LOVE,LIES AND LUST

LOVE, LIES AND LUST

By Nana. M

#1

That night, as she lay in bed next to her sleeping husband, Zoe made her move. She picked up her phone and began to scroll through her contacts, searching for a name that she had never thought she would use again. But there it was, staring her in the face. With trembling fingers, she hit the call button. After a few rings, the voice on the other end picked up.

"Hello?" came the gruff voice, hesitant and wary.

"It's me," Zoe said, her voice shaking. "I...I need you." (Whispering)

There was a pause, a heavy silence that filled the room.

Zoe could feel her heart racing as she waited for a response. Finally, the voice on the other end of the line spoke again.

"What do you need, Zoe?" he asked, his voice softening.

"I need you to come to me," she said, her words tumbling out in a rush. "I can't do this alone anymore. I need you."

She heard him sigh, and then there was a long pause. Finally, he spoke again.

"Where are you?" he asked.

Zoe took a deep breath and gave him her address. She knew that what she was doing was wrong, but she couldn't help herself. She needed this, needed him.

"I'll be there in an hour," he said, and then the line went dead.

Zoe lay back on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. One hour later, there was a knock on the door. Zoe's heart was pounding as she opened it, and there he was, standing on her doorstep.

He looked the same as he had the last time she had seen him. He was tall and broad shouldered, with dark hair and intense green eyes. He was still the most handsome man she had ever seen.

"Hi," he said, his voice low and husky.

Zoe could barely speak. All she could do was stand there, staring at him. Finally, he reached out and took her hand, pulling her close.

"I'm here," he said, and then he leaned down and kissed her.

Zoe felt herself melt into the kiss. She had missed this, missed him. She felt his arms wrap around her, pulling her close, and she gave in to the moment. She didn't want to think about what would happen next, she just wanted to live in this moment, to feel his touch. But then, something shifted. He pulled away from her and looked into her eyes.

"I can't do this," he said. "I can't be with you while you're still with him."

Zoe's heart sank. She had forgotten, for a moment, that she was still married. But now see the reality of her situation came crashing down on her. She felt tears welling up in her eyes, but she fought them back.

"I understand," she said, her voice cracking. "I'm sorry."

He reached out and gently touched her cheek.

"Don't be sorry," he said. "I just can't be the other man. I know you deserve better than that."

Zoe nodded, her heart breaking. She knew he was right, but she couldn't help but wish things were different.

"Thank you for coming," she said. "I know you didn’t have to."

He smiled sadly. "I know. But I wanted to. I've missed you, too."

Zoe didn't know what to say. She just stood there, lost in the moment. Finally, he broke the silence.

"I should go," he said. "I can't stay here any longer."

Zoe nodded, even though she didn't want him to leave. He gave her one last look, then turned and walked away. As she watched him go, she wondered if she would ever see him again.

She knew it was unlikely. She was still married, and he had made it clear that he didn't want to be involved in something like that. She was on her own, and she had to figure out what to do next.

She took a deep breath and went inside. She looked around her house, at all the memories it held. She thought about her husband, and the life they had built together. But she also thought about the man who had just left, and the feelings he had stirred up in her…..

***

The next morning, Zoe was awoken by the sound of her alarm. She yawned and stretched, before getting out of bed and heading to the bathroom to run some water for herself and her husband, Zola. When the water was ready, Zoe headed back to the bedroom and gently shook Zola awake.

"Good morning, baby," Zoe said with a smile. "I've run our bathing water."

Zola sat up and rubbed his eyes, his face still a little grumpy from being woken up. "Morning," he mumbled, before getting out of bed and heading to the bathroom.

Zoe couldn't help but notice that Zola seemed a bit off this morning. He hadn't greeted her with his usual warmth and affection, and he seemed a little preoccupied. She wondered if something was bothering him.

She headed to the bathroom and joined in. Zola went through the morning routine in a robotic fashion, like he was going through the motions but not really there.

He brushed his teeth with little enthusiasm, and he didn't seem interested in the morning chatter that Zoe was trying to engage him in. Something was definitely up, but Zoe wasn't sure what it was. She even thought “maybe he knows about last night?”, she just wasn’t sure though.

After their morning routine, Zoe and Zola headed downstairs for breakfast. Zola barely touched his food, and he was barely making eye contact with Zoe.

She tried to engage him in conversation, but he was only giving her one word answers. This was definitely not like him. "Honey, is everything okay?" Zoe asked, breaking the silence.

"I'm fine," Zola replied curtly.

"You don't seem fine," Zoe said, her voice tinged with concern.

"You've been acting weird all morning. Is something on your mind?"

Zola sighed and finally looked up at Zoe. "I'm just not feeling like myself today," he admitted. "I'm sorry if I'm coming off as distant."

"That's okay," Zoe said, reaching across the table to take his hand.

As Zoe and Zola finished eating, Zoe turned to Zola and said, "I just remembered, I have a meeting with your mom today. Do you mind if I go by myself?"

"Of course not," Zola replied. "You know how much my mom means to you, and I want you to have time with her. I'll be fine on my own. I've got a lot of work to catch up on anyway."

"Thanks, honey," Zoe said, giving Zola a kiss on the cheek. "I'll try not to be too long, but you know how she loves to chat!"

Zola chuckled. "Oh, I know," he said. "She can talk for hours if you let her. But it's okay, I know you need that time with her. Just let me know when you're headed home, okay?"

"Of course," Zoe said, grabbing her bag and heading for the door. "See you tonight. I love you!"

"I love you too," Zola said, smiling as Zoe left. He ran upstairs and took his work files and left for work.

***