Sunday

“We should head back, you know… Before anyone gets up, I wouldn’t want people to think-” He looked embarrassed -the tips of his ears were pink again- but I chuckled. I didn’t really care what people thought, but Virgil lived here. I gently put the kitten on the couch. He mewed softly but went back to sleep in seconds. 

“Poor nugget is so tired,” I said sadly. “I hope he’s not sick.”

“There’s a vet down in Bell City, we can take him down there if you want,” Virgil promised. 

He put a spare jacket around my bare arms and led me from the house. Virgil walked me back to the inn as the sun lifted its rays up over the tree line, bathing everything in an ethereal golden light. We walked the short distance holding hands. Before I went inside, he stood on the porch with me, kissing me again. The feeling of his fingers entwining in my hair again made it difficult to want to go inside. Finally, he pulled away, kissing my forehead gently.

“Get some sleep, I’ll be down at the garage all day if you’d like to.. That is… If you wanted to spend some time together,” he said.

“I’d like that a lot,” I said softly. “I’ll see you later, then.”

“Looking forward to it,” he said. He kissed me one last time, a quick peck on the lips, and then disappeared down the lane. Faintly, I could hear him whistling as he made his way back to his house.

Smiling, I slipped inside the inn. I idly wondered what Perky Gladys would think about me staying out all night. The idea made me suppress a giggle as I crept up to my room. Once inside, I shimmied out of the dress, hanging it up on a hanger before I put on pajamas. I lay down, but I was too keyed up to sleep. I tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable. Finally, I heaved a great sigh, rolling over onto my back and staring up at the ceiling, which mercifully did not have the violent floral pattern like the rest of the room.

It had been a long time since I kissed anyone, but I didn’t remember it ever being like that before. I’d never had such a physical reaction the way I did when Virgil took me in his arms and entwined his fingers in my hair. It was as if he lit a fire under my skin when he touched me. Even when he took me in his arms on the dance floor, I felt a physical reaction to his touch in my body. It unnerved me. Virgil was certainly good looking, but it wasn’t just his looks. It was his kindness; the way he offered to take me up to the meadow to keep me safe, the way he put his jacket around my shoulders, how he’d caught me when I lost my balance on the ladder, his invitation to show me the stars because he thought I might like to see them… And yes, the way he volunteered to take in the little kitten.

Once Kyle and I walked by a pet store that was doing an adoption event. There was a litter of kittens looking for forever homes in a cage out front. I  stopped to pet their sweet little heads, and then as we continued on to our destination, I lamented to Kyle that I wanted one, but growing up we couldn’t have pets because of Mary’s allergies.

“That sucks,” he said.

“What would you think about adopting one now?” I asked him, smiling.

“You’re gone all the time, and I’d be stuck being the one taking care of it,” he said. 

“Only sometimes,” I said. “I could-”

“No, I don’t really want to have to take care of a cat, I’m sorry.” Kyle interrupted. That was the end of the conversation, and I never brought it up again. Things were often like that with Kyle, but I was too enamored with him to find fault in that… That was another thing to keep in mind, I realized. I couldn’t let the butterflies in my stomach get in the way of logic.

I continued to lay there, not sleeping for quite a while. Eventually, I gave up trying and took a shower before getting dressed again. I collected the dress to return to Devola, and crept back out of the inn. Gladys was up and serving breakfast. She said good morning, but if she realized I stayed out all night, she didn’t give an indication. I headed into town, stopping first at the general store.

“Good morning Ella,” Ms. Fiona said as I came through the door. “Didn’t see you all evening,” she went on with a grin.

“Ah, yeah.. Virgil and I got to talking.”

“Talking? Virgil? If you say so honey.”

“I wanted to thank Devola again for the dress,” I said as I held it up. I wasn’t going to address her comment about Virgil. “Is she around?”

“She went down to Bell City to see her friends, but you can leave the dress with me, I’ll tell her when she gets back.”

“Thank you,” I said. “Thanks for suggesting it, too.”

“Of course honey, where are you off to now?”

“Not entirely sure,” I said, though I knew I would be making a beeline for the garage. I wasn’t sure if Virgil wanted the town to know his business, though I had a funny feeling they already did.

I said goodbye to Ms. Fiona and meandered down to the garage, trying to walk as though I didn’t have a purpose or a destination in mind.

Virgil was up, and dressed when I walked up. He was in the office portion of the garage sitting at the desk, going through a ledger. His hair was still damp from a shower.

