“Back here,” I responded.
“Dude, what’s up with the spread?” Scott asked as he walked in.
“It’s our six-year wedding anniversary,” I responded miserably.
“Fuck. I forgot.”
I nodded, then looked up at him and repeated what I’d told him earlier on the phone. “She left. She wouldn’t stay and talk about it.”
“Bro, I’m so sorry. I’m sure she’s hurt right now. Give her some space, and then explain everything. Beg. Grovel. Whatever you have to do. It’s you and Shel, man, you’ll work it out.”
“You think?” I asked, hopeful.
But he hadn’t seen how I’d crushed her.
I shook my head.
“I don’t know. It’s a pretty unforgivable thing.”
“Hey, if anyone can get past this, it’s you guys. Just give her some time and then do whatever you have to do to make it right.”
“I don’t want to be here,” I said, looking around our bedroom. Shelly had taken such care to make our home special, and there were reminders of us everywhere.
“C’mon,” Scott said, gesturing toward the door. “You can crash at my place as long as you want.”
“Thanks, man,” I said as I rose from the bed.
I grabbed a pair of jeans and a shirt, along with my work clothes, and threw them in a bag, then I went into the bathroom and got what I’d need for a couple days.
When I walked into the kitchen, Scott was putting everything away.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Just trying to help out. I didn’t want either of you to have to come home to a mess that would remind you of today.”
That’s why he was my best friend. I could always fucking count on him.
“Thanks, man.” I clapped him on the back, then started clearing the table.
We were done a few minutes later and headed out the door. I followed him in my Mustang, since I’d need it to get to work in the morning.
I worked in a garage with TJ; we had worked there since our senior year of high school. Neither of us were the type of guys to go to college and get some big business job; we left that to Scott. We were more than happy to be turning wrenches and coming home dirty every night.
I loved the feeling of fixing something that was thought to be broken. I even enjoyed the mundane tasks, like changing oil and rotating tires.
Shelly had always been proud of my work, just like I was proud of her work at the bank. We were happy. At least we were. Now I didn’t know what was going to happen, and that scared me.
Our future had always seemed predestined. We met in high school, got married, and focused on our work and our life together. Now that we were both pretty established at our jobs, we had been talking about starting a family. It was perfect.
I felt lost, and not just a little afraid. I couldn’t imagine a future without Shelly in it. I didn’t want to.
I knew that I had to do whatever I possibly could to get her back. She had to listen to me, and she had to forgive me. There just wasn’t any other alternative.
We were meant to be together.
Chapter 6 – Shelly
I cried for two days. I called in sick to work, turned off my cell phone, and hid out in my childhood bedroom. I just kept hearing him over and over in my head, “I’m pretty sure I slept with her.”