On A Thread

Chapter 6

Josh didn't like long drives much. Not when he wasn't gliding his fingers against the smoothness of Brielle's thighs, holding her hands and kissing her every time they stopped by a the red light. But as soon as he'd gotten the invitation text from Mrs. Peters, he didn't mind driving over a hundred miles to see his wife. He could have taken a plane but he didn't, he needed time to decide what he wanted to say to his wife and the long drive would clear his head, so he threw in a few clothes for the weekend and took off to see his wife and possibly bring her home with him, he feared she already made up her mind, he knew it when he saw her ring on the little table in front of their marriage portrait, the ring was serving as a place holder for the letter she left him. Each time he thought back to the letter, he wished she could have just called him instead and told him to take care of himself , that she couldn't yet end it without trying to salvage it. she should have let him hear her soft voice laced with seductive worry for him, these days he wondered if she still worried about it but after reading her letter with an upper case conclusion of DON'T SLEEP BARE CHESTED. He knew she still cared. His wife still cared.
His wife.
Josh adored the sound of that, it made his pulse quicken with excitement, he basked in the reality of Brie being his wife. It became his life's mission since their high school years to make her his wife, to put a ring on her finger and show the world that they belonged to each other, to keep men clear from his woman, nothing made Josh more feral than anything concerning Brie and especially any man besides him hovering around her. She was gorgeous as hell and he had come to understand that all men could see that and men never keep their eyes away from gold and his Brie, that woman was gold in the most refined form, she could outshine the sin if she took credit fir the burst of sunshine she adds to the world, he had come to understand that she had many options and even though she made it clear to him that she'd always choose him over any other caliber of men, he still felt pressured to prove himself constantly worthy of her, of her love but he had made a mistake while doing so and was too blind to even figure it out himself and Anna refused to say anything to him. She kept saying it's not her call and it drove him crazy, she'd offered to ride with him to Geneva but he declined, he truly wanted to be alone and the mere fact that Anna knew something about his wife that he didn't know made his blood boil over. Whose call was it then? Brie didn't say anything, he had a shed if hope that the reason would be in the letter so he had read it quickly, hurrying to get to the part where she says what the problem was. Her silence was ruining him, he hated being the one hurting his little lady, he was worried that she was keeping it all to herself and it was taking a toll on her. His wife had left him for some reason he knew very well was not trivial, Brie had stayed with him even on his down days when he'd lock himself in the home office and brood all night, she'd tolerated his tardiness sometimes, he wasn't proud of it, in fact he regretted every moment he kept her waiting and missed their plans altogether however He hoped that whatever it was, she still called him her husband.
That night he had dreaded going back home, was this how she felt, was this the reason she'd much rather stay at work? The house was so empty, cold even. He stayed downstairs sipping on bourbon, he didn't eat, no appetite for food and he didn't go up to their room. She no longer came home early to wait for him, even if she did, she left his food in the microwave with a post it note and was fast asleep always facing the windows never his direction. Josh knew Brie like the back of his hand, she was a light sleeper and the mere thud of his shoes as he came up the stairs was enough to startle her from sleep and if she was in deep sleep she still cracked a sleepy smile at him when the bed dipped from his weight, her wild curls scattered around her pillows. God, her curls were soft and smooth, real baby hairs, he loved smelling the scent of her coconut shampoo and kissing her head. He needed his wife, his Brie. He hadn't breathed properly since she left and work had passed like a black and white movie, no color, nothing new. His wife was his muse, he didn't realize how much he needed her, maybe he knew but he didn't show it.
Camden gave him a call earlier that morning, he had set out with Meg in the morning. Camden sounded groggy and tired over his phone but Meg was bursting with energy and excitement evident with the way she squealed, urging her husband to step on it and drive faster.
Josh on the other hand had to go through some procedures and handover his work for the weekend and he was ready to take a hiatus if need me, he craved nothing more but his wife, he craved her warmth, the smoothness of her skin and her slightly husky voice, the one she used for only him, her mild scent, he could imagine hee scent coalesced with the smell of earthy ground and fruity notes from the grapes, he craved the perfect mold of her body against his. Josh didn't even know what awaited him but the thought of seeing his wife was enough force and motivation to speed across the country plains back to their beginning.
As he drove he thought back, his mind ran across the colorful Genesis of their love, that day at college under that rain, her brown eyes had captivated him and bewitched him, his hands had tickled him to peek off strands of wet hair sticking to her face but he thought it'd be weird to be too forward. Their small town of Geneva wrapped their love in a cocoon and protected it, each location and a whispered story they had written. The many sleepless nights they spent at the midnight grove writing their project and kissing a little more, sucking off the taste of different flavored coffees from their mouths. Kissing Brie used to be and still was one of his favorite things to do but he couldn't remember the last time he kissed her and tasted her warm mouth, he'd been going crazy playing a scenario of a hot kiss between them. He knew it wasn't the right time but he regretted not pulling her into the heat and kissing her till she was breathless that night when she had told him she was leaving.
He should kiss her. He needed to taste her lips and be sane, a bonus if he could taste the wine on her tongue.