“Hey you,” he said when I came up to the door. His face broke into a wide grin.

“Hey you,” I returned with a smile. 

“Can I offer you some coffee?” he asked.

“I’m okay,” I replied. “How’s Cat Benetar this morning?”

He gestured to a box next to his desk. I peeped inside. Cat Bentetar was curled up in a fleece sweater.

“I think we ought to take him to the vet,” Virgil said. “I know cats sleep a lot but that’s pretty much all he’s done since you left.”

I nodded, feeling worry in the pit of my stomach. 

“Poor little nugget,” I said.

“I’ll call down there and make sure they’re open,” he said softly. 

He picked up his phone and called the vet. After he confirmed they were open, he picked up the box and led me out to his black truck. He unlocked the door for me, and once I was tucked inside, he handed the box to me. I held it as we headed off to Bell City. 

As he pulled out onto the main road, I saw Ms. Fiona on the porch of the general store. She smiled knowingly and waved as we drove by.

“Queen Fi,” I said, trying not to laugh. “I’m afraid the word’s out that I was with you last night,” I went on. “I’m sure it’s the hot topic of conversation this morning.”

“I’m prepared for a little gossip,” he said. “It’s never bothered me much. I just… I wouldn’t want people to think… that is that you’re…uh..”

“A woman of questionable morals?” I teased.

He chuckled, but the tips of his ears were pink again. I wanted to laugh at the fact that he was so concerned about my honor, but it was sweet, too. 

“I’m not really worried about what people think. I’ll never see any of them again anyway.” The words were out of my mouth before I realized it, and belatedly, I realized how that might make Virgil feel.

“Oh,” he said softly. I looked over at him, and his mouth was a thin line beneath his mustache, and his eyes were fixed on the road ahead of him. It was as if I knocked the wind out of his sails, and I felt shame burning across my cheeks.

“I’m sorry, I mean…” I didn’t know what I meant. “I wasn’t thinking. And we haven’t really… talked about what we’re doing. I just… I didn’t want to assume-”

“It’s fine,” he said, but his tone was clear; I’d hurt his feelings.

“Things happened really fast, I need a second to catch my breath… I’m bound to say dumb stuff until I do,” I kept at it. “I’m sorry,” I said earnestly.

He didn’t speak, but he nodded.

 I turned to look out the window. The late spring foliage passed by in a green blur. We didn’t speak again until we were pulling into the vet parking lot in Bell City an hour later.

Virgil moved around the car quickly and took Cat Benatar’s box under one arm and extended his other arm to me. I climbed down out of the truck and we walked into the vet together.

We waited another hour to be seen, and finally, the vet came in and took a look at Cat Benatar.

“Cat Benatar, cute,” she said. “You just found her?”

“Is it a girl? I couldn’t tell,” I said.

“She’s a girl,” the vet confirmed. 

“We found her last night, in LaCera,” I said.

“She has a little bit of a temperature but that isn’t necessarily cause for major concern.” The vet continued to examine her, confirming Virgil’s assessment that she was about 12 weeks old. She gave her a rabies shot, and took a little blood to run tests. 

“We’ll also give you a dewormer, some antibiotics, and some probiotics for her gut health. We’ll call you with the results from her tests. It’s likely she just has an infection, which again, no cause for major worry,” she said kindly. “We’ll know more after we look at her tests. We’ll call you.” 

She wrote up the items for us and sent us back to the front desk. When it came time to pay, Virgil wouldn’t let me.

“I said I’d take her in,” he said firmly. “I’ll take care of her.”

Once we got outside with a bag full of medications, I turned to him.

“Virgil, I-”

“It’s fine,” he said, unlocking the car door for me. “I get it.”

“It’s not. I don’t want you to think that last night didn’t mean anything to me. That the last two days haven’t meant anything to me, but it has been two days,” I said. 

Virgil put Cat Benatar in the truck and then turned to look at me.

“You’re right, but Ella…” He sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. “I suppose it’s pretty obvious that I took a shine to you right away; you’re beautiful, the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen; the way the sun was shining on your hair the first time I saw you when I came to tow your car, the way those freckles scatter across your cheeks.” His ears were pink again. “But when you took my hand the night I showed you the stars, I dunno…” He shrugged. “I felt it right here.” He pointed to his chest. I felt my face soften. 

He moved closer to me, cupping my cheek in his hand like he was so fond of doing, and kissed me. I felt the butterflies rising in my stomach, taking flight again.

