which scenes are partially repeated from a different view point. It's an exploration into how the same event can seem different depending on who is telling the story.
I copy/paste and all the spacing goes to garbage.
Melissa - Darker
"Melissa, what the actual fuck? What happened to dinner time is family time?" Jared said, smacking the door open with a fist.
Melissa jumped but didn't bother to answer him. She'd figured he'd come looking after he'd finished dinner and his beer. Priorities meant that his needs would always come first. Probably wanted to know if she was going to do the dishes or ask her to wash something he needed to wear for the following day.
Jared walked over and sat next to her.
Melissa saved the document she was working on and shut the computer down. It wasn't that she didn't want him to see, but also she didn't want to risk anything happening if he decided to get handsy and throw the computer again.
The current manuscript she was working on was important. Melissa had been working with the author for a while and one of her books was being made into a movie which meant she'd probably start making much more money and could afford to buy a more established, well-known editor for future works. If it was the last, Melissa wanted to really do it right. To enjoy the process, which she did.
"What, don't trust me?" Jared said, "I'm not the one fucking some other woman."
Melissa shook her head, "You think I am? Fucking. A. woman?"
"Reece has pictures of you and some red head," Jared said.
Melissa rolled her eyes, "One of the author's I've been working with. We are not sleeping together."
"Ah, but are you fucking her?" Jared asked.
"No." Melissa snapped. The red head was a lesbian but also happily married and had been for years.
"Well, you don't even let me fucking touch you," Jared said.
Melissa wanted to say, well who's fault is that. It wasn't her fault that he couldn't get an erection. She had no interest in oral sex and so it was easier to just sleep in separate rooms. No point getting aroused when nothing could happen.
Honestly, she'd been grateful. She hadn't wanted things to happen. Not after the annual New Year's Eve party they had thrown. She'd woken up, naked, in the spare room. No memory of the night before or how she'd gotten there. Or why she wasn't wearing anything. She'd wrapped herself in the top sheet and snuck into the bathroom where she washed away proof that something had happened and not said anything, to anyone. She'd hoped that she'd been with her husband, but then why the spare room? Oh, easier to just shove it down and ignore it.
Not talking about things was hardwired into her psyche.
Fuck him for thinking she was actively cheating. Even if maybe, she had. She didn't want to talk about that. She didn't want to talk about any of it. The ability to form words became extremely difficult. Again, easier to avoid.
"And then you don't talk... that fucking pisses me off. I'm so tired of you just not fucking talking to me. Say something, for fucks sake," Jared snapped.
Melissa growled, "If I was fucking someone else, you'd get a free pass to getting your own side piece. Well, how about I give you permission to do whatever you want with whoever you want -- other than our daughter -- and that way I don't have to fuck anyone. How's that?"
Jared smiled at her and Melissa fought the urge to smack him. She fought an urge to rub his nose in the fact that she was able to cheat. He still couldn't get hard.
Instead, she stood and left the room, leaving the door open.
Something was going on with her family. She did not like it. Over the two weeks or so, since returning home from college for summer break, Emma had been acting strange. She was always wearing really revealing outfits and was flirting with anyone and everyone, including her parents.
It didn't help that Melissa had been sent a manuscript to work with that had contained incest and was very erotic. Both things she was not comfortable with. But one of the characters had been sleeping with her 'daddy' and had been acting the same way that Emma was. She'd turned it down.
Hopefully, it was like what happened when you brought a yellow car. All of a sudden, you notice yellow cars more.
Bringing the idea of incest up to Jared had just been anger and annoyance. How dare he accuse her of cheating based on pictures that she knew would be innocent.
Melissa headed for the kitchen, noticing that the dining room was empty. She ignored the dirty dishes. They weren't going anywhere. She did, however, put the rest of the meatloaf into a container and into the fridge. It was cool enough by then.
The patio lights were on which meant Emma was probably in the hot tub.
Melissa grabbed two bottles of wine and headed back towards her study. Thankfully Jared had left by the time she got back and so she closed and locked the door.
She didn't really like wine. Most wine was sour, and she hated the way it tasted. Especially the after taste.
But she'd purchased two bottles of a dessert wine for her birthday which was two weeks away. The one she liked had been out of stock, not surprising because it had been on sale for eight dollars a bottle. Someone had placed two bottles of something that had been eleven dollars a bottle. Melissa had assumed it would be close enough.
She got stressed when the store was busy and had wanted to just get the things and get out.
Jared gave her shit about the wine choice because it was pink and sweet and had bubbles. But she enjoyed it, sort of, and felt like getting drunk.
Fuck the consequences.
She'd forgotten to grab a glass so just opened the first bottle and drank until she needed to breathe. Moving to the couch, Melissa got comfortable and put her feet up. She pulled a blanket over her legs and kept drinking. It was sour and yucky.
But it was cold and she was thirsty.
By the time she finished the first bottle, her head was spinning a little and she realised the second was out of reach. Not that she wanted it, right then.
Kind of wished she'd thought to grab water though.
Oh well.
And food. She was really hungry. The last time she'd eaten had been the day before. Lunch even. Jared and Emma had gone to a movie and had pizza with Reece.
Melissa had stayed home and read the newest book in her favourite fantasy series.
Drinking on an empty stomach was probably a dreadful idea. But that would be a problem for her tomorrow self.
People looked at her funny when she told them she'd been married for twenty years and was only thirty-eight, almost thirty-nine now. She'd met Jared when they were fifteen. Her parents had forbidden her from dating him which of course had made him seem all that much more appealing.
They hadn't slept together until she was almost nineteen and she'd gotten pregnant with Emma pretty quickly -- not intentionally. They had decided to get married six months before Emma was born.
Her own parents hadn't spoken to her since before the wedding and they had chosen not to attend.
His parents hated her and made that crystal clear. Sadly, they had spoiled Emma and let her know that it was okay to ignore Melissa. Jared would always back them up. It had made parenting pretty damn impossible.
Melissa's eyes filled with tears.
Things had been relatively fine until the last two years, or so.
Emma had started university and was living with her grandparents during term time. Her attitude and behaviour kept getting steadily worse and more weird.
