The Five Seconds King

NEAL

The smell of slow-cooked beef stew filled the kitchen as I hummed and did little dance steps to Train's "hey, soul sister." blaring from my headphones. My sleeves were rolled up, hands covered in flour from the pie crust I'd been kneading earlier. I looked at the clock again- 6:42 PM. I wiped my hands on the towel draped over my shoulder and reached for my phone on the counter.

My heart thumped with this stupid, boyish kind of excitement. I felt like a teenager about to ask his crush to prom. Hell, this was my wife. My woman. But today wasn't just any day.

It was our anniversary. 

Three years.

Three years of ups and downs. Laughs and fights. Quiet mornings and long nights. But through all of it, she'd stayed mine. Or... I thought she had.

I paused the music right before hitting "call" beside her name. Elisa. She picked up quick.

"Hey, babe." Her sweet voice came through soft and tired. Lately, she'd been extra busy at work because of some project. 

She'd left home very early just to get to work on time. The stress was so much on her she didn't remember it was our anniversary, but that didn't matter. I felt for her but I couldn't ask her to take a break or stop.

I smiled instead, the corners of my mouth aching from having smiled a ton the whole day. "Hey, baby. Just wanted to know... what time are you coming home?"

There was a pause. It wasn't long, but it felt like an eternity, because I couldn't wait for her to get home. I held my breath without even realising it.

"Um... I think I'll be working late tonight," she said carefully. "There's a whole mess with the numbers from last quarter. The finance team is still trying to fix it."

I leaned against the counter, and stared at the gift box on the table. Inside it was a necklace I'd spent three weeks picking out. Gold chain, small ruby pendant, shaped like a teardrop. It was her birthstone. I even had it engraved on the back- Forever yours.

"Oh," I said softly, trying to keep the disappointment out of my voice. "Alright. No problem. Just let me know when you're done so I can come get you."

"Okay, baby." she said quickly. "Love you."

"Love you more."

The line went dead after that. I looked down at the phone and sighed. I should have asked when. When would she finish? But I didn't want to call back and bug her. She was already under pressure. Running her own company was no small job. I respected that so much.

And besides, I knew her schedule. If she worked late, she was usually done around 11 PM. Always. That's how it went. So I figured, hell, I'll just show up and surprise her. I looked around the small but cozy dining room. I'd cleaned the place top to bottom, laid out our best plates, lit a couple of vanilla-scented candles. The roses I picked up from the florist down the street were sitting in a vase by her chair- white ones, because she hated red.

Everything looked perfect.

Except she wouldn't be home on time to see it. I ran a hand through my hair and gave a crooked smile, muttering to myself, "Happy anniversary, Neal."

At 10:45 PM, I grabbed my car keys.

The drive to her company building was quiet. The streets were mostly empty, just a few cars here and there. My fingers tapped the steering wheel and I kept picturing her face when she'd see me waiting outside like some love-struck fool.'

"Got you a surprise," I'd say.

And she'd smile that tired but sweet smile and wrap her arms around me. She'd probably cry a little. Tell me how sorry she was for not being there tonight. Then we'd go home, light some music, and maybe dance in the kitchen while the food warmed up.

I laughed under my breath at that thought.

God, I loved her.

And she didn't have the slightest idea how much.

At exactly 10:59, I pulled into the lot in front of the company building. The tall glass office tower reflected the city lights. The lobby still had lights on, and a few people were coming out, walking in twos or alone, some chatting on their phones, others looking exhausted.

That's when I spotted her. Mi amor. 

I slipped my phone inside my pocket and was about to make the move, but then I saw she wasn't alone. She was with a man. He was tall, dark suit, no tie. But that wasn't the part that had snuffed out the happiness that had been sizzling inside me just a few seconds ago. No. What caught my eye was the fact that his hand was linked with hers- no, her arm was linked through his. And she wasn't resisting or doing anything to suggest she was uncomfortable with the gesture. Even worse, they were laughing.

Laughing.

I blinked, thinking my eyes were playing dirty tricks on me. Maybe they were just coworkers. Maybe something funny happened at work.

But they weren't walking toward the parking garage. They were walking across the street... toward a damn hotel. My stomach gave a sharp twist and my hands started shaking as I gripped the steering wheel, watching them like a hawk. My throat had gotten so dry now I had to swallow, hard.

"No... no, that can't be what I think it is."

I said it out loud, like saying it would make it real- or not real.

Maybe... maybe she was helping a client. Maybe he had too much to drink. Maybe she was dropping him off.

But why the hell are they holding each other like that then?

I gritted my teeth, heart pounding so loud inside my chest it felt like it was in my ears as I followed them. They stopped in front of the hotel lobby doors, and he leaned down to say something to her.

She laughed again.

Then he put his hand on her back before, to my shock, his hands moved down to squeeze her ass. 

NO.