“We don’t have to decide anything right now. I’m not asking for that,” he said when we broke apart. “But I hope you’ll consider the possibility.” 

I bit my lip, nodding. I didn’t see a way through this where either of us was happy, but I couldn’t deny the connection I felt. I climbed into the truck. Cat Benatar was awake and purring. I gave her a cuddle. Virgil started the truck, and as he drove he put his right hand on my knee. It was a lover-ly gesture, with just the right amount of possessive undertone. I was suddenly very glad I packed all that extra underwear, because Virgil was definitely awakening feelings in me I hadn’t allowed myself to experience in a long while.

Before we left Bell City, we stopped to get toys, cat food, a proper litter tray and wood pellets, plus a collar and leash for Cat Benetar. Virgil said he would like to take her on walks in the woods with him. I couldn’t help but smile at that.

Once we were back in LaCera, we went back to Virgil’s house.

“What about the garage?”

“It’s closed on Sundays,” Virgil said. The sun was disappearing behind clouds and in the distance, thunder rumbled. “There won’t be much happening in town today either, by the look of things.” 

Inside his house, we set up an area for Cat Benetar in the corner of his living room. She seemed to be feeling better after the visit to the vet. I sat on the floor, playing with her with one of her new toys. Virgil leaned in the doorframe to the kitchen. He took off his flannel, wearing just his plain white t-shirt and jeans, his well developed arms folded across his chest.

“What?” I asked when I noticed him.

“I like it when you smile,” he said softly. “You have this little smile on your face, watching her.” He nodded to the kitten.

“She’s cute,” I said. His smile widened.

“What are your plans for the rest of the day?” He asked.

I shrugged, standing up.

“I can get out of your hair if I’m-”

“You’re not,” he interrupted. “I’d like you to hang out if you want to, for as long as you want to.” 

I nodded, and took a seat on the couch, watching Cat Benetar rolling around with one of her catnip toys, kicking it with her back feet.

Virgil still lingered in the doorway, seemingly unsure of what to do next. 

“Do you want to come sit here?” I asked, gesturing to the empty spot on the couch next to me. 

He crossed the room slowly, so as to not startle the kitten. He sat next to me, much as he did the night before, with his arm across the back of the couch. I leaned back into the nook of his arm, my side pressed up against his, head against his shoulder. His arm slid down around me, squeezing me closer to him.

“This is nice,” he whispered.

“Yeah, it is.” I agreed. 

It was. I missed it, maybe even more than I missed sex. My vibrator always was a more surefire way to an orgasm than sex with Kyle or my other romantic interests were, but a vibrator didn’t hold you afterwards. 

I sighed contentedly, draping my arm across his stomach. Despite the fact that he was nearly 50, he hadn’t gone totally soft. I didn’t think I’d find a six pack under his shirt, but he didn’t have that belly most men his age got. He lifted the arm that wasn’t around my shoulder to my chin, gently pulling my face upward, and then kissing me with that same slow burning intensity from the night before. The kiss was having the same effect on me as the night previous too and after a few minutes of this, I carefully shifted myself so that I was in his lap straddling him. We were both fully clothed with two layers of denim between us, but it still felt incredibly intimate and erotic. 

“Is this okay?” I asked him.

“Absolutely,” he said, and we resumed kissing, but now he had access to run his hands up and down my body. He caressed my back over my shirt. I could hear the rain beginning to fall outside. He slid his hand up under the hem of my shirt, touching the bare skin of my back, then pausing.

“Can I touch you?” He whispered as his kisses traced a path from my lips to my ear lobe.

“Yes.” I whispered back and both his hands slid up the back of my shirt, deftly unhooking my bra. I paused, pulling off my shirt and bra, tossing them aside so they would be out of his way. I wanted to enjoy this, and the feeling of his hands on my skin was exquisite.

His fingertips traced along my spine, then slowly around to my rib cage, tracing gentle circles across my skin. The thunder rumbled again, louder this time. I felt goosebumps rising on my flesh, and my nipples hardened.

“That feels amazing,” I admitted. He barely touched me and I was on fire.

“Good,” he breathed. 

His touch was soft and gentle, despite his calloused hands. He moved slowly from my ribs up to my breasts, lightly touching my nipples, rolling them between his fingers with the softest, whispering touch. A small moan escaped my lips.

