Missing Martha

150

At 8pm Martin took Zoë home in his car, driving slowly along the road, slipping his hand into hers when he could.
"Marty?" She Asked him, watching the sun set in a blazing sky as he drove towards the sea.
"Uh huh?" He replied, quickly switching into 5th gear.
"I did sleep with you that night." She told him.
"What night?" Questioned Martin, blushing slightly.
"The graduation night- when we first met. We got in a taxi and went to my house, you left at 3 or 4 in the morning." She explained.
Martin continued to look straight ahead at the road, thinking about that night, remembering how they danced and sang, and then they kissed.
"Oh shit..." he muttered, breaking a laugh, "was... was it you when- when your brother started calling you..?"
"God how many people have you banged in the last decade! Of course it was me- and I had to pretend my car had broken down so I couldn't collect him."
Martin chuckled while he pulled into their house, "I remember having wine.. red wine, and it was gorgeous.. and it stained your lips."
Zoe pursed her lips and smiled at him, "and then you told me you were engaged and I slapped you."
Martin pulled up the handbrake and laughed, "I remember that part. Fake nails and all!"
Zoë giggled while he kissed her quickly on her lips, "god, we were made for each other." She laughed,
"Absolutely!" He replied, opening up his door and climbing out to help her out.
Instead of letting her walk, Martin lifted Zoe up bridal style to the door which he unlocked promptly before throwing his keys onto the glass table in the hall and lifting her into their bedroom, plonking her onto the bed and undressing her before crawling in beside her and wrapping one arm around her waist.
"You've barely eaten today." Said Zoe, turning around to face him.
"I'm fine." He replied, placing a kiss on her chest making her giggle.
"God, stop, we're too old for this!" She said,
"Nonsense- we're only thirty, we've got at least another fifty years!" He replied, planting another kiss on her neck.
"You think we'll be like this in our eighties?!" She laughed, lying on her back and closing her eyes with glee.
"Oh I assure you we will!" He told her as she rested her head on his muscular chest and he stroked her soft blonde hair.
"God I love you, Martin.." she sighed, kissing his chest and looking up at the ceiling.
"This is more than love, Zoe. So much more..."
They both fell fast asleep that night and woke at 7am the next morning to the sound of Martin's alarm.
"Ugh too early." Groaned Martin, trying to manoeuvre himself to turn off his alarm while keeping Zoe snuggled beside him.
Once he had turned it off he sighed and closed his eyes,
"Ah ah, don't go back to sleep, you've got work." Said Zoe, stretching and waking herself up.
"Easy for you to say, you're staying at home." Replied Martin,
"Excuse me- I'm going to work!" She repelled, sitting up and pulling the duvet cover up to her shoulders.
"You were in hospital yesterday, you're not well." He justified,
"I'm coming in, and if I feel even the slightest bit unwell I'll tell you and you can plonk me back home." She promised, placing her hands in his chest and smiling as he stroked her thighs.
"Okay." He said, focusing on her eyes.
"Okay." She agreed, kissing his forehead before climbing out of bed and getting dressed.
Martin made breakfast out of the little food they had before Zoë entered with a grey shirt for him to wear, buttoning it up as he stretched his arms back.
"Sure you're feeling up for today?" He asked her,
"I'm up for it if you're up for it." She Replied.
"Well you've not gotta make a speech in front of the whole school today." He responded, holding her hips as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"The whole school?!" She laughed, "oh you're fucking screwed!"
"Thanks for the emotional support 'darling'" he replied, planting a kiss on her mouth before taking a bite out of the bagels he had made.

"When did you go to Dubai?" Asked Zoë, finishing her bagel and walking into their bedroom again, Martin followed.
"Dubai?" Questioned Martin, doing his hair in the bathroom while Zoe blinked on some mascara beside him.
"Yeah, last week, the day before the concert in Rome, you said you met Ringo Starr." She Replied.
"I did? God.. that was ages ago.. I was twenty four or something- my parents threatened to take away all my money so I spent the most money I could in the twenty minutes that I had." Martin told her, "bought myself like ten guitars as well, should have bought a car, didn't think of that."
"Did they end up taking the money?" Asked Zoë, finishing off her lipstick and looking at his reflection.
"Yeah... they took about fifteen grand that I hadn't managed to spend."
"God- why?" Zoë Questioned, facing Martin fully but he maintained concentration on shaving his face.
"I may have punched my father in the face." He admitted.
"What?!" She shrieked,
"The whole... wedding thing.. the whole- everything was just driving me mad. I told him I didn't want to get married and everything just built up from there. He said that if I ever got with someone else other than Emma he'd run them over just like he used to run over me in my teens, so then I just punched him."
Martin noticed the look of genuine shock on Zoe's face,
"Don't worry- the punch didn't even knock him out, I'm not that strong- and he's dead now, you're safe, I'm not letting anyone touch you." He promised, stroking her cheek before checking his watch, "Come on we're gonna be late for work." He noted as she gazed up at him.
"And how was Dubai?" Asked Zoë with great big eyes,
"Bit boring when you're on your own." He remarked,
"On your own? Didn't you get some good looking Arabian doll to spend the night with you?" She joked,
"You think you know me, Zoe." He laughed, shaking his head, "Nah I just went for walks around the place, was there two weeks."
"Anyone else you've punched that I don't know about?" Asked Zoë, picking up her handbag while Martin fetched his car keys.
"Umm- probably, just don't remember!" He replied, sitting in the driver's seat and setting off as soon as Zoe sat down.
"Oh, what have I married..." she giggled in response.