Brenda/Sharon (3)

Affair requests

Whispers

Fritz sat at the table with Sharon, Brenda and the rest of the Major Crimes Division. He was sitting across from Brenda, who had opted for the seat next to Sharon's instead of his. That alone surprised him – he hadn't even thought Brenda liked the woman.

What surprised him even more was when he saw his wife lean over to Sharon, whispering something into the woman's ear. Sharon's response was barely visible; it was the quick rush of breath and the raise of her eyes, looking at him quickly. Fritz knew she probably thought he hadn't noticed. But he had. He paid it no mind, though.

The next time Brenda leaned over to the other woman, whispering something to Sharon, he noticed the smiles that formed on both Sharon and his wife's mouths. Maybe he was thinking too much of it – putting together a whole lot of nothings to get something. But he was almost certain that things were starting to make sense.

The next whisper came from Sharon, which made Brenda blush lightly and giggle that way she had been doing more of lately. He'd been outside of rooms as Brenda talked on the phone, keeping her voice low, and then he'd hear those girlish, flirty giggles. It had been Sharon who Brenda had been making those calls to.

He wondered if he'd always been such an idiot. How had it not been clear to him before? He wondered if everyone else at the table noticed the way they acted around each other; he wondered if everyone else knew. He felt his face get hot and made up some lie for the reason he was leaving. Brenda didn't even try to stop him. But why would she?

He took one last look back at the table when he was at the door. Brenda was whispering into the other woman's ear, making her smile in a way he'd never seen Sharon smile before. Fritz shook his head at himself and then walked out of the restaurant, wanting to be anywhere but there.

Can You Hear Me?

Sharon runs her fingers through her hair as she sighs and leans back against the sofa. She was on the phone with Brenda, but the blonde hung up when her husband entered the room. Sharon still can't believe she's letting the other woman get to her like this. At the sound of her voice she catches herself instantly smiling. It's ridiculous just how much she's fallen for a married woman. She always told herself she would never be one of those people interfering in someone's marriage. But, as usual, when Brenda's involved, rules are broken.

When Sharon's phone starts ringing, she quickly reaches for it. It's Brenda. "Hello," she answers.

"Sorry 'bout that," Brenda whispers.

Sharon checks the volume on her phone before speaking. "Brenda, why are you whispering?"

"Fritz is right outside the room. Can you hear me?"

"Brenda, why did you call me back?" she questions, hating the feeling in the pit of her stomach at the sound of Brenda's husband's name.

"Well, I-I-I..." Brenda clears her throat. "I just wanted to say goodnight."

Sharon sighs. "You didn't need to call me for that."

There's a short pause before Brenda speaks. "That's not exactly it. I wanna see you tomorrow."

"I don't think that's a good idea." She doesn't know why she keeps going down this road with Brenda.

"Real quick," she insists in a desperate whisper. "Just for coffee."

Sharon sighs. "Let me think about it," she says, already knowing she doesn't need to think about her answer.

"Fine. Uhm. I'll call you tomorrow after I leave." Sharon hums and she can hear Fritz in the background saying something to Brenda, also reminding Sharon of how wrong this is. "All right. Bye, bye now."

"Bye, Brenda."

"Love you," Brenda whispers before hanging up.

Sharon sighs, knowing that right there is exactly why she'll meet Brenda tomorrow and any other time the other woman wants to see her.

Do Not Disturb

There were many signs that Fritz tried to ignore. He wanted to believe Brenda wasn't having an affair with Will Pope like he imagined she was. Sign after sign – staying at work longer than necessary, taking phone calls privately, sticking up for Will, the way she started to slowly pull away from him. He always found a reason to prove himself wrong, though.

It wasn't until he was standing outside of a hotel room with a "Do Not Disturb" sign on it that he stopped trying to explain it all away. This sign was as clear as it would get. He couldn't believe Brenda. Well, he could. He was just hoping none of it was true. But what he wasn't expecting was the name that he heard moaned through the door. "Sharon," he heard his wife say, and just like that everything became clearer to him.

Fritz thought of banging on the door, letting them know they've been caught. Instead, he turned away, not yet ready to face his wife. In a way, for whatever reason, he understood what had led Brenda to the other woman. He just hoped it wasn't too late to fix their marriage.