Darkest Dawn

The Cuckold

"Clean your bed sheets!" Briana growled in frustration, beating crumbs off the bed. "It's disgusting - you're going to get mice or bugs or something. And you don't have anywhere else I can sit!" She looked over her shoulder at Abel and gulped in alarm. He was shattered from another all-nighter and a cranky Abel could be a terrifying Abel. "Sorry," she amended quickly, "I know you work crazy hard." He rose from the box he'd been sitting on and approached her with menacing intent. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" She squealed as he pushed her onto the bed.

Last time she'd pissed him off when cranky - he'd held her upside down until she'd screamed that he was the handsomest boyfriend in the world. She had potentially deserved it - since she'd been teasing him pretty relentlessly. This time though, Abel didn't manhandle her like she'd expected. He pinned her hands above her head and leant over her – his gaze intense.

"If I clean the sheets," he spoke softly his deep voice sending pleasant chills through her, "will you spend more time in them?" Briana's breathing became shaky.

"Abel I – oh." Briana's head snapped around as the door burst open and a woman walked in. The woman stopped dead upon seeing them and heat flooded to Briana's cheeks. Abel let her go and Briana was quick to make some distance between them. "Sorry – I should have knocked," the woman seemed flustered but Abel remained calm. "Ricky sent me. He's ratty since you missed the last deadline." Abel looked through his work, searching out the material she wanted. Briana's attention was on the woman. There was something about her – it was making her feel strange...

"Briana, this is Victoria - a friend of mine. Queen, this is my girlfriend." Victoria smiled at her.

"Hi," she greeted. Briana nodded – her mouth turning dry. She'd finally clocked why she was feeling so strange. This was her grandmother – 69 years in the past.

"Here you go." Abel handed her the work she wanted.

"Thanks. I'll see you later, Abel. It was nice meeting you, Briana."

Abel walked Victoria out of the shop - giving Briana some brief recovery time. Tears gleamed in her eyes. Her grandmother looked so young – it was weird. She put her hand to her mouth to control her trembling lip. A wave of sadness crushed her. She missed her nana. A longing tug gripped her heart and when she heard Abel re-enter the room she wasn't ready. She turned quickly so he wouldn't see her face.

"It's a shame she couldn't stay. I think you two would really get along." A stray tear slipped from her lashes.

"Mm-hmm" - she couldn't trust herself to speak yet.

A couple of hours later, the alarm on Briana's phone went off. "I've got to go." She slipped her shoes on – the bed springs creaking beneath her. Abel's expression clouded over. "I'll call you this evening. You're not struggling with any deadlines are you?" She checked – she didn't want to get in the way of his work. Not when she knew how important it was. When he didn't reply she looked up to check he was listening. "Abel?"

"Are you cheating on me?" He demanded crossly.

"Huh?"

"You never stay over. You always have to go somewhere and you're really vague about why. Are you married?"

"No, of course not," he was still frowning unhappily, "I swear!"

"Why won't you tell me where you live? Why can't I meet any of your friends?"

"I...err..."

He hung his head, his messy hair spilling over his eyes. Briana opened and shut her mouth. "It's complicated," she managed as a lame response. Abel's shoulders hunched defensively.