“May I?” He asked as he kissed down my neck to my breasts. I nodded, biting my lip. He carefully repositioned me on his lap, and then he took one of my breasts into his mouth, flicking his tongue across my nipple. He continued to gently fondle my other nipple with his hand, and after a few minutes of this, I was shaking with pleasure. I tried to catch my breath. No one ever made me orgasm like that before; without taking off my pants, I mean.

“Are you okay?” He whispered, kissing up my collarbone.

“I’m very okay,” I said breathlessly. Still straddling him, I felt his hardness against me. I grinded against him slightly. 

“You’re so gorgeous,” he said, and he shifted me onto my back, climbing on top of me. He pulled his own shirt off, and I took in his form as he lowered himself to the waistband of my pants. My assessment of his build was more or less correct. He was solid, but not fat. He gently fingered the button on my jeans.

“Are you okay with losing these?”

“If I take mine off, you have to take yours off,” I said.

“A fair trade.” 

He wiggled out of his jeans. I slid mine off and tossed them over to my shirt and bra. I was just in my panties now. He stood in his boxers, a prominent and promising bulge in the front of them. He lowered himself back on top of me, and resumed his exploration of my body with his hands, but it was the feeling of his hardness pressing against me that was really driving me wild. I lifted my hips, pushing myself against him.

“I know I’ve been out of the game for a while, but I remember what’s liable to happen if you keep that up,” he whispered. 

“Would that be such a bad thing?”

“I mean…” He gently bit my chin, and kissed my neck again. “I want it, your body is driving me wild, the way you move… the way you moan.” He gently pinched my nipple between his fingers and I shuddered with pleasure. “But do you want to?”

“I’ve wanted to since you kissed me last night,” I confessed. He smiled, but then his face fell.

“Shit,” he muttered suddenly, pulling back from me.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t have any condoms,” he admitted. 

“Uh, I do,” I said, my cheeks flushing pink. I grabbed my purse and fished them out of the inner pocket. They were there for over a year, untouched. Without meeting his gaze, I slid back onto the couch and handed him one. He set it on the coffee table.

“I need a second,” he said softly.

“Are you grossed out that I had condoms?” I raised an eyebrow.

“No.” He smiled ruefully. “No, not at all.” He nervously ran a hand through his hair. “I haven’t done this in a very long time, Ella. And honestly, if we do…it… Well, it’ll mean something to me.” Because of course it would. “I guess… What I’m getting at is… would it mean something to you, too?”

“Oh,” I hadn’t considered that he might feel that way. For me, I didn’t want it to, but I knew that it would. I like him, I realized. “Yeah, it would.” I replied. Because of course it would.

He nodded then and leaned forward, climbing back on top of me. He kissed me and cradled the back of my head in his hand. He slid my panties down between my thighs, then kissed from my breasts down my stomach before he buried his face between my thighs.

For being out of the game for so long, Virgil had an excellent memory, it would seem. He -almost instinctively- knew just how to touch me… Kiss me… Lick me to bring me right to the edge. My body quivered as I orgasmed again and again. 

Virgil’s erection was straining against his boxers as he stood. He parted ways with them and slid the condom on. He slid inside of me slowly. I arched my back, lifting my head to kiss him. It wasn’t long from there, but I didn’t mind, he more than satisfied me already. He kissed me hard as he finished, and then we lay there together for a few minutes, both a bit breathless.

“I can go for longer next time, I promise,” he assured me.

“I’m not worried about that,” I said softly. “The prelude was more than enough to satisfy me.” I said, kissing his chin.

He smiled a bit. Overhead, the thunder crashed again, and the rain was falling heavier now. Virgil brought me some tissues to clean up and then showed me to the bathroom. I was pleased to see that it was neat, and sparkling clean; there were no beard hairs or grime anywhere. Gross bathrooms would be close to the top of the list of turn offs for me, but like everything else about Virgil, it was practically perfect.

After I was done, I joined Virgil back in the living room. He was wearing his boxers. I pulled my underwear back on and my t-shirt over my head before sitting next to him on the couch and tucking my feet up under me. He put his arm around me again, pulling me closer to him. He was warm and solid.

“Tell me about yourself… your family,” I requested, snuggling still closer to him.

“There’s not a lot to tell… My dad passed away about 15 years ago, heart failure… My mom is in her 70s and lives down in Blue Falls. I get down to see her a few times a month, but my younger sister lives down the block from her.”

“How much younger?”

“Five years.” 

“Any other siblings?”

“Nope. You’ve got a younger sister, you told me. Any others?”

“Nah, just Mary,” I said evenly. “She’s two years younger than I am. My parents are alive and well in Rose Hollow,” I went on.

