From the passenger seat, Cherry, with a glazed, solemn look, surveyed her brooding husband now stalking inside a convenience store of a gas station. Everything below his chest disappeared behind the towering, multicolored food shelves locked behind the display window. His movement void of any tension as he searched for the items he wanted to buy.
Her attention drifted along with his movement, and only when their eyes met did she realize she had been creepily staring for a long time. She averted her gaze, pointing them sightlessly to the end of the road waning into the hollow darkness and shrunk in her seat. The fray of barren trees lining the road emerged from the dark in the flickering light coming from the gas station.
"Where are we even going that requires us to drive for over 8 hours?" She wondered before lowering her gaze to her new phone resting in her hand. "What now?"
Her thoughts reeled back to the moment of Brandon's outburst, his voice rising and his expression complex. It replayed in her mind like a broken record. Hitting her like a blow in that moment that she knew nothing about Brandon. His behavior, drenched in secrecy, caused dreadful knots to form in her lower belly.
With one last glance at her phone, she sighed, "The heck with it." Dialing the number of the person who may hold the answer to her question. Each ring brought forth a fresh wave of anxiety. The sound was a stark contrast to her gnawing on her thumbnail as she stole stealthy glances from the convenience store now and then.
Please pick up. She begged inwardly.
"C-Cherry…?" A groggy voice answered her prayers, and Cherry's face lit up. Clutching the phone closer to her ears, she moved her head away from the window.
"Hey April. Sorry, did I wake you up?" She asked sheepishly.
"What do you think?" April snapped. She then sighs, "Cherry," the huskiness in it sharpening her tone. "I would love to scream 'hooray!' and celebrate with you that you finally got a phone, but I swear to God if you called me so that we could watch some new K-Drama together, I will maul you."
Cherry could merely laugh in response. "Ha…ha…ha," a deafening silence between each laugh. "It's not that…" Her voice, a low murmur, dropped as her shoulders slumped, a picture of dejection.
"Hey, what's wrong?" April must have caught the distraught in Cherry's voice, because she sounded more awake and less bitter than before.
"I…" Cherry tried to reorganize her mind, figuring out the best way to sort the jumbled words in her head without freaking out her friend and, most importantly, herself.
Whether she runs away through the moonless night or continues the drive in serenity with her husband depends on her best friend's answer.
"Wait. Let me search for a quiet place first- argh!"
A slight grunt, followed by the rustling of what Cherry assumed to be bedsheets, and a muffled yelp to indicate April's struggle against something as she attempted to hoist herself out of bed sounded from the phone.
"Nevermind, I will stay right here," April grumbled under her breath.
"I can call you later. When the sun is at least out." Cherry offered with a wry smile, but she honestly wanted April to stay with her.
"No!" April refuted before letting out a sigh. "Don't worry about it. Lately I have some pest problems, and they are really becoming a pain in the butt."
Cherry's eyebrows rose in bewilderment. A house that holds a lot of monetary value having pest issues?
"That sounds concerning."
"Don't worry, we will have it checked out. More importantly, tell me what's bothering you." Her voice, light as the wind rustling the fallen leaves, carried only gentle concern, making Cherry's throat tighten with emotion.
She cleared her throat, not wanting to alert her pregnant friend any further. I'm only calling her to get some of my questions answered. I'm sure that after hearing her, I'll realize that I was just exaggerating. No need to ring the alarm. She told herself.
"Do you remember when we talked about Brandon in the hospital? You told me to observe him before deciding on anything."
"…Yeah," April drawled, waiting for her to continue.
"Well, weird things have been happening…and I- I mean- I'm not sure… and." Cherry groaned disgruntled at her ability to speak. She brought her knees to her chest and uncurled them swiftly, not correcting the skirt that has ridden up and instead stroked her clammy palms with vigor against the thick black pantyhose cladding her thighs. Taking a deep breath she continued. "Could you maybe tell me a bit more about him?"
"…Cherry what happened?" she asked back.
"That's- well- um…" Did her tongue suddenly fatten or something? Why was it so hard to talk? Cherry's fingers tugged at the pantyhose, the fabric stretching taut before snapping back with a light brush against her skin.
"It's be-because-"
"Did he do something to you?" Before Cherry could even push her words past her uncooperative lips, April interjected. She frowned at her friend's question and pressed the phone closer to her ear, trying to hear better over her hammering heart. Each beat pressed against her lungs, turning breathing more into a chore.
"No… he didn't, but why did you ask that?"
KKKggGhhHH——!
A discordant noise cut off their conversation. Startled by it, Cherry lurched away, keeping her phone at arm's length. "Oh God! That scared me." She kept a cautious eye on it, listening how the shrilling noise sizzled down to murmurs of static.
