I return home sometime late in the evening to find the house dark and extremely quiet.
I placed my bag on the counter and just as I turned on the light I was startled back.
"Jesus, Luke!"
Luke was just sitting in there in the dark, a class of scotch in one hand.
"What are you doing?"
"Waiting." He raised the glass and took another sip, I took a glance around,
"Are the boys asleep?"
"Yes."
"Good." I yawned tiredly and went to pour myself a glass of water,
"Where did you go ?" He followed into the kitchen, "I called a few times , and you weren't answering."
"30 missed calls to be exact, let's not get started on the raging messages."
"Quit the attitude, Jane." He gritted.
"Or what, you're gonna snap? Oh, I would love to see you try and lay those filthy fingers on me again, just you try it!" I shot back.
He snickers and then walks up to me.
"What was that you were trying to pull?"
"What was what, Luke?"
"That at the restaurant, did you have to say all that to Helen? You made me look like a monster in front of her and the kids, all for what." I bet he's dying to let out all that anger on me.
I step back a little,
"The kids are home, let's be civil."
"You called the realtor behind my back, are you deliberately trying to get on my nerves?"
"I think it's time you find your own place, that was the plan, remember? but it's been six months and you're still here."
"We could've talked about it, but instead you choose to go behind my back and make me look like a fool in front of the woman."
"Just get out of my house then!"
He grabs my arm,
"What happened to starting over?"
"Yeah, that was before you became a major suspect in a crime. let's not even mention the gun you have hidden in my house."
"You know I didn't do it."
"I also believed you stopped using a long time ago."
"It was a shitty time for me." He came up with another excuse.
"That's the problem, Luke. There's always some shitty time with you and I'm tired of it...."
"Jane-"
I snatched my arm off him and hurrying into the bedroom, I locked the door.
I approached the room mirror and gazed at myself. A pale and haunted ghost stares back at me. I scooped my hair up and ignored how swollen my eyelids were from crying.
"Jane?" Luke pleads with me from the other side of the bedroom door, I don't let him in or reply,
He continues.
"I wanna talk."
"Talk in the morning." I finally yell back,
"It's important."
"What's so important that it can't wait till morning? Just leave me alone, Luke!"
"Today is my birthday, one of the happiest days in my life, Jane, please let's not fight and ruin it." My subconscious nods with approval. Even she knows not to be snarky right now I cannot believe that my world is crumbling into a sterile pile of ashes, and I'm worried about him.
