It started with your wife leaning against your kitchen counter, phone in hand, half-smiling in that polite way she does when she’s not sure whether to be excited or obligated.
Jay’s having a party Saturday, Katrina says, shyly. He invited both of us. He said it’ll be casual - just people from work and some of their friends.
A party sounds like noise, but you say, Sure, why not? She seems to want to go, with a nervous sort of excitement.
Jay's house is out in the hills, one of those newer builds that still smells faintly of plaster and fresh paint. By the time you arrive, the driveway is already full, so you park along the road and walk up together in the crisp evening air. Music drifts from inside - low, rhythmic, the kind of background pulse people use to cover silence.
Inside, everything is dim and golden. You don't recognize anyone, but everyone seems to know Katrina. She looks beautiful in her white sundress as she slips easily into conversations, a hand on someone’s arm, a laugh that you haven’t heard from her in a while. You hover near the kitchen island with a drink, smiling when people make eye contact, but saying little. The room feels warmer than it should.
After an hour or so, Katrina pulls away to go to the bathroom, excusing herself shyly. You fiddle with the label on your drink, scanning the crowd, and a shockingly stunning redhead catches your eye - she's been looking right at you. She approaches you with a confidently sultry air, eyeing you with desire.
You look like someone who could use better company, she says with a smile. I'm Lexi, Jay's girlfriend. You introduce yourself, noticing her skimpy crop top and skirt, and she smiles as she leans against the counter beside you. I was hoping you'd start to notice me, she purrs, I thought you'd be stuck looking at your wife all night. She pouts playfully at you.
After she mentions Katrina, you realize your wife has been gone for a very long time - much longer than necessary...