by HC Michaels
“Not now, George. He’s eating,” said Sophie.
“All right, all right. Later then.” He got up from the table to get another beer.
“Get me a Coke, Dad,” called Lukas.
He could hear Sophie protesting, saying something about sugar.
What was the big deal? His son was thirsty. He grabbed him a Coke. Not long now and he’d be able to grab him a beer.
His parents would be so proud if only they were here to see their grandchildren. It wasn’t fair they were taken so young. No wonder Theo was so cut up about Skye. If anything ever happened to Sophie, he’d die.
Probably of starvation.
He headed back to the table to start on his second helping.
Skye watched Theo tip his glasses to the end of his nose and turn to her in bed.
“I want to come with you tomorrow,” he said.
“I already told you that’s not necessary,” said Skye, doing her best not to get frustrated. “You’re in the middle of a trial. Plus, Elle said she’d go with me. I’ll be fine. It’s just a bit of surgery.”
“It’s not just a bit of surgery.” He reached out and took her hand, squeezing it gently.
“Don’t make a big deal out of this, babe.” She smiled, willing him to understand. “If you take time off from the trial—which I don’t even think is possible—then I’ll feel like I really am sick. I need to think of this as just a little bit of surgery.”
“Then I think I should be there for your little bit of surgery.” He removed his glasses and put them on the bedside table. This meant he was serious.
“You hate hospitals,” she said. “And needles. Really, I’ll be fine with Elle.”
Skye shuffled across, closing the gap between them in their king size bed. She often lost him amongst all the pillows their interior designer had laden it with. She had to insist each pillow be covered in white slips to match the rest of the decor. Their variety came from their shape, not colour. There were triangle pillows, square ones, rectangles and some the shape of rolled up towels. She knew it must take Linda an age to arrange each one in its predetermined place. The bedspread was barely visible underneath them all.
“Remind me who Elle is,” said Theo, putting an arm around her.
“You’ve met her before.” Skye snuggled into his firm chest. “She was the friend I was having coffee with that day you ran into us in the cafe.”
“The brunette?”
“Yes, tall, slim, gorgeous. Don’t pretend you don’t remember her.” She laughed. Theo had never forgotten a beautiful woman in his life.
He let out a sharp breath. “Yeah, all right. I remember her. Where do you know her from again?”
“She’s another one of the freelancers.” She slapped him playfully. “Honestly, Theo, do you even listen to a word I say?”
He caught her hand and brought it to his lips. “I didn’t realise you were that close, that’s all.”
“What do you mean? She writes stuff on my Facebook page all the time. You must have seen some of her comments?” She ran her finger over his bottom lip, wishing this conversation would hurry up and be over so she could kiss him.
He took her hand and placed it carefully back in her lap like she might break. “Babe, you know I hardly look at Facebook.”
She’d often wondered why he even bothered being on there. He’d said it was handy sometimes for finding out things about people. His page was so bare there wasn’t much risk of anyone finding out very much about him in return.
“Well, take a look next time and you’ll see her there,” she said. “I’ll tell her to send you a friend request.”
“As long as you’re sure she’ll look after you.” He tucked her hair behind her ear and ran his index finger down her cheek.
“Of course, she will,” she said, leaning into his touch. “I’ll only be in hospital for two or three nights, depending on how things go. You’ll hardly notice me missing.”
“I doubt that’s possible.” He leant in for a kiss, lighting all kinds of hope in Skye’s belly.
But it was a chaste kiss, the kind a friendly uncle might place on your cheek.
She sighed. Ever since she’d told him about her cancer, he’d barely laid a finger on her.
“What’s the matter?” he asked.
“You won’t break me.” She sat up and lifted her camisole over her head, now wearing only her cream lace Victoria’s Secret panties. “I’m still your wife.”
“Don’t, babe,” he protested. “It’s okay. Put that back on.”
“You don’t find me attractive anymore?” She tilted her face and blinked at him.
“Of course, I do. I just want you to get better.” He glanced at her breasts, then straight back to her face. “You have a big day tomorrow.”
“I know. With plenty of time to lie in a bed and rest. I don’t want to rest now.” She traced her finger down the line on his chest where his pecs separated. She could feel each muscle through the thin cotton of his tee-shirt and longed to remove the barrier.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he said, on a groan.
“It won’t hurt a bit.” She got to her knees and straddled him, pulling at his shirt until he conceded and allowed her to lift it over his head, revealing his impressive torso. He wasn’t a naturally hairy man with only a fine layer fanning out from the central line of his chest. Just enough to make him manly, without looking like a werewolf. If only he could present in court like this. He’d never lose a case.
“My gorgeous man,” she purred. “My Kronos, I miss you.”
He looked at her with uncertainty and she leant forward, letting her breasts spill over him. This was the one part of her body that contained any curves and she knew how much they turned him on.
