Page 56 of The Marriage Narrative
Just like that they went up like a ballerina hitting her marks, toes pointed and all. Once he was seated, she showed off by lowering them at an exasperatingly slow pace. Her guilty-as-charged tiny snorts as she fought to not dissolve into giggles were pure strategy. She was playing it ridiculously coy, hiding her face behind her phone. This wasfun.Her new favorite hobby. Nothing was half as entertaining as pretending to seduce him for the cameras.
Jordan watched her absurdly tempting show but dutifully kept his hands to himself. He’d already had to mentally split himself in two. Sealed away all the parts of him that didn’t want to play by the rules in a vault. Things were easier now because of it. His usual moves were suggestive eyebrow raises, appreciative looks, and amused grins—a choreographed exercise in detachment.
But every so often, he liked to shake things up.
Zinnia ended her move by arching her legs over his thighs and tucking her feet into his side. She had a pale oblong-shaped birthmark on her inner thigh, just above her left knee, and a spottier one on her right ankle. He caressed the top of her foot, tracing a straight line all the way up her shin. Before she could react, he pulled her knees closer to his chest and gently bit her thigh birthmark.
She gasped and dropped her phone. He knewexactlywhat she was thinking as she looked him in the eye and calmly said, “Eight.”
“What are you working on today?” Holding on to her calf, he drew circles over her knee with his thumb.
“Mastering the art of pretending to look busy because my creative well is bone-dry.” She picked up her phone and began texting while talking. “We were hoping to time the Curious Critters collection surprise launch for the week I got back, but some of the designs aren’t coming together.”
She showed him a few of her sketches that had editorial feedback from Grace(Ducks in bucket hats? Groundbreaking.)andFiona(You should make the firefly sinister. Have you ever seen them up close? Demonic if you ask me.).
He cleared his throat instead of laughing. “Would a change of scenery help?”
“Where would we go?”
“Do you want an office? We can make a project out of decorating it the way you want.”
Her gaze flicked to her camera pod. “No, here is fine. I’m just frustrated and complaining. I’ll stop now.”
“You don’thaveto. There’s—”
“I’m done. I’m fine. Really.” She sat up, holding her phone out for him. “Watch this.”
He did. It was a silly internet video, courtesy of Fiona.
“You don’t think it’s funny.” She scrunched her face in disappointment and laid back down.
“It was.”
“Don’t lie. It’s okay.”
He still wasn’t in the best mood. Talking to Sadie had helped a little, but things were guaranteed to get worse before they got better.
“Show me another one.” He slouched forward, twisting until he was partially leaning next to her.
“Wait, hold on.” She hid her phone screen. “You can’t see the whole group chat.”
Zinnia was always so enthusiastic about sharing memes and videos Fiona had sent with him. It felt like the first tentative baby steps on the path toward having their own inside jokes and secrets. She didn’t predictably know what made him laugh yet, so she showed him everything to figure it out.
He resumed tracing, starting at her shoulders this time and moving across her clavicle, pausing where a pendant would rest.
Apart from her wedding ring, band, and bracelet, she didn’twear any other jewelry. She had a special collection, though. His wife was a little mermaid, hoarding shiny and sentimental treasures that came from her friends and family. Her lucky bracelets and Grandpa’s ring barely broke the surface.
“Do you know what today is?” he asked.
“Monday.”
“The date.”
“Seventeenth.”
“And?”
“I don’t know,” she said with a soft laugh.
