“It’s been a long day for both of us,” I tell her softly.
“You know, we haven’t had a holiday in forever. Not since our honeymoon in Maui. Why don’t we book something? We can use the break.”
All my muscles tighten as I try to control my annoyance. Sammy is never happy unless we are living the life shethinkswe can afford.
I move my shoulder to prompt her to stop touching me.
“We’ve gone over this.”
“No, you said we had no money when I know we do,” she argues back.
My body turns swiftly, so my eyes meet hers.
“The money we have is for a rainy day. You know, acting responsibly because we don’t have a money tree growing in our backyard.”
Sammy folds her arms in annoyance. “We’re young… there’s plenty of time to get more money.”
“This is non-negotiable. End of story.”
She shrugs with a bored expression. “Too late. I went shopping today and bought a new bedroom suite since we’re sleeping on the couch tonight.”
My nostrils flare. “How much did you spend?”
“We’ll make more money,” she answers nonchalantly.
I grit my teeth while fixating on the screen to log into our bank account. The moment I set my eyes on the balance, my pulse speeds with heat flushing through my body.
“Are you fucking kidding me!”
“We have no bed nor suite to fill the large room. Beds are great for having sex. Remember how much sex we used to have?” she questions, then laughs.
“And you think an expensive bed will fix me getting you off?”
Sammy’s smile disappears as her lips flatten with a flush of red spreading across her cheeks. Yeah, our sex life is redundant. She got me off when I needed it, and I got her off when she needed it. It wasn’t often anymore, and to be honest, I’d rather jerk off to some video than deal with her anyway. Sex has become a chore. Couple it with a nagging wife, and I just can’t be bothered.
I slam my book, looking at the time. “I’ve got an important assessment tomorrow and need to study. I’m going to my parents.”
“Fine, whatever, Alex,” she drags. Only now do I notice she’s wearing the black dress I’ve told her is too short. “I’m going out anyway.”
“Wearing that?” I question her.
“So now you care?”
“I’ve always cared about what my wife wears which is inappropriate. Put a jacket on.”
I grab my books to shove into my bag. Without another word, I leave the house and jump into my car. The drive is short not giving me much time to dwell on tonight. I didn’t even ask Sammy where she was going. I’m tired, defeated, and just need a moment away from her.
The lights are on inside my parents’ house. Hopefully, I can avoid Adriana and not be distracted by her overbearing ways. As I exit the car with my bag over my shoulder, I fumble for my key and use it to open the back kitchen door.
My parents both lift their gaze to meet mine, surprised to see me.
“Alex,” Mom calls softly. “Is everything okay? It’s late.”
“Yeah.” I force a smile. “I just needed to concentrate and study, plus our sofa isn’t big enough for me and Sammy to sleep on.”
Dad purses his lips with his hands wrapped around his coffee mug.
“You need any help?”