Cushion of Air
"Sergeant Hathaway." Liv greeted James as he walked into the local pub where he was meeting his partner. Liv was clearly far from sober as she propped herself up at the bar.
"Please it's James." James replied as he ordered a drink and took a seat next to her while he waited for it.
"I keep banging into you James, I'm starting to think that maybe it's fate." Liv explained as she downed another drink.
"Is everything okay Liv? I know Helen's just been locked up but as okay as it can be."
"Just a bad day, Helen wasn't exactly boss of the century but God I can't believe what she did. The new boss at the gardens if even worse, you know the kind? Actually I'm not sure that any boss is nice anymore but mine is the boss from hell."
"Oh I can assure you some are nice and yeah I know what you mean mean by boss from hell. Only I married mine." James laughed.
"You're married?" Liv asked slightly taken aback.
"Yeah, I have the most stunning wife ever who is also incredibly intelligent and just brilliant in every possible way."
"If you loved her that much then you'd be with her and not sat with me." Liv said as she touched his hand, James looked awkwardly at where her hand laid on his and tried to move his hand. "Anyway, you said that she was the boss from hell."
"Oh she can be! She's stubborn and bossy but only when she needs to be, and I happen to love it when she's acting as the boss from hell."
"Well who needs her when you could have me?" Liv leaned in towards him, just as Jean arrived.
"Excuse me but what do you think you're doing? That's my husband." Jean asked as she tapped Liv on the shoulder, while James silently thanked Jean for interfering with his eyes.
"That's your wife? She's older than you, quite a bit older. Why don't you leave her and come and have fun with someone your own age?" Liv asked as she turned to James, having looked Jean up and down. For a second Jean looked at James, her gaze was filled with fear.
"Never. I'll tell you one last time in case you haven't quite got it. I love my wife more than you could ever imagine and I would never leave we and I could never cheat on her. For to see her hurt would be the death of me. Is that clear enough for you? Come on Mrs Hathaway, let's get out of here?"
Jean took James' arm and they left the pub, Jean was walking on cloud 9 as James had once again shown her how perfect he was.