He brushed my hair out of my eyes, and ran his fingers along my scalp. He gently played with my hair for a few minutes, and it felt heavenly. I made a small noise of contentment, squeezing him around the middle. The rain kept up a steady rhythm outside.

“Are you hungry?” Virgil asked after a while.

“I could eat,” I replied. I followed him to the kitchen, and sat at the counter while he set about gathering ingredients.

“I’m not a bad cook, but I don’t keep much in the house,” he admitted. “It’s not much fun cooking for one.”

“No, It’s not,” I commiserated. 

He did have some chicken breasts, rice and frozen veggies, so he threw together a nice stir fry for us. It was the first time a man ever cooked for me. He refused offers of assistance, so I watched him as he worked. He moved deftly; chopping, adding spices, and stirring.

We ate at the kitchen table after he cleared away more bits of machinery he was tinkering with. He set them aside, then he turned back to me.

“Oh, I ordered the parts for your car on Friday, they’re expected Tuesday,” he said. “I just remembered… I don’t think I ever told you.” He sat down to eat.

“I might fib to my boss and stay the whole week.” I said. “I’m having a good time with you. Maybe a little too good. I meant to interview people and to try to talk to folks who were siding with the developer.” I said, digging into my stir fry.

“That would be Will Bowman and his family,” Virgil said, taking a bite of his meal.

“I haven’t met them yet, I don’t think.”

“No, and you probably won’t. They own property here, but they don’t live here.”

“Then they shouldn’t get a say.” I said indignantly.

“The town charter is written so that anyone who owns property gets a vote.” Virgil shrugged. 

“Of course it is,” I muttered. “…Vote for what? To buy the land I guess?” I asked after a second.

“As I understand it, if the town doesn’t make enough this year from the wildflower festival to buy the land, they are gonna vote to see if people want to use the town’s emergency funding.”

We ate for a while, neither speaking. Once the plates were cleared away, I helped him do the dishes.

“How many people in his family get votes?” I asked. I washed the plates and the pan quickly, setting them on a drying rack next to the sink.

“I dunno, exactly. They own a bunch of little hunting parcels. Enough that it makes up a percentage though, and then there’s people who can be bought or bullied because they got money problems. They’ve been going around for weeks trying to convince people they ought to vote to sell the land.” 

I blew air out between my lips.

“Do you know how the town is split?”

“No, Ms. Fiona would though,” Virgil said. He smiled a little bit. 

“Well, that can wait until tomorrow,” I muttered. “Do you mind if I jot down a couple of notes?” I dried my hands and then reached for my phone.

“No, but are you always like this?” He asked.

“Like what?”

He thought about it for a moment, as if considering his words carefully.

“Tenacious?”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Okay.” He nodded, but didn’t elaborate further.

“Is it a problem?”

“No, I just wanted to know.” He smiled wide again. 

God, that smile. I quickly tapped what he said into the notes app on my phone. I wasn’t sure if any of that could make it into the article but the more info I had the better. If nothing else, I could tell Mel that I did the best job I could.

The rain continued to fall heavily, and a damp chill was setting in. Virgil pulled a zippered sweatshirt out of his closet, putting it around my shoulders. I smiled softly. It smelled like him. He sat back next to me on the couch.

“What do you think?” I asked him.

“About taking sides?” He asked.

“Yeah,” I said.

“I came here kinda like you, a little cynical at first, but there was a job here that needed doing. But then I fell in love with the town. I think I lost some of that when my ex wife left, but I’m starting to get it back.” He said earnestly. “I wanna see the town come through it.”

Another long silence passed between us, and I found myself curious about his previous relationships. I might regret asking, but I couldn’t help myself.

“You said the other night that you married your ex wife for the wrong reasons,” I began carefully. “I’m curious about what happened, but only if you want to elaborate?” I lifted my tone so he would understand it was a question and not a demand.

He looked away for a moment, and then spoke. His tone was wounded, and I felt my heart break for him as he shared his tale.

“She got pregnant, so we got married. Small town in the nineties. Young kids,” he explained. “I was nineteen, she was eighteen.”

“You said you didn’t have any-” I stopped. “Oh. Oh. I’m so sorry.”

He nodded sadly. 

“Third trimester,” he said softly.

“Shit, I’m so sorry.” 

