A/N: This story was inspired by the song The Thunder Rolls by Garth Brooks.
If you've never heard this song, I encourage you look it up and give it a chance. It's really great.
It's basically about a man who is committing adultery. His wife is sitting at home alone, through a terrible storm, waiting for him to come in. She prays that the storm didn't take his life. She also has it in the back of her mind that her faithful husband is cheating on her. When he gets home she rushes out the door to greet him and gets a whiff of a perfume that isn't her's. It is also implied that she shoots him in the end, getting her revenge.
The thought of a woman shooting a man was unheard of (gasp, what a shocker) when it was put out by Brooks, so many people tried to take it off the air when it hit the radio. But! It was shortly put back up when the Bible belt (Which I live in right now) realized that it happened often, there just wasn't enough mass media to spread it around.
Sorry for the long explanation, but I feel that the world needed to know a little bit about the inspiration for my story.
Thanks for reading. Enjoy and don't forget to comment.
Edward sat near the telephone. He was worried.
Terribly worried.
A tree creaked outside causing him to startle. The wind and rain where pouring from the sky like there was no tomorrow, but all he could think about was Roy.
Roy, who had stayed all day at work.
He was supposed to be home at three o'clock like every night, but it was well past midnight and Edward was afraid. Of course, it could have been paper work. Or the weather.
But...
Thoughts of adultery had been running through his mind. Would he? Would Roy do such a thing?
But those thoughts were pushed away as quickly as they came. Roy was a faithful man and he would never hold anyone the same way he held Edward. Never...
Dinner sat, cold, on the table. Candles once lit, where melted down and burnt out. They were a sad centerpiece to a lovely turkey dinner with all the trimmings.
Roy's favorite.
The power flickered one last time before going out and Edward sat in the dark, stroking the end of his flannel gown.
The rain slammed against the windshield as he drove on. Roy was trying to pull himself together as he stopped for a red light. Black hair was pushed away from his eyes and back into place and his collar was straightened. The thoughts of all he had done tonight breezed about in his head.
A woman, no, a stranger he didn't even know, had taken him to bed and he had willingly let her. His heart fluttered at the memory. How would he explain this to Edward?
Could he explain this to Edward?
He gripped the steering wheel hard making his knuckles white. The guilt didn't hit him until he had done the deed.
He could imagine his beautiful, faithful husband... shattered.
Twenty three years of marriage and a wonderful man broken by what he had done.
For a moment, he felt something die. The part of his soul that knew Edward loved him... sank to the bottom of his shoes. It would be over if this was ever revealed and Edward was a brilliant person.
It was probably already over.
Lightning flashed across the sky as the stop light changed back to green. He was almost home.
He could see their house at the end of the road, lit up in the dark stormy night. And he knew Edward was awake. Waiting for him to get home.
Another light, hot bolt of guilt struck him right in the heart. He swallowed nervously and slowed down.
For the first time Roy actually prayed. Prayed that this had never happened. Prayed that there was some way to make it right.
He pulled in to the drive way and turned out the lights.
Edward was pacing. When the power had come back on, he had begun to get worried. He didn't know how long they had been out or how long he had waited, but it felt like forever.
He looked out the window as headlights were dimmed and the motor was cut. He couldn't stop his feet, and he didn't want to, as he raced out the door.
Roy stepped out of the car as he watched Edward come down the walk and leap in to his arms.
Edward was thanking a higher power that Roy was finally home. They embraced each other for a moment, forgetting about the rain.
The wind flicked in a different direction and Edward knew something was wrong. A beautiful smell that hugged Roy drifted in to his nose. He was stunned. A perfume, not his, not Roy's, was clinging to his husband's body. There was no way a passing touch could have rubbed that much on to one person.
He pushed Roy away slowly and they stared at each other.
And Edward knew.
And Roy knew that Edward knew.
Something flashed in Edward's eyes. A deep, dark omen.
Edward took off in to the house without a word and came back with Roy's pistol. Black and sleek and dangerous.
Edward reloaded it quickly and took a step forward from the porch. He extended the weapon towards the only man he had ever loved.
Tears ran down his face and mud sloshed on to the top of his bare feet as he walked in the yard.
He wasn't worried about getting dirty.
Roy put his hands up in the classic 'I'm surrendering' pose.
"Edward, you don't have to do this." He dropped to his knees, trembling and sobbing as the rain thrummed against his soaked body.
"Shut up! I gave my life to you! I gave everything to you!" His voice was shaky and hurt. His face was contorted from the pain of this new information.
Lighting flashed close by, but no one moved.
"Edward! Please!" Roy begged.
"Please what? Apparently I didn't please you enough!"
"I'm sorry."
"It's too late to be sorry! Did you even stop to think that maybe I married you because I loved you and by marrying you I would never, ever sleep with another person because I had the love of my life right here? There was no reason for me to chase after someone else when I had you."
They stared at one another for a while. The silence, the storm, and the longing in Roy's eyes did nothing to sooth Edward's breaking heart.
"Good Bye, Roy. I loved you."
And the thunder rolled.