The Other Man [Book One]

Chapter 16 - Sour Cherry

Harry left before Will got home, leaving me with time to shower, remake the bed, and essentially remove any trace of his presence. The guilt of cheating on Will was beginning to set in, which brought along with it the doubts of my relationship with Harry. We'd discussed not being so careless only that very day, when I'd not so explicitly asked him not to put us in dangerous situations. He'd ignored that almost instantly, proving how stupid I was for getting involved with someone so young. Harry was a good guy, we had a lot of fun together, and I liked him a lot, but he was reckless and impulsive after I'd asked him not to be. And I didn't know if I liked him enough to risk it all.

Hearing Will arrive home just after 10 o'clock, I went downstairs, the guilt manifesting itself in an urge to care for him, to be the good wife I knew I most certainly was not. It was odd that after being with Harry and being a terrible wife, I always felt compelled to overcompensate and create some odd sort of balance.

"How was your evening?"

Will jumped at the sound of my voice, looking at me like a deer caught in a headlight. He turned his back to me and locked the front door. "I thought you'd be asleep by now. Did I wake you?"

"No, I was up. I thought you might want some tea? Have you eaten?"

"I grabbed something earlier. All I want to do is crawl into bed and sleep," Will yawned, dropping his leather shoulder bag to the floor, landing right next to something that made my heart jump into my mouth – Harry's green hat. My stomach dropped and panic mode set in; I fought the instinct to dive across the floor and grab it because I knew that would cause more harm than good. All I could do was pray Will didn't see it, too.

"How was your evening?" Voice shrill and palms sweaty, I walked closer to my husband, loitering in the hallway like he was scared to come further into the house. "What were you doing again? I'm sorry – I forgot."

"We had some problems with the lighting. The rigs we had made for –" I stopped listening, but continued nodding and furrowing my brow as if I understood his description of the problem, all whilst using my bare foot to sweep the offensive, green hat away from Will's bag and underneath the bench where our coats hung. "We've been using the company for years, and this is the first time there's a cock up, so Terry's letting it slide, but it's going to cost us a lot to redo." Will sighed before smiling. "I'm sorry – I know it's all really boring."

"Of course it's not!" I lied, relieved the hat was out of sight and I hadn't been rumbled.

"I need a shower, and then bed. Are you coming back up?" He stripped off his grey t-shirt, revealing his pale but toned physique, skin a blank canvas in stark contrast to the ink scattered randomly across Harry's body. Only a few months earlier – the first time I'd compared him to the man who'd end up becoming my lover – I'd noticed he was being hit by an early-onset, middle-aged spread, but that was gone now. Will had been working out and eating healthier, and for the first time, I could see the difference.