Decorating Stories

Chapter 3: Rolling the Dice John pulled up to the house just after nine on the Friday morning, the familiar crunch of gravel under his tyres broke the silence once again. Yvonne had left early that morning for her sister's, kissing him goodbye with a reminder to "enjoy the peace and quiet." It was certain she did not know what kind of peace he was hoping for. Thank goodness wives could not read minds. He let himself in wi...

John pulled up to the house just after nine in his car, the June sun already climbing high in a cloudless sky. He sat in the car for a moment, engine ticking as it cooled, and tried to steady his breathing. Last night had been torture, lying next to Yvonne, pretending everything was normal, when all he could think about was Jackie. The taste of her on his tongue. The sound of her crying out his name. The way she'd looked...

The June sun blazed through the bare windows of the living room, turning the empty space into an oven. Jackie pushed open the front door and felt the wall of heat hit her immediately. "Christ, it's like a sauna in here," she said, dropping her bag of painting supplies on the dusty floorboards. John followed behind her, carrying the stepladder and a couple of paint trays. "Should've started earlier. It's going to be brutal...