She’d had her breasts done not long after she’d fixed her nose. Before Theo. Before Dean even. Dean had always said she needn’t have bothered. He loved her anyway. Theo had never said that. He loved her boobs almost as much as he loved her. Sometimes she wondered if he loved them even more.
She arched her back, teasing one of her hard nipples against his lips.
His warm tongue darted from his mouth and she knew she had him.
Skye lay awake in the dark, ignoring the damp mess on the sheets next to her.
Theo was snoring. It was a sound she’d grown used to over the years, just as people living on railway lines grow deaf to trains rattling past.
Dean had never snored, but she didn’t want to think about that right now.
Her brain was cluttered with thoughts about Theo and the terrible sex they’d just had. He hadn’t fucked her like a bull. More like an echidna, frightened he was going to hurt her with his spike. It was depressing.
At the core of their relationship was the mind-blowing sex. What did they have without that? If the core was pulled out of an apple, would its skin be enough to hold it in shape or would it shrivel and collapse? She wasn’t even sure what the skin of their relationship was made from.
She looked at his profile in the shadows and watched the rise and fall of his chest. Was his sudden lack of interest in her due to her illness? It had to be. There was no other explanation.
Unless it was the idea of her infertility that was turning him off. Now that she could no longer provide him with the son he yearned for, she was useless to him. He was probably already lining up his next wife.
She remembered the fears she’d had about Dean when he went on his business trips to Adelaide. She’d been paranoid then, just as she was now.
She didn’t want to think about Theo with anybody else. It was hard enough to imagine him married to Rin. Or having sex with Sophie. Not that she could imagine a sixteen-year-old version of her husband had been very impressive between the sheets. His performance with Sophie was probably much like his performance had been tonight.
Uncertain. Cautious. Fearful.
Anything but impressive.
That wasn’t her confident husband who lay beside her. Her news
had changed him more than she’d expected. It’d robbed him of the arrogant spark that made him so damn attractive. She wouldn’t have believed this was possible without seeing it for herself. Never in all the times she’d imagined telling him she had cancer did she expect their sex life would be affected like this.
Wasn’t she the one who was supposed to lose her libido at a time like this? Cancer was supposed to rob her of her desire, not turn her back into some kind of horny teenager. But all she wanted was Theo’s reassuring hands upon her, making her feel like an attractive woman.
She didn’t want him lying next to her snoring like a fifty-year-old heartbroken husband.
He must really care about her. Or no longer care at all.
“My Kronos.” She shuffled closer to him, draping her arm across his chest.
If she could hold onto him in his sleep, then perhaps she could hold onto him forever.
42 Days Before The Break
Theo excused himself when the court took a short recess and headed to the men’s room.
He locked the door in one of the stalls and leant against it, not needing to relieve himself, but desperately wanting a private moment with nobody interrupting him wanting to talk about the trial.
He pulled his phone from his pocket and scanned through his list of missed calls. Nothing from Skye. He’d asked her to call him when she was out of surgery. Maybe she was still under the anaesthetic? Or maybe something had gone wrong?
A pain gripped his chest. He was a terrible husband for not going with her. Any other husband would have. George would never let Sophie have such an important operation without him by her side.
Maybe he should’ve insisted Sophie be the one to take her into hospital, not this Elle person, whoever she was. She had a nice smile, a nice pair of tits too, but she could be anyone. There was a stranger looking after his wife.
He opened the Facebook app on his phone, wondering if Elle had sent that friend request. It was time to learn more about this mysterious friend.
It took him a few false starts as he clicked on all the wrong buttons. Damn! He hadn’t been on this bloody thing for ages. He found the button that led him to his friend requests and scrolled past a list of names he didn’t recognise until he found Elle’s. That was one problem with being a high-profile lawyer—everyone wanted to be your friend. Or your enemy.
He accepted Elle’s request and clicked on her page. She didn’t look exactly as he remembered the brief time he’d met her, but then again did anybody actually look like their profile picture? He knew his own photo was a particularly flattering one. He’d even converted it to black and white to make him appear younger.
He knew he looked good for his age. How else would he have been able to snag a woman like Skye? But he still got self-conscious. Particularly when he was mistaken for her father, as had happened a handful of times. It was these thoughts that motivated him to keep fit and down those revolting green glasses of slime Skye left for him in the fridge each morning. She called him Kronos. Would she still love him if he lost his ability to hold back time?
A large part of his success came from his looks. The better he looked, the more intimidating he could be. He couldn’t control getting older, but he could control what shape he kept himself in, what clothes he wore and how he groomed himself.
Skye’s followers referred to him as George Clooney. He loved that. Every woman thought George Clooney was hot. Damn, even he thought George Clooney was hot.
He scrolled through Elle’s profile. There were a few photos of her on holiday somewhere exotic, drinking cocktails and dancing in clubs. He clicked on her profile photo to make it larger on his screen, his eyes drawn immediately to the tiny green bikini she was wearing. She had one rocking body on her that was for sure.
He clicked away, feeling aroused. Skye had a body like that. He didn’t need to look at photos of her friend.
