Drifting Deception

Chapter One

SYDNEY

"Honey, come and look at this." My boyfriend's words echoed into the night sky like a whisper being carried by the wind. I looked over at the tall man with rosy cheeks and a beaming smile. His eyes appeared grey under the glistening moonlight, the shine resembling light tears.

I closed the gap between us and wrapped my arm around his waist. He did the same.

"What are we looking at?" I asked softly. Beneath me, the jet-black water brushed against the wharf. I didn't notice anything particularly unusual that would be worth pointing out.

"There," Jeremy said as he pointed to a rusting buoy.

I squinted my eyes in an attempt to make my vision better. I didn't think I was that blind.

Within seconds, a fish soared into the air, its return to the water making a distinct splash. I chuckled. Jeremy was always fascinated by the smallest things. It was one of the things that made me fall in love with him so quickly.

We were celebrating our one-year anniversary today, starting our evening in the city with a quiet dinner at a new restaurant. Jeremy had insisted we park a few minutes away from the venue so we could walk along the waterfront beforehand. He claimed he wanted to hold my hand and show me off to the world. Something about his appreciation for me made my heart melt.

We eventually headed around the corner to check in to our reservation. Jeremy continued to clasp his hand in mine as we were directed to our table.

We had started dating relatively quickly after our first interaction. I was walking my friend's dog and the little bastard managed to escape the leash. I truly thought I had lost the puppy when I watched his wagging tail disappear into the distance, but Jeremy had saved him before he could run into the lake. As cliché as it sounded, the rest was history.

Life was almost feeling like it was perfect.

"So," Jeremy began as he sat down opposite me. "You know that merger I was talking about."

So yeah. This was why my life was almost perfect. I loved my boyfriend. Hell, the memories we had made over the past year were absolutely amazing. But I didn't think it was an exaggeration to say he had an addiction to work. I mean, maybe it was the age difference. He was twenty-nine and I was twenty-three. He was the CFO of a supermarket chain. I was the owner of a small group fitness studio. But the man couldn't go thirty minutes without checking his work email or bringing up a work-related issue. We'd spoken many times about it, and he had gotten better...but I still felt the need to silently pray for things to change. I feared we would spiral backwards if I stopped my prayers.

"Honey," I said as I tilted my head.

Jeremy ran his hands over his jeans. "Right. Yes. Sorry." He shook his head as he opened the drinks menu. "Are you feeling like wine or," he lowered his voice. "Cock...tails."

I almost spat out my water. "Jeremy."

He flashed me a toothy smile as he shifted his eyes around the room. I laughed, shaking my head as I patted my cheeks to hide my embarrassment. Some would call it immaturity, but I loved how unhinged Jeremy was. It meant I never knew what to expect, especially on nights like this.

"I'm going to settle with the wine," I laughed. "Pinot, to be exact."

Jeremy nodded his head. "Saving cock for later on then."

I threw my napkin at his chest. "Cut it out," I chuckled.

He grinned as he continued to skim the menu, silence filling the void between us. A moment this quiet usually wouldn't bother me. I mean, we were always comfortable in it, mostly. But Jeremy was awfully quiet today.