Original One-Shot, not a Fanfic. Angst-driven original story.
The Man sighed at the soft clatter of the door.
He smiled at the thought that greeted his tired mind. Pictures formed inside his head of the two-story country home softly greeting him with the rattle of wood against wood. The slight squeek emanating from the hinges reminded him that he had promised two days prior to pick up some oil. He shook his head left to right as he chastised himself.
He allowed a moment to look out of the large picture window that She loved so much, that the Tiny Humans loved so much. The home that kept his heart locked within had no picket fence, not even a tidily kept wooden fence. Privacy was never an issue after all. The green of the grass covered the entire five acres that belonged snugly to The Man, The Woman and the Tiny Humans.
A few polished stones led the way from the gravel driveway that yet needed one more load. The stones were cherished to him and his Family, he knew, as gifts from The Man's father. Hand-ground and hand-polished and given lovingly to The Man and The Family on the day the son had wed.
Light blue wooden panelling covered the boards and insulation that kept The Man's Family safe. It could use a scrubbing but that would be reserved for Sunday. The Man knew The Boss would want him at the office, but Sunday was off. No deal, period. There was no religious meaning. Neither The Man nor The Woman accepted the existence of diety. No, The Family came first.
Always The Family came first.
A day of truck washing, boating and a good long house-cleaning awaited him and the images and the smells that entered his memory made him grin and shiver with anticipation. Only three more days.
The Man moved away from the window content that he was finally home.
The smell of fresh coffee was noticed and he made his way to the kitchen that was separated from the family room by a squared pillar. He moseyed past the marble island with its hanging racks for cooking pots and pans and utensils toward the cabinets. The large and tall pantry lived to the left of the cabinets which held the sink in the middle, the dish washer just beneath and the blender and microwave on top jest to the left of the refrigerator.
A half pot of fresh coffee was only complimented by the note he found just beside the machine, written on a piece of stationary.
The only thing better at easing a long stressful day than coffee… Is me. P.S… the kids are asleep and I'm upstairs. Come to bed.
A red heart accentuated her first name's signature and he grinned wide. The Woman had always been fond of taking care of him. Such a giving and loving partner could never be found elsewhere.
The Man mounted the stairs and climbed them, wincing at a sting in his leg. His muscles were always cramping but the money he made was worth the pain. The Family was worth the pain.
Always, The Family came first.
He looked around the dimmed room and couldn't find Her. He approached the marital bed that he loved so much. So comfortable. He placed his coffee mug on the table and prepared to undress.
The Woman slammed into his back with no small amount of effort, tackling him onto the bed. He was about to shout but as he turned over the pressure of The Woman's lips against The Man's stifled any outcry.
She pulled away cackling, her shoulders heaving and her body shaking. The Man swung a pillow to her head, laughing along with her. She fell flat on her stomach and took deep breaths to calm down. She pulled The Man's muscular arms around her shoulders and snuggled against him.
The Man adored her playfulness as much as her sensualness and yes, sexiness.
Two Little Humans had left a slight toll accumulating in a series of stretch marks around the bottom of a somewhat paunchy tummy. A smaller series of marks slightly marred the insides of her thighs. But he adored her imperfections as well as her perfections. When she complained about her body he wrapped her in his arms, pressed his lips to hers and whispered in her ear until she wept, hanging on every word The Man had to tell her.
The Woman blew a strand of bright red hair out of her eyes and welcomed The Man home with a whisper.
The Woman turned him on to no end, every time the two of them were alone together. She lay beside him whispering to him and occasionally a kiss would break her conversation. She wasn't naked, she wore her green and black linen robe.
She was simply his.
That was what did it to him every time and every day. She was his and she took great pleasure in telling him and especially in showing him. She was every bit as confident inside as she was beautiful and every day she would look into his eyes with her green ones, give him a crooked little closed-lipped smile and tell him. She would tell others too.
He remembered fondly a day in which her friends were at the house. Most liked him enough and a couple even called him a friend. There was one who never did and after she had spoken enough insults The Woman called her out, stood up for The Man and escorted her friend out of The Couples' home.
The Woman looked longingly at him and The Man felt his heart skip a beat.
The kiss, however, never came.
The vision escaped The Man and he saw nothing but blackness. He heard the cars outside the window and people talking loudly below. He opened his eyes to another morning.
The Man growled loudly before screaming in anger, his hand smacking at the unsheeted matress.
It didn't hurt enough but it reminded The Man that he had awoken into the otherwise empty apartment that he called home. He sat up painfully in bed and set his feet upon the cool floor before rising and heading to the shower.
He wanted to hit something harder but as bad as he wanted to his will to have his security deposit refunded him compelled him to stay his hand.
He passed the rickety wooden island and his eyes settled upon the two friends he had who stayed with him and kept him company on those long silent nights. Jack and Miller lived with The Man and they had comforted him for a few nights. They called to The Man but he shook his head. Too early and he yearned to escape from the lonely, silent room whose walls seemed to box him in by a few more inches every day.
"Too early." The Man said. As usual, nobody answered him.
The Man sighed, showered and dressed for another workday.
The Man had begun to look forward to those work days. They provided a chance to laugh and smile with his friends and get out of that lonely, lonely house for a few hours.
At work The Man was happy.
It was a stark difference to how he felt at night in that apartment of his. It wasn't that The Man was shy. He asked women out for drinks or dancing or long walks on the Strip. Some agreed and others didn't. The Man had been so close when he had asked one of his female coworkers on a date. She had been interested and wanted to go on the town with The Man. However through a series of random happenings keeping The Man and The Coworker apart the dates never came. She eventually made up with and settled back down with her boyfriend.
The Man was lonely once more, but wished his friend well.
That was one of many "almost theres" that happened in The Man's life. The Man would get so close, so very close and all at once the disinterest appeared on the lady's side. Disinterest was then the forerunner ofthat cursed lonliness.
The Man tried during his work day on break to close his eyes and bring the wife in his dreams back to his mind's eye. But he couldn't remember her face. The dream was hazy and before long he couldn't remember the home, the bed, the Two Little Humans or The Woman. Only a glint of red hair and the memory was tugged back into the furthest recesses of his mind, never to be remembered again.
The Man opened his eyes sadly, threw his lunch plate away and went back to continue the job at hand.
The end of the day would loom before finally dawning and The Man would drive home, once more, to that lonely and silent apartment.
Once more. Allow me to comfort you.
Jack was very persuasive. On the better days, Miller would keep him company.
Jack and Miller were two opposite types of personalities.
Jack was the warm arm around his shoulders, sometimes the kick in the throat The Man needed when the silence and the loneliness were too much to bear. Miller was smooth, the smoothest entity he knew. Every party was made lighter and every evening was made more chill.
Miller was the entity who would come in, crack the joke The Man needed to hear and settle down to listen to The Man's problems. He never bit, never kicked and never hurt The Man's head. Miller was good people, Jack was the asshole.
"Why is it that every time I come close… Come so very close to love it goes away and leaves me here?! I have so much to give! I'm not just a good man, I am a great man! I would be the only man a woman would ever need! So why the hell do I get so close only to have it slip away?" The Man yelled at the apartment.
Not a sound was heard.
I can't give you love. But I will beat to death the invasion of silence and self-hatred that threatens you.
Jack's influence worked and after filling a tumbler full of ice, The Man allowed his friend inside once more.
"Just one more night." The Man sighed.
Just one more night.
THE END