There was a photo of Skye on Elle’s page, her mouth stretched across her face in her cute way of smiling without teeth, her sunglasses resting on the top of her head. She was holding out a glass of champagne to the camera.
He read Elle’s caption. I love my beautiful friend to the Skye and back.
He’d used that line once in a birthday card. Elle wasn’t so original.
After several more false clicks, he found where his private messages were stored and sent one to Elle.
Theo Manis 12.08pm
Hi Elle. Thanks for being with Skye today. Any news? Is she out of surgery yet? I’m about to head back into court, but if you could please let me know, I’ll check my messages as soon as I’m able. Cheers, Theo.
Maybe he should send George a message and ask him to call in at the hospital to check on her. Then he remembered the crude comment he made about Skye when he visited him just after her diagnosis and decided not to.
He didn’t have time, anyway. The judge wasn’t going to wait for him.
It wasn’t until much later in the afternoon when Theo got back to his desk that he had the chance to check his messages again.
Elle Thomas 2.28pm
Hi Theo. Skye’s out of surgery. She was so brave!!! All went well. The doctor’s confident they got all the cancer and everything went to plan. She should be able to come home on Thursday. She’s asleep now, but before she drifted off, she asked me to tell you not to worry. E xx
Elle Thomas 4.59pm
Sorry, me again. Just letting you know Skye woke and ate a sandwich. The nurses are really impressed with how strong she is. She’s in good hands. I’m heading home now as she’s too tired for visitors and just wants to sleep. E xx
Theo Manis 5.46pm
Hi Elle. Thanks again for looking after Skye. I feel a bit guilty about not being there so it’s nice to know she has you with her. I’ll drop by the hospital on my way home.
Elle Thomas 5.47pm
My pleasure. Well, not exactly a pleasure but you know what I mean. I’d do anything for Skye. She’s helped me out plenty of times. It’s nice to be able to do something for her for a change. I checked with the nurses on my way out and they said you’d be better to wait until tomorrow to see her. She’s pretty drugged up and needs to sleep. Plus the visiting hours here are brutal. LOL.
Theo Manis 5.47pm
OK. I’ll go past the hospital tomorrow night. Visiting hours won’t be a problem. I’ll threaten the nurses with legal action if they don’t let me in! When you see Skye in the morning, please tell her that I love her and I miss her.
Elle Thomas 5.48pm
Awwww!! You’re so sweet. I wish I had a husband like you ;-) Skye’s so lucky.
Theo Manis 5.48pm
I’m the lucky one.
Elle Thomas 5.48pm
You’re both lucky. You’re married to Superwoman and she’s married to George Clooney.
Theo Manis 5.48pm
Ha ha. I wish.
Elle Thomas 5.48pm
No need to wish, it’s true. You do look like him, you know.
Theo Manis 6.07pm
Sorry, my phone won’t stop ringing. Had to take a call. Where were we? George Clooney I think.
Theo Manis 6.08pm
Hello? Elle? Anybody there?
Elle Thomas 6.23pm
Sorry, I was in the shower. It must have been all that George Clooney talk. You don’t happen to have a twin brother do you?
Theo Manis 6.24pm
I do actually! Didn’t Skye tell you?
Elle Thomas 6.24pm
Very funny.
Theo Manis 6.25pm
No really, it’s true. Check my friends list. His name’s George.
Elle Thomas 6.25pm
As in George Clooney? Ha ha.
Theo Manis 6.26pm
Seriously, his name is George Manis. Check my list.
Elle Thomas 6.26pm
OK. I’m checking, but pretty sure you’re tricking me.
Elle Thomas 6.27pm
OMG!!!! You’re not tricking me. Is that for real? He looks exactly like you.
>
Theo Manis 6.27pm
Not exactly like me, but yeah, we’re pretty similar.
Elle Thomas 6.28pm
You’re much better looking of course. He’s got the George Clooney name. You’ve got the George Clooney swagger.
Theo Manis 6.28pm
Swagger?
Elle Thomas 6.28pm
Yeah, I loved the way you walked into the café that day. You looked like you owned the place.
Theo Manis 6.29pm
Maybe I do.
Elle Thomas 6.29pm
It wouldn’t surprise me.
Theo Manis 6.30pm
I have to run. Have to get some things ready for court tomorrow.
Elle Thomas 6.31pm
Impressive. George Clooney looks and Albert Einstein brains. Skye really is one lucky girl.
Theo Manis 6.31pm
Thanks again for taking care of her for me.
Elle Thomas 6.31pm
No problem. Let me know if you need anything else taken care of ;-) Happy to help xx
Theo jumped back from his computer like it’d bitten him. What was he doing? Elle was clearly flirting with him. Was he flirting back? He re-read his messages and hit himself on his forehead with the palm of his hand. Yes, he’d been flirting and behaving like a mindless teenager. He’d gotten caught up enjoying the attention of a younger woman. Wasn’t Skye enough for him?