It will not explode, will it? I just got it!
She hesitated for a second before bringing the time bomb to her ear. "Hello? April? Are you there?" She called out.
"Yes? Cherry? What happened? You were gone there for a second."
"I have no idea. Maybe the reception is not that great here. But you were about to say something about Brandon. What was it?"
"Oh, I wasn't really going to say anything. You made it sound like something had happened, so I made a wild guess. If anything, it sounds more like you hope that there's something wrong with Brandon?"
"N-No! Why would I want that?" Though April couldn't see it, Cherry was vehemently waving her hand in denial.
"Then what are you so worried about?"
Cherry sighed, lowering her hand back down to her lap- curling it up in a tight fist as her shoulders scrunched up. "It's just… that… whenever I think that I've got him figured out, something happens that makes me feel hesitant to trust him…"
"Are you scared of him?"
Flashes of Brandon's usual behavior flooded her mind, and she shook her head. "No."
"Cherry," April softly called out to her. "I don't know what happened for you to feel like this, but Brandon would never hurt you. If he is hiding something, then perhaps it's because he's trying to protect you."
"Protect me from what?"
"That you'll have to ask him yourself." A slow, long yawn escaped April's lips. Its infectious property caused Cherry to yawn too.
"Sorry, April, for keeping you up, and thank you for hearing me out."
"Of course, always for my weird besty."
"Talk to you soon?"
"For sure."
They hung up, leaving April to stare blankly at her friend's name on the call screen. The screen light dimmed as a shadow stretched over it, darkening her surrounding. She took in a sharp breath, but didn't exhale as she forgot how from the fear impaling her.
She didn't want to look, she really didn't, but something beguiled her into moving her eyes outside the window.
"AH!-"
Her hands flew over her mouth to stifle a scream at seeing her husband watch her with a detached expression. And the smile that slowly stretched across his face did nothing to quell the shakes spasming through her body.
He opened the door and placed a white plastic bag on her lap, chuckling lightly when he saw her pale expression. "Sorry, did I scare you?" The plastic bag was about to erupt from all the sweets, food, and beverages stuffed inside of it. "Eat. You haven't eaten anything since we left the house."
And on cue, her stomach rumbled, causing her cheeks to become rosy like the apples in the bag. "A-ah, thank you."
Watching her take a bite of a sandwich, Brandon nodded, satisfied, before closing her door and walking to his seat. He jerked his seatbelt, clicking it in.
"What about you?" Cherry asked, her eyes hinting at the food. "You haven't eaten either."
He gave her a soft smile. "I will have whatever is left over."
Cherry frowned, not liking the sound of it. He's just going to starve himself.
"So, who were you talking to?" His hand hovered over the key, the question catching Cherry off guard. Her pulse quickened as the car's engine sputtered, then roared.
The bite of the sandwich lodged in her throat, and she coughed violently.
"Wh-what?"
Brandon quickly handed her a bottle of water, which she gladly took. Downing its luscious content until her throat didn't feel constricted.
Keeping his eyes on the road, Brandon reached and wiped off the small stream of water trickling from the corner of her mouth with his thumb. His thumb lingered on her lips, and Cherry silently thanked God that the reverberating sound of the car's engine overshadowed her pounding heart.
"You were on the phone just now, right? Who was it?" He asked again as he sucked the liquid from his thumb.
"Oh, right. I was talking to April."
Hearing Cherry mention her friend's name made Brandon laugh. "At this time? She must have wondered whether you were inviting her to another movie night marathon."
"Haha… she threatened to kill me if that was the case." Cherry simpered.
"I bet she did." He continued to laugh, and she could only stare at how his chuckle lightened the place until it didn't. A hush fell over them. The reticent smile on his face was like a closed envelope, sealing a secret.
"But if you called April, why do you look so guilty? You look like an anxious bird in a cage." And he couldn't be anymore right. Her eyes were never still, glancing at every hook she could find while fidgeting in her seat.
Receiving no answer, Brandon, with a hint of suspicion in his voice, asked, "Did you perhaps talk about me?"
For a split second she considered lying, but a part of her warned her not to, and a different part wondered why she even felt the need to lie.
"Yes, we did talk about you for a moment." Cherry nodded. "Sorry." She ushered in a soft, meek voice.
"What?" Brandon blinked, nonplussed. "Why are you sorry?"
"Because I talked about you to April?" She answered, unsure.
Brandon chuckled at her response, and Cherry felt the tightness around her heart loosen. "Princess," he said softly. "There's nothing wrong with indulging your worries with your best friend. I understand how confused and worried you must feel. Especially when I behaved like a dick to you back at our house."
