No Body, No Crime

Chapter One

Taylor - Tuesday, July 14th

I was at Olive Garden talking to Este about work and whatnot, the usual things we talked about every Tuesday. We had a tradition of meeting up at Olive Garden every Tuesday, we started doing it when we graduated college because we were afraid we might not see each other as often when we moved out of the dorms.

"I just can't seem to figure out what to write for my next book," I told her as she sipped her wine, "I'm thinking maybe poetry?"

"You can write about how my husband's cheating on me," she said it so casually, and continued sipping on her wine. Este had been married to Robert for two years now. He was decent, but she deserved better. She deserved someone that would love her more and more every day. Someone willing to go to the ends of the earth for her. And Robert wasn't that person.

But now Este sipped her wine quietly and I could see the hurt behind her eyes. She loved him, I knew that very well. I was afraid she'd drive herself mad and stay with him. I feared she'd already dismissed it as if she was overthinking, and she just threw it out there to let me know. Maybe she just wanted to talk about it.

"I would never write about that," I whispered, "what did he do?" I could tell she wasn't doing well and she needed someone to hear her out. That's what I would do.

"He doesn't kiss me anymore, he doesn't touch me like he used to, he's just so distant." She looked tired, defeated. I could tell this wasn't good for her, she wasn't okay. Maybe he hadn't cheated on her but she felt like he did. Either way she was losing him. I knew what that felt like, and it hurt more than anything in the world.

"Hey, it's okay we'll figure this out, I'm here for you." I reached across the table and touched her arm to reassure her. She was going to be okay I'd make sure of that even if I have to kill the bastard.

"Taylor, it's just so different he wasn't like this at all and it happened so fast and it's so recent, I just know he's seeing someone else. I mean what other explanation is there for it? I feel like it's just all in my head, but it doesn't feel like he loves me anymore. He's simply tolerating me, and I don't know why if there is someone else I'd rather he talked to me and we parted ways. I just don't understand what else it could be." Este sighed heavily going to refill her glass of wine once more before realising the bottle was empty. "I need more of this stuff or something stronger," she whispered shaking the bottle.

"How long?" I asked and Este looked up at me a little confused. "How long has this change been going on for?" It was clear from the way Este was speaking that she had kept this from me for some time before deciding to finally confide in me. I could understand why she wouldn't want to talk about it. It's hard I swear I knew.

"A month and a half maybe two months," she mumbled her eyes focused on her food as she used a fork to play around with the contents of her salad.

"It sounds like infidelity to me, but I hope you're wrong."

"Me too, I don't want to be right about this."

I didn't let Este drive home, I was scared there might be an accident. Although she wasn't fully drunk, she was clearly under the influence of the wine she finished. So I offered to drive her home instead. Our apartment buildings were only two blocks away, so it wasn't a big deal either way.

We talked more in the car over some ice cream. Este started talking about how it started with a simple 'I've got to get to work early tomorrow morning' to full days when she wouldn't see him at all. How he stopped touching her shoulder when he passed her by and she had her nose stuck in a book. How pretty soon he even stopped kissing her.

Listening to Este talk I could imagine what she'd gone through. Except her experience was much more tragic than my own. She was watching the person she loved the most fall out of love with her slowly. I on the other hand had experienced a stupid compulsive action. I could tell he didn't regret it, and soon she would know that too.

After dropping Este off at her silent apartment, I didn't go to my own. I drove around aimlessly, I wasn't even thinking. I just did.

There was something that seemed so distant about what Este had told me. Maybe I was simply empathising with her. Or perhaps I was missing the bigger picture.

Whatever it was it felt nostalgic but I had never experienced anything like it before. It was like knowing what happens in a film I've never seen.

I drove home and sat at my typewriter simply staring at it. Then I started writing, anything. A word another. This felt exactly like the first time I sat and wrote carelessly, pondering over what words would fit best to illustrate the tangle of knots in my mind.

I finally had an idea for my next book. My editor would be elated in the morning.

Yves - Tuesday, July 14th

My breathe mingled with his. We were so close in proximity, yet so far in thinking. I wanted him, he wanted me. It seemed so simple. I was single, and so was he. It seemed so easy.

But there was something beneath it all, behind his intentions.

There's no way he's that perfect.

It's true things like this were too good to be real. Perfection is a myth and so was this.

And yet as I felt his lips against my own, I couldn't help but think that I had simply died and gone to heaven. Because this was perfect.

He was perfect.