Once In A Lifetime • Link Neal

eleven.

They pulled into the parking lot, Christy climbing out of the car before Link could even speak a word, let alone put the car in park. He watched her fix her sunglasses as she walked toward the entrance to the office, an exasperated sigh escaping his lips as he quickly switched out his sunglasses for his regular pair. 

He had talked to her the night before, bringing up the night she went to the movies 'with Jesse'. Needless to say, it didn't go very well. He never got a straight answer from her, but he did receive quite a bit of defensive and angry comments in return. It was one of few nights when he voluntarily slept on the couch, opting to drop the heated argument before it could escalate into a full on yelling match, one that would surely wake the kids. 

With another deep breath, he clambered out of the car and followed his wife inside. 

The office was small, decorated with cheesy motivational posters on the walls and brochures on the table. His knee bobbed as he sat in the uncomfortable chair, hands in his lap as Christy swiped through her phone. He was thrown back to the times when he was sent to the principles office in school, waiting anxiously to confront whatever problem he had caused. 

Of course, she didn't know what had happened the night before, in the solitary and intimate space of the elevator in Lucy's apartment complex. He had laid awake on his couch thinking about it, going over the choices he now had to deal with; he could keep it a secret, try and forget it even happened in the first place. It seemed impossible, though. The memory playing in his head on loop with amazingly vivid details. Yeah, there was no way he was going to forget it. Option number two, which was far more daunting, is to come clean. It was what felt the most right, the sheer guilt of his actions drawing him to his conclusion. He figured, if he told her now, there would still be time to fix what they already have. But then again, the thought of fixing things with Christy rung a sour tune, like it wasn't what he actually wanted. 

He glanced at his wife out the corner of his eye, one hand twisting his wedding ring around while his knee continued it's rapid bouncing. She seemed to notice, with a quirk of her brow she turned her attention to the man. 

"You're fidgetin', Link. What's wrong?" She asked, moving to push her sunglasses up to her head, effectively drawing all the loose hair away from her heart shaped face. He raised his brows, glancing at her for a moment with nothing to say. He had no idea where to even start. 

"I...I have somethin' I need to tell you." He managed, his tone solemn. It surprised her, her pretty features drawing in an expression of concern, before the secretary called out their last name, 

"Tell me after the appointment." She said, grabbing her bag and standing. Link swallowed thickly, nodding his head as he followed suit. 

He hated this; the questions were stupid, in his opinion. 

What are your goals for therapy? How does your relationship make you feel? What's your history as a couple? 

Link humored the situation, answering the questions thrown in their direction with as much honesty and sincerity as possible, Christy giving her input with enthusiasm. He was growing impatient after about 30 minutes of this, until one question seemed to throw him off guard. 

"Is there a history of cheating in your relationship?" The counselor asked, her amber gaze darting between the two of them as she waited for an answer. 

"No." Christy quickly spoke up, before glancing at Link herself. He swallowed thickly, his mind running a million miles a second. Tell her, just tell her, man. 

"No." He spoke up, his gaze drawn toward his wife who looked at him with narrowed eyes, like she could see right through him. The rest of the appointment seemed to crawl by, time slowing down to a painful drag as they finally finished up.