sat up straight against the back of the chair, cradling her mug in her hands as she read over the last paragraph she had written. She studied it closely, reading and re-reading sentences over and over making sure that each word served a purpose in getting her thoughts across. She put down her mug and began typing away again, editing away at the minor mistakes she had found before starting a new chapter. Conjuring up new worlds and creating characters both wholesome and wicked always made her lose track of the time, something that had been providing to be somewhat of a lifesaver over the last couple of lonely days when her husband, Shane, had left on an undisclosed business trip that he wouldn’t tell her anything about. It had struck her as suspicious; he usually always told her when he was going away or what he was going to be up to but so far there had been almost no word from him. She gazed at her phone. He usually called her first thing in the morning and last thing at night but this time around he had only managed a short series of texts informing her that he would be away for a couple of days and that he was safe, working away on a secret project. His impromptu, secret trip had become a bit too cloak-and-dagger for her to bear with so she had tried to combat the loneliness and ear-shattering silence the only way she had known how to; by writing all day and blasting music through her headphones. So far she had spent every waking hour of the last three days typing, losing herself to her work.
She tapped at the keyboard furiously, her frustration and confusion over Shane’s sudden departure flowing out through her fingertips. A strand of hair fell in front of her left eye and she swiped it back behind her ear. In doing so she moved her head to the right and almost lept out of her skin when she saw that there was someone standing not even ten feet away from her, silently watching her.
“Oh my God. You’re such a creep!” She sprang up from the padded seat cushion and launched herself at her husband. Her heart hammered wildly in her chest as she threw her arms around him.
“Sorry, love. You just looked so engrossed by what you were writing that I didn’t want to disturb you.” He squeezed her tightly, breathing in the familiar mix of lime-scented shampoo and lemon-flavoured tea that made him feel at home wherever in the world his work took him. “So you thought you’d go all classic stalker and just stand there watching me whilst I was none the wiser?” There was a hint of teasing in her tone that made him smile. She pulled away from him. “Are you hungry?”
He chuckled. It was typical of her to go into mum mode around others despite them being childless. She was a kind and caring figure, always making sure everyone else was happy and taken care of; a caretaker, a best friend, a mother without a child. She was naturally maternal, a trait that had made her all the more endearing to him when they had met some fifteen years ago in a bar after the first night of his band’s first ever headlining tour.
“I was thinking of just ordering in but seeing as you’ve offered…”
“No, no, no. Takeout will be fine. Now before you distract me again; where have you been?” He rolled his eyes in a jovial fashion, a grin plastered to his face. “I can’t tell you. It’s top secret.” She placed her hands on her hips defiantly.
Although it shouldn’t have, the sight before him warmed his heart. She was cute when she was mad. Far too cute.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “OK. Fine. I’ll be on the phone not ordering what you want when you decide to tell me…” She turned on her heel to fetch the house phone from the living room. “Before you get started, I have something to show you.”
She stopped walking and turned back around to face him, folding her arms. “Go on.”
“Close your eyes.”
“Why?”
“Just do it.”
“OK. Fine.”
“Now don’t open them and don’t go anywhere.”
“Where do you think I’m gonna go? I’ve got my eyes closed.” She could hear him rattling around, his boot-clad feet gently tapping across the floor in the opposite direction of her. The sound of the wheels of his suitcase being pulled along the floor rolled through her ears. “Don’t even think about leaving me here like an idiot.”
He laughed, “Would I ever do that?” He had stopped walking and was unzipping his suitcase. “I know you too well to know that you wouldn’t not do that to me.”
He rummaged through the contents. “Fair enough. Keep your eyes closed and just listen to this.” The rolling of the CD player’s trays changing over caught her attention.
“Is it a new song?” Now she was getting excited. He hadn’t had any new music to share with her for a while and she was starting to think that he’d given up on having a solo career.
“Maybe. Now shut up and listen.”
She mimed zipping her mouth closed.
The opening notes to the song began and she let herself be absorbed in it, the lyrics washing over like a long overdue hot shower. She swayed sharply back and forth to the beat. Aside from writing, music – or more so the listening part – was one of her three great loves. The third happened to be standing not too far from her debuting his new song.
“Solid beat so far. Great lyrics. Did you write this yourself?”
He ssh-ed her and she held up her hands. She mimed zipping her lips again. She became immersed in the song, enjoying hearing something new.
It was only when three other voices joined him for the chorus that her eyes shot open. “Are you kidding me?” Happy tears pricked at her eyes.
He stood there trying not to laugh. “What?”
“Are you seriously telling me what I think you’re telling me?”
“What do you think I’m telling you?” He was trying to be coy but he was enjoying her reaction far too much. He knew that out of everyone the song would be shared with, that she would have the best reaction.
“You cannot be serious? Shut up.”
“What?”
“Is this really how you’re going to tell me that you’re back together?”
“Who is back together?” He tried so hard to contain himself.
“You and the boys! Are you for real?”
He nodded.
“Oh my God, Shay! That’s such a big deal.”
He grinned as she danced around, her fuzzy socks easing her over the wooden floor.
“Westlife are officially back together.”