That's Why I Got a Heater For Your Thighs

Months passed by really fast as I spent my time with my little family. Things were starting to go really well. Jimmy and I were stronger than ever and I had decided to stay on the bright side of life.

Our son Mason (it had taken a while before we'd picked out a name for the baby) was a very cute little boy. He looked a lot like Jimmy which was only positive because I happened to have such a handsome man.

Well, anyway, things were going great. But, as I had expected, I wasn't really myself, not yet. It felt like I had lost myself for good and couldn't get a hold of the ”old me” again, ever again.

Jimmy had spent most of his time at the studio. They were recording a new album which took the most of their time and energy. He wasn't home that often and I had to take care of the baby all by myself. Gladly, he was an ”easy” baby and didn't need much else than food, sleep and love.

It was a Monday night and I had just put the baby in his bed and closed the door.

I flinched when I turned around and saw Jimmy standing in the doorway, staring at me.

”You scared me,” I whispered and held my chest as I walked closer to him, ”Is everything okay?”

”I think we need to talk,” he said quietly.

I froze for a moment and just looked at him. What the hell was going on?

He grabbed my hand and led me out of the house to our back yard. We sat down and he lit up a cigarette.

”What's going on? You're scaring me,” I said quietly and looked at his face.

”I met a girl,” he said and blew out the smoke from his lungs.

”What?”

”I met this girl a few months ago. Fucking hell, Rach... I don't know what to do,” he mumbled and rubbed his face with his hand. Then he looked at me, into my eyes and bit his lip.

”What are you talking about? I don't understand,” I whispered.

”How do you not understand? I met a girl, someone else. I went out with her. I went on a date with a girl and she wasn't you,” he explained.

”How... Who... Why?”

”I don't know. It first happened when you were... You know, a week before you almost... Died.”

”Why didn't you tell me earlier?”

”I couldn't tell you after the accident. I couldn't tell you just as things were starting to go okay again.
I didn't want to ruin this,” he mumbled quietly and let out a deep sigh.

”And... Why did you tell me now?”

”Because I'm an honest guy. It would've fucking killed me if I had kept this from you,” he said,

”Rach, really... I don't know what to do. We hadn't had sex in such a long time and, and... She was something different. I had to get away from all this.”

”How many times?”

”What?”

”How many times did you sleep with her?” I asked him. My ice cold voice scared me a bit.

”Once, just once. But I met her tonight again... I swear, I didn't even touch her,” he said and put his hand on my thigh.

I pushed it away and moved away from him.

”Rach, baby...” he mumbled as I stood up.

”You know what? I think you should sleep on the couch tonight,” I said, trying to remain as calm as possible.

”Before we had the baby, it was okay for me to... See other girls. Before it all got so serious,” he said quietly.

”You fucking prick, do you think it's okay for you sleep around with women while I'm depressed? You knew it was going to ruin this, you knew it would ruin our relationship!” I exclaimed, finally snapping.

”I'm sorry!” he exclaimed and stood up, putting out the cigarette.

”You, out of all the people, you! I trusted you, I really did! I thought, you know, that you were too good of a person to ever cheat on your wife! I gave you a child, I've given you all that you have ever wanted and this is what I get? I tried to be a good mother to our kid because I know that's what you want. I try my best, I really do,” I exclaimed and shook my head.

”I'll definitely sleep on the couch tonight,” he said with a nod.

”No! You're going to sleep on that damn couch every single night from now on until I forgive you. I'm going to make you suffer until I feel like I'm ready to forget that you slept with someone else. And,” I muttered and took the ring off my finger, ”I'm not taking this back until it really means something, until our marriage means something to you.”

I pushed the ring to him and marched back into our house.

-

Ten days had gone by since the incident and I hadn't talked to Jimmy. I hadn't said a word to him because I was so damn mad at him. He had tried to strike up a conversation and he had tried to cook me dinner and all that stuff but I wasn't going to say a word to him. Not until I was ready to forgive him.

What made it even harder was that we were going to go to a dinner to Brian and Michelle's place that night. I suppose none of them knew what was going on between Jimmy and myself and we were forced to act like a happy couple.

I got ready and made myself pretty by putting on a dress that Jimmy had bought me.

First we drove to mom's place because she had promised to look after the baby while we were out. Not much was said while we were there because Jimmy and mom didn't get along which I completely understood. Mom still blamed him for lots of things and if only she had known about the cheating thing, too...

When we got to Brian and Michelle's place, everyone was there already.

When we walked in, Jimmy grabbed my hand, just to annoy me. I elbowed his side as Michelle greeted us.

”Hey!” she exclaimed with a big smile.

She was really pregnant and let me tell you, she looked amazing. If only I had looked like her when I was pregnant...

”Hey!” Jimmy pulled her into a hug.

Michelle led us to the dinner table where everyone was.

Jimmy and I sat down and that's when it got really awkward.

”So, how are you two?” Val, Michelle's sister, asked us with a smile.

Fucking hell.

”Me and my lady are doing great,” Jimmy said and flashed a smile.