I couldn’t imagine that pain. It must have been world-ending, to be so close to holding your child in your arms, only to have it ripped away so close to the finish line. I couldn’t imagine being nineteen and experiencing that. I couldn’t imagine a pain so great that it made me wince almost thirty years later. His face was tormented, and there were tears in his eyes.

There was a long pause where neither of us spoke. Finally, he went on:

“Anyway, we limped along unhappily for years. We came here for a fresh start, I hoped the beauty of it would help things…We tried again for a baby, but if she got pregnant again, she kept it to herself… and then she got together with…” He trailed off. “…and went up to Calgary,” he finished.

“Do you still want kids?” I asked after a beat.

“And be 70 when they graduate high school?” He said. “No, no, I made my peace with that, I think,” he said. “Do you want kids?”

“I’m not sure.” I replied. It was true, I had never been in a position to consider it, not really. Kyle and I never had the talk about marriage or kids. I was always too afraid to bring it up.

Cat Benetar sprinted through the room after her catnip mouse, skidding on the wood floor and breaking the tension as we both laughed, but neither of us spoke again for a long time. We sat listening to the rain fall heavy and hard against the roof, punctuated by thunder that grew more distant. 

“Ella,” Virgil said after quite some time passed. “I just… I’m sorry, I’ve never been very good at articulating my feelings,” he began. “I know this is fast, but would it be alright if I came to see you in New Oxford sometimes?”

I smiled softly. I wanted him to, I realized. 

“Yeah, it would.”

“And would you… Come back here sometimes?”

“Yes,” I said. “But…”

“But?”

“I still travel a lot for work. I haven’t been home for more than a night since March,” I said. “I just want to make that clear, my job is going to make it tough, on top of the distance.” 

Virgil considered this, then he nodded.

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Okay,” he said again. “I meant what I said, back at the vet’s office.” He shrugged. “So I’ll respect that you got your own things going on. I think you’re worth it.”

“Oh yeah? I’ve got that much of a pretty face?” I teased.

“Your face,” he said, kissing my forehead. “Is certainly part of it, but I saw how you jumped in to help with stuff for the fair. You’ve never even met these people, but you were up on that ladder hanging streamers, risking your life and limb.” 

He said this last bit wryly. I bit my lip, but that didn’t stop a small snort of laughter from escaping. A ghost of a smile lurked under his mustache again, but he shook his head.

“I’m serious, though,” he said. “You have a kindness about you.” I blushed a bit. “Most people don’t.”

“Maybe I was doing it for the hot goss,” I said.

“Mmm…” Virgil smiled now, a genuine wide smile; no ghosts here. “No, I don’t think so. You wouldn’t have to work so hard to get info from Ms. Fiona, and I think you’re plenty smart enough to see that.” I chuckled again. He had a point there.

We spent the rest of the evening snuggled up together in Virgil’s bed, with me dozing off in his arms to the sound of rain on the roof. I awoke sometime in the middle of the night to pee. I carefully got up and went to the bathroom, Cat Benetar at my heels. She followed me into the bathroom and leapt up on the edge of the tub, watching me while I did my business. As I washed my hands, she jumped lightly up on the counter next to the sink, curiously watching the water, but then she turned her attention to things on the counter. She batted at a black shaving bag Virgil left next to the sink. She knocked it over, sending its contents scattering across the floor.

“Oh, I see you’re feeling better, bad girl,” I whispered, gently putting her outside the door, and then turning back to clean up the contents. A couple of things half rolled under the sink, so I got down on my hands and knees and swept them out with my hand.

I didn’t notice the white gold ring at first, but once I saw it, my breath caught in my throat. It was obviously a man’s ring, large, and without ornament. A wedding ring.

Virgil’s wedding ring, I realized.

For some reason, that made me sit back on the cold tile, holding it in my hand, and realizing again how badly he must have been hurting this whole time. It was the kind of thing I bet you never really go over. I wondered, not for the first time, if I was making a mistake getting involved with him. 

I didn’t see it ending well, and this ring was a stark reminder of the very real consequences of what we were doing. I sat like that for a long time, until Cat Benetar let out a little kitty wail from the other side of the bathroom door. Taking a deep breath, I tucked the ring back into the bag, and put it back on the counter, then I washed my hands again before going back to bed.

“Everything okay?” Virgil was awake when I got back.

“Yeah, Cat Benetar just knocked over your shaving bag thingy.”

“Little beast,” he said, rolling over on top of me and kissing me again. I giggled as he slid his hand down the waistband of my underwear again. I let the heavier thoughts be pushed away in favor of carnal pleasures.