"N-No. You did nothing wrong-"
"Yes, I did." He stated firmly, leaving no room for objections. He brushed his hand over her shoulder and perceived how she shuddered away from his touch. Folds appeared between her eyebrows as she winced in pain.
He mirrored her pain with a cringe and cowered away in shame. His whole visage took a solemn turn. "I'm so sorry that I hurt you, not only physically but also emotionally. I don't mind you trash talking about me to April, cause I deserve it. Though I must admit that I'm terrified of losing your love with my actions-oh wait, no," he corrected himself. "You don't love me anymore now that you don't remember me." He tried to cover it with an awkward laugh, but Cherry caught the sorrow burrowed behind it, and she choked up.
Guilt smacked her right across the head. How could she have suspected her husband of anything when he was ridden with so much remorse?
There must have been a logical explanation for his odd behavior. But I don't want to ask him that now. Maybe later. She thought mentally. Ripping her sandwich in half, she jutted it towards Brandon, basically pushing it against his lips and smearing them with sauce.
Taken aback, he moved his quizzical gaze from the piece of bread to Cherry's face. Her eyes refused to meet his. She cleared her throat. "You should eat, and also," her eyes shyly trailed to his, allowing him to witness the early spring blossoming on her face. "I can always learn to love you."
She already loved him; however, confessing to him right now was not what she wished for when there were still so many uncertainties hovering over her.
A soft sense of happiness found its place on Brandon's features, bringing forth a small smile before he took a lavish bite of the sandwich.
Humming satisfied at the taste, he swiped his tongue over his lips, gathering the sauce.
"I love you, princess."
....
The flat, monotonous noise coming from April's phone echoed in the otherwise still room. April blanked out as she stared at her phone, murmuring under her breath, "That's weird."
"What's weird?"
She shot a glare at the man sitting beside her on their king-size bed. His broad, shirtless back perched against the oak headboard whilst his hand busied itself with typing on the keyboard of his laptop. Round glasses sat on his nose, reflecting the soft glow of his laptop screen.
"Seriously Mark?" April hissed at her husband.
"What?" Moving his attention away from the screen, Mark blinked at April with an innocent look. Though she knew he was on some bullshit, she couldn't help but get drawn in his cyan eyes; holding her captive and melting her anger away.
She shook her head, trying to break the hypnotic spell that he had placed her under. I almost fell for his good looks again. She sharpened the edges around her eyes.
"Would it kill you if I talked to my friend privately?" She complained, the hint of anger still clear in her scolding eyes.
"Kill me? Never. Annoy me? Absolutely. Besides, it's not like the phone call was on speaker."
Yeah, but knowing you, you will have some type of super hearing that you're hiding. April thought as she further narrowed her gaze. "Can I get my hand back now?" She raised her hand- the hand caged in an impermeable hold made of Mark's hand.
"Why? You won't need it anyway when you're sleeping and I'm feeling lonely." With a gentle touch, he adjusted their hands until their fingers interlocked; Mark brought her hand to his mouth, pressing a heart-fluttering kiss to her inner wrist.
She thanked the heavens that the duvet cloaked her feet, as her toes were surely curling up as he aimed his smoldering eyes at her.
Rolling her eyes at him, she asked, "Aren't you getting tired of doing this every time?"
He gave her a lopsided grin. "Never. I love your expressions when I tease you. I want to do this until we are old and gray."
She was about to retort something when a sudden pain sliced through her body, causing her to bend over. Her arm wrapped over her protruding belly.
"Ah!" she groaned.
"April!" In the speed of light, Mark was all over her. His laptop tumbled from the bed to the floor with a load thud, but he paid no heed to it as his expression, dosed in worry, fixated on his pregnant wife.
"Nothing to worry. The twins were just a bit active." She smiled through the discomfort. "They were mostly busy stepping on my bladder. I need to pee." She mumbled.
Right after she said that, the taut wrinkles on Mark's forehead smoothed into a mischievous grin, the corners of his eyes crinkling. April knew exactly what he was about to do.
Deliberately, she shook her head. "Mark, no." But Mark being Mark didn't listen and still lifted her up in his arms, his long legs already waltzing to the restroom.
April sighed, "Mark, how many times do I have to tell you I can use my own legs? The restroom is right across the room!"
"I'm just trying to prevent my kitten from overworking herself."
"The doctor said that I should keep moving my body. A little walk won't harm me."
"So what was weird?" he questioned, trying to steer the conversation to something else.
"Huh?"
"Something weird happened during your phone call with Cherry, right?"
"Yeah," she nodded, resting her head against his shoulder. "After I asked her if something had happened between her and Brandon, there was this jarring noise coming from my phone. When it stopped, she just told me that everything was okay and hung up."