Infidelity
Andrea was coming home from a hard and longer then normal working day, her mind was on other things as she put her trench coat and bag on a hook, missing the men’s briefcase and shoe’s sitting at her feet. She inhaled deeply, expecting to smell her lover and dinner. Instead she smelt the pungent tang of a man’s aftershave and sweat, a smell unfamiliar to her in these surroundings. She thought nothing of it however; Miranda often entertained guests at her home, both male and female from various famous design labels.
Andy slipped off her shoes to be as quiet as possible, knowing that Miranda was in bed, probably sleeping. The girls where at a friends place for the night so they had the house to themselves. Wandering into the kitchen she saw the cook had left a plate for her warming in the oven, which she took out and ate with a tiny bit of gusto having missed lunch. Putting the dish and glass on the sink she turned away missing the twin wine glasses in the bottom of the sink one with a fresh wet lipstick stain, one without.
Stepping onto the landing of the first floor of the town house she walked slowly towards the slightly open door of the master bedroom, walking carefully to miss all the creaks in the floorboards she trained her ears on the door, listening for any sounds. What she heard however was something that she did not expect, grunting and panting from two separate people and the squeaking of bed springs.
Picking up speed she burst into the room bouncing the door off the wall, what she found was burned into her retina’s forever, her lover, Miranda in the arms of someone else. He had just rolled off her and covered himself over. They both had bolted up in bed at the sound of the bedroom door, Miranda pulling the sheet up her naked waist shot a look of utter hatred at the man next to her and turned her wide eyed gaze back to Andrea.
The man next to her recovered first and said “Come to join the party have you? You’re a little late but if you give me a few minutes we can have another go” he leered at her and Andrea felt like she needed to wash. Looking at Miranda sitting there all mussed up with the white sheet around her torso, Andrea got angry.
“Miranda, How could you? How could you do this to me? To us? I gave you my heart and you took it, pretended to give me your own and when my back was turned crushed it and threw it away like last seasons jewelry! How dare you, I thought you loved me but I see it is not true, goodbye Miranda” “Andrea…I” Miranda began but Andy refused to listen, the reason that she and Miranda had been able to be together in the first place was because her last husband, Stephan had been unfaithful to Miranda, and now Miranda was doing the one thing she promised Andy she would never ever do to her.
Turning on her heel, Andrea dashed down the stairs, pulled on her shoes, grabbed her belongings and bolted out the door. She hailed a cab and just as she was entering she heard the front door open and a bathrobe clad Miranda walk briskly out, calling Andrea’s name all the while. Not even bothering to stop and turn around she got in and told him to go. Leaving Miranda, smelling of sex and shivering on the stoop, calling her name.
As the cab pulled out of sight of the town house Andrea looked back once, only once.. She would send someone for her things later, now she just wanted to go somewhere to think, somewhere where no one who she didn’t want to disturb her would disturb her. Surprisingly that was Runway, where the long standing order to let her in and up to the Runway offices had been imposed 2 years ago after they had finally come out as a couple.
“Couple” Andrea scoffed silently; they were far from that now, that was on a distant horizon over her left shoulder. Walking into the building she waved to the night guards, who held open the barrier for her and joined her in the elevator to start his rounds. She stood in the back, away from him, exiting at the Runway floor before he did and ignoring his slight wave goodbye.
Walking down the empty silent hall of Runway she headed towards Miranda’s office. The place that least smelt like her, which was surprising considering the amount of time she spent in that office.
Before reaching the office she took a slight detour to a supply closet where, months before she had secreted a pillow and blanket for Miranda when she worked so late it was early morning and not worth going home. Taking them out she continued to the office, putting the items on the couch she took out her phone and laptop, checked her mail and noticed the 16 missed phone calls from Miranda and one from Emily, all of which she discarded.
Going into the bathroom she took her nightly oblations and readied herself for bed, stripping down to her undergarments, turning off the light and slipping under the cover she set her phone for 5:30am, long before Miranda would ever consider getting up. Settling down she let one tear slip from her eye and fell into a deep and troubled sleep.
TBC maybe?