”Are we really?” I asked quietly and cocked an eyebrow at him.

It was the first time I spoke to him in days and he seemed a bit surprised.

”Rach, not now,” Jimmy muttered under his breath.

”Aww, are the lovebirds having a fight?” Zacky exclaimed with a laugh.

”Just a few disagreements, that's all,” Jimmy said quickly.

”Disagreements? Is cheating a disagreement?” I asked suddenly.

The whole room went quiet. Everyone seemed to be afraid to even breathe. Not a single thing was said until Jimmy opened his mouth.

”Rachel,” Jimmy said under his breath, ”Please.”

”Oh, your friends here don't know? Did you guys know that Jimmy, my beloved husband here, slept with another woman?” I asked and looked around the table.

They all looked pretty shocked, to be honest. But I didn't know if they were more surprised about the fact that Jimmy was capable of cheating or that I was causing such a scene.

”This is between us,” Jimmy said. I shook my head.

”These are your best friends, right? Don't you want them to know what you really are like? Don't you want everyone to know what kind of a man you are?” I muttered and glared at him.

”That's enough, Rach,” Jimmy said and grabbed my wrist.

I yanked my arm away from his grip and stood up.

”Nothing is enough, especially not for you. I want you to beg for forgiveness. I want you to do everything you can to make this up to me. You don't deserve me,” I muttered and marched out of the house.

When I reached Jimmy's car, I just lost it. Tears streamed down my face as I realized that it was over.

My marriage was over because of Jimmy and his stupid actions.

I got down on my knees on the ground and just cried. I buried my face in my hands and let it all out.

I felt someone's hands on my shoulders as I was being pulled into a hug.

It wasn't Jimmy, I knew it wasn't, but I couldn't tell who it was, not until they said something.

”Let's get you inside. You can't drive like this.” It was Brian.

”I'm not going back there if he's there,” I mumbled and sobbed.

Brian sat down on the ground and pulled me into his arms. He tried to calm me down.

”Rachel, you listen to me now!” Jimmy's voice made me flinch.

Brian helped me up on my feet and I looked at Jimmy who was marching towards me.

”Jimmy, maybe this isn't a good idea...” Brian trailed off when he saw the look on Jimmy's face.

”I don't care if I'd slept with a thousand women – you have no rights to be so disrispectful in front of my friends, okay?” Jimmy was shouting at me, ”You had no reason to cause such scene in front of everyone! I already apologized – what more do you want? I can't take it all back, I can't undo what I did!”

”You have no rights to shout at me! I have done nothing wrong! You cheated on me, you went and slept with another woman and there's nothing worse than that!” I screamed.

It was hard to see him or anything since there were tears in my eyes. It was pathetic.

”Hey, shut up, both of you! It breaks my heart to see you two fight,” Brian said with a smile, ”You're that couple that never fights or breaks up, okay?”

”Gates, please go inside,” Jimmy said quietly.

”No. You know, I don't want you to shout at each other. I want you to make up and be all lovey-dovey again, okay?” Brian was looking at both of us. I sniffled and wiped my eyes, ruining my make up.

”Just give each other a nice little hug and go home and have some sex,” Brian kept pushing it.

”You're not coming into my house tonight,” I muttered to Jimmy.

”It's my house!”

”It's our house!”

”I bought it!” he exclaimed.

”Fine! I'll give you back every single thing that you have bought me! In fact, I'll start with this dress – ”

I trailed off and started pulling the dress off myself. Brian rushed to me and stopped me from going naked in their front yard.

”Hey, hey, hey. Rach, let's be adults now. I think I'm going to call, uh, your mom to get you out of here. And you can go to your place, Jimmy can sleep here and, uh...” Brian trailed off and wiped my wet cheeks with his thumbs.

”Thanks for taking care of her, man,” Jimmy said quietly, "She needs someone now. Don't you, Rachel?"

”Don't talk to me. Don't talk to him, either. Don't talk to anyone,” I muttered.

Jimmy laughed.

”Don't even laugh.”

”Okay.”

”Can you two stay here for a few minutes without trying to kill each other while I go call Rach's mom?” Brian asked and started walking into the house.

Nothing was said as he left. And while he was gone, I just glared at Jimmy who was looking at me.

”This is stupid, Rach. This isn't us,” he said suddenly. I shook my head.

”No. You're not you anymore. Maybe you shouldn't have cheated on me if you didn't want this to happen,” I muttered.

”Are you ever going to forgive me?”

He took a step towards me.

I took a step back, away from him.

”I don't know. You don't deserve that.”

”I know. But I love you. That... Other girl meant nothing. It's you who I want to be with, you're the one I need,” he said quietly.

”You have a funny way of showing it.”

”Rachel, baby.”

”Do not ”baby” me. I don't want anything to do with you from now on, not until I say otherwise. The baby stays with me and my mother until I decide what's going to happen. You're not coming near me or my family, okay?”

”That's not fair.”

”Well guess what, asshole? Life isn't fair!”