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.
"Okay, mister and missus Neal. Let's schedule a follow up appointment in about 2 weeks. Remember to try the exercises that we've discussed, letting each other know how we feel, what we expect, and we'll pick this back up then. Sound good?" She asked, throwing them a stern smile. Link nodded his head, as Christy thanked the counselor. They made their way out of the office in silence, a word not shared between the two of them until they were settled in the car.
The drive back to their home was just as tense, maybe even more so.
"There was somethin' you needed to tell me?" Christy finally spoke up, and Link felt his chest ache at just the mention of it. He didn't want to do this now, where they would be stuck in the car for another 30 minutes until they got back home.
"We should wait 'till we get home." He simply replied, his eyes on the road as music played quietly from the radio, easing just a fraction of the tension between them.
_____
She sat atop an old bar stool, one leg crossed over the other as she nibbled on her thumb nail, her gaze darting across the screen as she read the article for the umpteenth time. Her ex-husband was always a fuck up, but he had really done it this time. It brought a small, satisfied smile on her lips as she read the article. Apparently, Gavin had been released from jail, reveled in his freedom a little too hard, and was picked up by the police not a week later carrying a ridiculous amount of illegal drugs on him. So much so, that he earned himself a place in her home town's newspaper.
She knew that it was a terrible thing to find joy in another persons hardships, but this was definitely an exception. It lifted a weight off her shoulders that she was carrying since she found out, a great sense of relief washing over her. Swirling around in the stool, she hopped off and wandered over toward her art easel, which housed her finished product. It was the same portrait of Rhett and Link, she had gone through and added a few more details, fixing it up to her best ability before finally gaining the courage to share it with the Mythical Crew. She grabbed it from the easel, setting it beside the door before gathering her purse and her bus pass.
The studio should be empty by now, the sun dipping just below the horizon as she approached the back door of Mythical Studios. She felt gleeful, and a little mischievous, deciding to mount the picture somewhere in the boys' office as a surprise. Lithe fingers pressed in the pass code, the door opening with a click, her petite frame quickly slipping inside and walking down the narrow hallway that lead toward the open floor. Lucy approached the door to their office, but stopped in her tracks when she heard noises on the other side. It sounded like...Sniffling? She knit her brows, leaning in close to get a better listen, but was greeted with silence.
Ambivalent, she decided to lightly knock on the door. If there was someone in there, she didn't want to startle them, especially since she was sneaking around the office after hours.
Link wiped his face with the backs of his hands, his eyes tired and red as he glared at the door in confusion. The one place he knew he could be alone, and just his luck, he wasn't actually alone. He quickly composed himself, running his hands hastily through his hair and wiping at his eyes once more before finally approaching the door. Opening it just the slightest bit, he was genuinely surprised by who was on the other end.
"Lucy? What're you doin' here?" He asked. He hated the way his voice sounded, scratchy and rough, and it didn't take a genius to figure out he was crying in there. She looked at him with concern, her full lips frowning as she took in his face for a brief moment. Link's current state was heart wrenching, she never thought she would see him like this. Her first thought was that it's her fault. He must have told Christy about what happened, the consequences dire enough to have the man holed up in his office way past work hours.
"Link, what happened? Are you okay?" She asked, moving to set her picture down against the wall. Link noticed the canvas, his brows raising just the slightest in surprise,
"You're hangin' it up. Thought you didn't want anyone to see it?" He asked, deterring the questions away from himself. It was such a Link thing to do.
She nodded her head, forcing a small smile on her lips as she picked it back up,
"Can I come in?" She asked. Link nodded his head, taking a step back while holding the door open for her. She was quick to cross the threshold, before pivoting in place and holding it up.
"I finished it. I was going to sneak in here and hang it up, for you to see in the morning. You, and Rhett, I mean." She blushed lightly, her eyes averting from Links.
"It looks amazing, Lu." He said, softly. He was smiling at her, a soft smile that didn't reach his eyes. "We can hang it up over here, or somethin'." His words were wistful, halfhearted as he turned away from her to ponder the spaces on the walls. She set the picture down, leaning it against one of the desk as she tentatively approached the taller man,
"Link." She placed a small hand on his shoulder, drawing his attention away.
"I think we need to talk, don't you?" She asked, her eyes catching his as he turned to face her. Link looked torn, and incredibly apprehensive. He didn't want to talk about it. He didn't want to acknowledge everything that's happened. But the comfortable silence that fell between them helped. The sight of her seemed to make things more bearable, and he found himself relaxing in her presence.
"Yeah, we do."