Unexpected Turn Of Events

You are not...

~Nearly a year ago~

Looking down at his wrist watch Jeff sighs. Another long day. He knows Stevie won't be happy about him coming home so late yet again. What choice does he have? He's an important man, this is his job, this is how he provides for his family. This is how he pays for his wife's expensive taste and their children's education. 

Getting up from his leather chair, Jeff grabs his briefcase and his coat, looks around his office, making sure he hasn't left anything behind, before leaving. 

"You're still here, Mr. Moore?" Jane, the secretary, asks, causing Jeff to raise an eyebrow.

"Well, as you can see, I'm on my way out."

"When did you get back from the restaurant?" 

Frowning, Jeff stares at his assistant. "What are you talking about, Jane? What restaurant? I can't remember having scheduled any meetings for today."

"Sir... it's May 26, your wife's birthday."

Closing his eyes, Jeff exhales heavily. "Shit! I completely forgot!" He slams his fist on the desktop, startling Jane.

"You asked me to make reservations for 6:30 pm tonight and I had some documents for you and I went to your office around 6, you weren't there, so I thought you had left. I'm so sorry."

Shaking his head, Jeff says. "It's not your fault. You've only ever done everything I've asked of you. I should at least remember my wife's birthday."

"Would you like for me to try and arrange something quickly?" Jane reaches for the phone, but Jeff tells her no.

"I'll just go home and grovel." Sighing, he bids a goodbye to his secretary and goes to the elevators.

Stevie's going to be pissed and they're going to argue, Jeff knows that for sure. It's become a constant lately. Once he got his promotion, Jeff started spending the best part of the 24 hours of the day in his office rather than being at home with his family. And what a family he has. Two sons and a daughter, a wonderful loving wife. Well, at least up until recently. Jeff knows he's been abandoning the people he loves the most recently, but he can't really do anything about it. Stevie's become very cold towards him, they have been arguing a lot, but the thing that cut Jeff the worst, was when she asked whether he even loves her still. 

Before coming home, Jeff stopped to buy flowers. It's not going to help him much, but he'll say he had a meeting with some important client and bringing Stevie gorgeous long stem red roses might soften her up even if just slightly.

Unlocking the front door, Jeff enters the house and it's quiet downstairs. Tyler and Ruby, their twin son and daughter, haven't lived with their parents for a couple of years now, and Max was probably locked up in his room, so nothing was really out of the ordinary. 

Climbing the stairs up, Jeff swallows uneasily, before twisting the knob of the closed bedroom door. The light on the nightstand by Stevie's side of the bed is on and he sees her with a book. She doesn't look up, seemingly without any intention to do so either.

"Hey, baby..."

Nothing.

"Steph?"

Nothing.

"I know I messed up badly, sweetheart, I'm so sorry." Jeff tries to apologize, taking unsure steps towards her, but Stevie still doesn't pay attention to him. "Say something."

Closing the book, Stevie lifts her eyes up at last, glaring at Jeff. "What for example? Would you like me to tell you how I waited for you in the restaurant for nearly an hour? How people kept staring at me with pity in their eyes? How I spent a good part of the day getting ready to meet with you, wanting to look my best? How I thought I was going to have a lovely dinner with my beloved husband on my birthday?!"

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Jeff chews on his bottom lip nervously. "I know, there's nothing I could say that will make this better. I just-"

"You forgot! You've forgotten about me completely, Jeffrey!" It's rare for Stevie to call him by his full name and she does so, when she's angry at him. "Is your job just an excuse? Are you having an affair?"

"What, no!" Jeff shakes his head, sitting down on the bed, but Stevie pushes him away with her foot. "I swear, nothing like that is going on, sweetheart! I'm so busy at work and-"

"I've heard all that before, Jeff and I'm not interested in hearing that again."

Silence follows and Jeff remembers the roses in his hand. "I got these for you."

"You can shove them up your ass." Stevie says and opens her book again. 

"Let's talk this out, babe, please."

"Don't babe me! Jeff, I'm so done with you!" Stevie sighs, running a hand through her hair. "Is it me? Are you tired of me? I understand that being married to someone for over twenty years might get boring, so please, just tell me how it really is. Because I personally don't understand what I've done for you to start avoiding me like that. I've been a devoted wife to you for such a long time, I gave you children, I've dedicated my whole life to you and them. What else do you want from me?"

"I don't want or need anything from you, Stevie. I love you and I'm definitely not tired of you. Again, things at work have gotten so crazy once I got promoted-"

"So, you're job is more important to you than I am? I barely see you anymore! You leave early, you come back late. You used to at least call me during the day and now? Nothing." She shrugs, tears threatening to spill. "I thought that you'd make an effort to spend time with me on my birthday and you couldn't even do that. You say that you love me, but I don't feel it. When was the last time you called me beautiful? Kissed me? Made love to me?"

"I-I..." He stutters.

"Exactly. I'm not a loved woman by her husband. So, if you gave up, then I might as well do the same, too. I'll quit my diets, I'll stop exercising, I'll stop getting manicures, I'll stop dying my hair. And you know how that's going to end? Then you'll definitely find someone else."

"Don't say that I don't love you." Jeff shakes his head, as he tries to reach for her hand, but Stevie pulls away.  "And I haven't stopped wanting you."

"Doesn't seem like that to me. I don't feel wanted and I don't feel loved. I don't feel like I have you anymore." She looks down, a tear falling from the tip of her nose. 

"It sounds like you're mad at me, because we haven't had sex in a while!" Jeff raises his voice. 

"And I am mad at you because of that as well, among other things. You say you still want me, but you don't show me. I'm sorry, but I'm tired of using my freaking hand all the time!" 

Jeff scoffs, throwing his hands up in the air. "Maybe it's you, who wants to have an affair? You're trying to tell me that getting off would solve our problems?" Jeff crosses his arms, facing Stevie. 

"I don't want to have an affair."

"What, open marriage then?" Jeff mocks, using air quotes. When Stevie remains silent, his jaw drops. "Are you fucking kidding me right now?!"

"Well, you asked!"

Narrowing his eyes, Jeff  then shakes his head in disbelief. "You've actually thought about it, haven't you?"

It takes a minute for Stevie to answer. "I have."

They don't talk for a long time. Stevie stays in bed, while Jeff paces around, before he stops and stares out the window. 

"Do you honestly believe this... this would help us?" Stevie never in a million years thought Jeff would even consider something like that. "I don't want to lose you, Stevie. I don't want to divorce you, because I love you."

"All I know is that if it's not you, I need someone to tell me I'm beautiful, to want me, to need me, to appreciate me."

Again, they grew quiet for a while.

"You don't talk about him. You are not to be seen in public with him. You are not to ever bring him to our home. You don't tell a soul about it." Jeff finishes and leaves the bedroom, shutting the door to his home office loudly in a moment.