Fallen From Graceland

Chapter 6

Things got tougher when a spouse visited from home. Whether it was hiding evidence of indiscretions or buying off housekeeping to do a fresh cleaning of the room, the guys were seasoned professionals.

Richie knew they had to be even more careful now that a spouse was in the picture. Lexi and Ondrea had to make themselves scarce when news came that David's wife, April, was flying in for a surprise visit without the kids.

"Who the hell did she pawn those three monsters off onto?" Richie had joked.

"Her mother," David replied, rolling his eyes. "The bane of my existence."

Richie also proceeded to make himself scarce when April arrived at the hotel. This gave him the perfect opportunity for a quick visit to Jon. David, however, tugged uncomfortably at his shirt collar, his anxiety rising when he met his wife downstairs.

He put on his best smile, trying to ignore the guilt that twisted in his stomach. April hugged him stiffly, her perfume overwhelming. "Nice to see you," she said, pulling back to look at him. She was as closed off from him as ever and the elevator ride was strained.

"Where are the kids?" he asked, desperate for a safe topic of conversation.

"With my mom, like I told you," she replied coolly. "She was itching to have her grandbabies."

David swallowed and nodded. "Of course. I'm really happy you decided to come to visit. Travelling is hard with the kids..."

"Not that you would know about that," April snapped. "Seemed pretty easy for you to hop on the plane when the kids were starting school."

"Please, hun...I really just wanna have a nice weekend with my wife," David sighed, sliding his arm around her waist. She allowed him to hug her but didn't reciprocate his affection.

The elevator doors opened and he led her down the long hallway to his suite, swiping his keycard and pushing the door open for her. She walked inside and he closed the door behind her.

"Would you like a drink?" he asked, turning on the television and sitting on the edge of the bed. She sat beside him and nodded. He poured two glasses of wine and handed one to her, raising his in a silent "cheers". She made a motion as if to clink her glass against it, but changed her mind.

"So...I guess you're wondering why I wanted to see you." She pursed her lips and looked away from him. "David...we need to talk about us."

He felt his heart sink and he took a quick gulp of wine, trying not to let her see just how nervous she was making him. "Fuck...Not this talk again. What's wrong, babe?"

"Everything," she said. "David, I mean...we don't love each other anymore."

"That's not true," he disagreed. She turned to look at him, her brown eyes boring into his own blue ones.

"It is true, David," she insisted. "We just...we don't have that spark any longer. That...magic doesn't exist between us."

"Of course it does," he replied, taking her hand in his. "I love you, April. I've always loved you."

She gently pulled her hand away and he could see a hint of tears in her eyes. "I don't think you do, David. If you did...we'd still be intimate. The last time we had sex was when we conceived Lily."

He bit his lip. She always managed to make him feel like shit whenever they had one of these talks. "I'm sorry, April. I still want to be intimate with you and--."

"You're such a fucking liar," she snarled.

He felt his temper flaring. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me, David."