Tick tock, tick tock. The hourly doom pounded and the clock ticked. The feeling of unrest settled on her as she looked out the window and back at the pendulum wall clock.
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“Where are you, Matt?” she said to herself as she paced around the room, pulling at her jacket that was over her nightdress.
Despite the fire burning in the fireplace and keeping the room warm, the coldness in her heart crept out onto her skin, sending a cold chill down her spine.
“Where are you?” she asked herself again. She took out her phone from the side pocket of the jacket and stared at the screen.
It was 2:3 am and he had not gotten back from work.
It was the first night of their honeymoon and just like the night ritual, she was meant to spend the night with her newly wedded man, curled up under the duvet with him while she was resting in his arms and the heather was on.
It was different with her.
Theresa dialed his number again and just before the phone rang, the reflection of a car’s headlight showed inside the house and she rushed to the window side, staring pathetically out the window but it was their neighbor.
Theresa rested her hands and her forehead on the window as she stared out at the snow that had carpeted their lawn and the ones that were falling, masking the air.
She placed the phone to her ear and listened to the beeping sound but there was no response. Her heart was feeling heavy and a sorrowful feeling replaced the feeling of unrest that had invaded her before.
“Oh, Matt. Please, come home. Where are you?” she said to herself as a tear escaped her right eye.
As she turned to walk dejectedly away from the window, a headlight showed through the window reflection, and this time, it was Mathew.
She let out a deep breath that she had no idea she was holding as she watched Matt rush away from his car to the front door.
As he pushed the door open and walked to the living room where she was, she bawled.
“Oh, Theresa!” Mathew said as he rushed over to her.
Theresa rested her head in her palm and onto his chest, sobbing her heart out.
“Oh, baby. I’m sorry,” he said as he massaged her nape with his cold, almost frozen hand.
“Why?” her voice sounded coarse.
“I’m sorry, baby,” was all he could think to say at the moment.
Theresa pulled out of the hug and stared deeply into his eyes with her bloodshot eyes from the intense weeping.
“It’s our honeymoon. We got married yesterday, Matt. We are fucking married!” she yelled out the last part.
Matt took a step backward and dropped his hands from her arms before speaking.
“And you think I do not know that?!” his voice was starting to get louder. “You think I’m doing this for myself? I fucking went to work. This is a career, not a joke!”
“And you have an idea that I’m a doctor? A medical doctor if you need to know and regardless, I am here!”
“You know what? I’m too exhausted to go back and forth with you right now! I’m off to bed,” Matt said as he leaned in and placed a kiss on her forehead.
Matt had only taken a few steps when Theresa’s words took him back.
“Whose fragrance is that?”
Matt stopped walking but didn't turn around as he tried to gather his thoughts and emotions and not let them reflect on his face before turning around.
As he turned around, he stretched his lips in a broad smile, walking back to her, dipping his hand in his pocket and bringing out a pocket perfume.
“I got you this pheromone perfume. For you, Theresa,” he stressed on her name as he locked eyes with her. He took her palm and placed the perfume oil in it. “It could nearly drive one crazy when they smell you. I got it so you could use it for me!” he stared at her before shaking his head and walking away to the room.
Theresa stood there speechless before looking down at her palm and then back in the direction he walked.
“But this isn’t new,” she said to no one before looking down at the bottle in her hand.
The perfume was halfway finished and the bottle looks a bit old already. Her instincts were never wrong and she hoped this wasn’t what she was thinking. She prayed this was just a battle of his career and not infidelity.
Theresa locked the door and turned the lights on as she walked to their room door. She stood by the door and stretched her lips in a smile when she heard his voice.
“I love you, Moana.” her heart sank in its place as her intuition was right.
