[Part 4] What we say at night...

If you missed part 3, read it here now!)

Jeff looked up from his book. He shifted to make himself more comfortable in the Egyptian bedsheets Coreen bought two months ago. He watched his wife walk across the room.

She stopped to look at him. She started to move her feet, swaying her hips. She laughed.

“What do you think?” she asked.

“I think your Salsa classes are beginning to pay off. I should start going with you.”

“Oh no, you’d find it boring. Besides, you still have two left feet, no?”

Jeff squeezed out a smile. He said, “I don’t know. But you look nice.”

He drew in the seductive sweetness of her night perfume into his nostrils. She was wearing her cream baby-doll nightgown. This usually meant she was in a good mood.

And for Jeff like it when Coreen was in a good mood.

Coreen sat in front of her dressing table. She started to search for something.

"You look nice," Jeff repeated.

She turned to look at him. She squinted her eyes and said, "Thanks."

"Did you enjoy the party?"

"What?"

"The party... at the office."

"Oh, yeah. That was fun." She turned to the mirror. She picked up a piece of cotton wool. Her fingers squeezed the white ball and dipped it in one of her potions. She started to smear the concoction beneath her eyes.

Jeff said, "You know you don't need all those creams."

"Excuse me?"

"I mean, you look great. They should be paying you to use their stuff."

"Oh." Coreen continued her ritual.

Jeff sat up on the bed.

"I can think of something else to put on your face." He grinned.

"Are you being naughty?" Coreen asked.

"Maybe."

"Maybe you should stop."

"And why would I stop?"

"Because I'm tired."

"I could energize you."

"Aww... that's sweet. Maybe this weekend."

"Weekend? Coreen, it's been..."

"So I can't be tired?"

"Look, I'm just saying."

The husband and wife stared at each other for a while.

Jeff shook his head and said, "You've changed."

"You've changed," Coreen responded.

"How have I changed?"

"I don't know. You're just not the same."

"Are you playing with me?"

"No, Jeff. I'm telling you what it is."

"There was a time you would jump on it without me asking."

"There was a time you'd sacrifice anything for me."

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing."

"Coreen, I can't do anything if you don't tell me what it is."

"You promised me a holiday trip. You promised me you'd sort out the credit cards. And you said you'd fix the Wi-Fi!"

"You just have to restart the router!"

"You know I'm not good with these things. Aren't you an Internet expert?"

"I'm a web developer, not a network admin."

"Urgh" Coreen unlocked her dresser drawer and placed her bracelet in.

Jeff got up and walked over to the corner of the bedroom. He picked up the router and held a button for 15 seconds. He watched as the lights went off, and then turned on. He waited for the orange light to become green.

"There. Done."

"Whatever." Coreen went back to her beauty routine.

"And yes, and we'll still go on a trip."

"Right."

"We will. Soon."

"I don't know if I still wanna go."

"Mark didn't give me the bonus."

Coreen turned to Jeff. Smirking, she said, "Didn't you do the report?"

"Yeah. But he said I was three minutes late."

"Ah well. It looks like nothing's gonna work out for you."

"And there's something else. He might fire me. He'll pay me a severance and everything."

Coreen paused her cleansing routine. She hovered her hand over a selection of creams. She picked one and opened it. She started to rub it on her shoulders.

"I can help you with that," Jeff said.

"Spare me, Jeff."

Coreen stood up. She said, "I'm going to sleep. We'll talk tomorrow."

"We're talking now!" Jeff threw the blanket and got up.

Coreen looked at him with the stillness of a statue.

"I'm going to sleep."

"And I'm going out."

Jeff walked towards the door.

"Going where?"

Jeff put on a pair of jeans over his boxers. He grabbed a jacket and his car keys.

Coreen said, "What's wrong with you? Where are you going?"

"Go to sleep."

Jeff ran down to the front door. He opened his car door. He sat in the driver's seat and rested his head on the steering wheel. When he looked back up, he saw Coreen watching him from the upstairs window.

Jeff started the car and reversed onto the main road.

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