Almost Easy

Matt’s POV

Wicked. It was wicked. The feeling settling in my chest as I laid on the couch in my living room was rotten, wicked, and I could feel the toxicity of it seeping through my pores. Since Friendsgiving I hadn’t spoken to anyone outside of a simple reply when Brian would ask if I was still alive. Liz would be boarding the place to Europe tomorrow, probably with Sam, going off to the vacation I had planned to fix our marriage. Something I had told my therapist I was totally moved on from.

We both knew that was a lie. No matter how we ended up I would always screw it up. When I didn’t have her, she was all I wanted, when she was sitting patiently in the palm of my hand waiting for me I would ignore her. But now, knowing what was going on, made me punch seven of the nine holes in the wall by my bedroom. The other two were from me falling over drunk before I made it to the doorway.

I knew she wanted more of a family but I was too afraid to have the conversation seriously with her, and now, now Sam was giving that to her. But at what cost? How he treated her that night? Was that what she was settling for?

At least it was attention

Jacky had sent me that text a few days in to my mini hibernation away from everyone, Zack had hit the jackpot with that one. She always knew what was going through everyone’s heads. Yeah, I guess at least he gave her attention, more than I ever did. Fuck, fuck me for getting drunk and leaving her alone. Maybe I should have been a dick.

“Wow.” I mumbled out loud at the thought, there was that wicked feeling again. What if I had let myself be that excuse for a man?

I sat up quickly, if that’s how he treated her in front of us, how the fuck did he treat her at home? I shook my head, no, no Liz wouldn’t stand for that…

At least it was attention

Jacky’s text rang through my head in her judgmental voice she always used when sticking something in our faces.

I grabbed my phone and looked at the time, it was noon, socially acceptable to make a phone call. I clicked on Zack’s name and it rang a few times.

“Wow, I’m kind of shocked. You haven’t even responded to my texts lately and suddenly a phone call, to what do I owe this-“

“What if he’s worse to her in private?” I cut his annoying rant off half way, or what I was hoping was half way.

“It took you nearly a month to come to that conclusion?” He sounded very disinterested, “Listen, she’s ok. What’s not ok is this social coma you’ve been in. You need to come around more, it’s going to be ok-“

“But what if she’s not, Zack?” I asked, cutting him off once again which earned me an exasperated sigh on his end, “What if she’s not ok? You know Liz and her pride, how she is, she’s never wrong. She’d stand on top of a burning building to prove she was right about it being flame resistant, and she’d die for it.”

Zack groaned, “Matt, I see her all the time, I talk to her all the time. She’s fine.. She wouldn’t stay with him if she didn’t want to.”

“Ask your wife about what she texted me, I’m gonna go and take a shower.”

“Alright man, will do, and good because I can smell you through the phone… Also, next week is the Christmas party at Big Bear so you’d better start digging out of you cave now to make it in time.”

“Funny, bye.” I rolled my eyes and hung up, I looked at the date on my phone calendar and sighed. Tomorrow was the flight out to the cabin and I couldn’t stop thinking about the horror stories of couples going overseas and only one returning or someone going missing or something tragic.

The whole pregnant thing was being actively pushed from my head at every moment. A shower was probably the best idea I’d had all morning.

:.:.:.:.:.:.:

Zack had called me back and told me to come over and hang out while Jacky took Liddy to her parents for the day, something to get out of the house sounded alright so I got dressed after my shower and left. The drive over to Zack’s I kept myself occupied with some background music but mainly my mind was still focusing around the thought of Liz and Sam. Not for the fact they were together, ok probably a little of that too, but the idea of how he acted that night was still making me annoyed.

I pulled up to Zack and Jacky’s and immediately noticed an unfamiliar car in the driveway, I groaned, if Sam and Liz were here before heading off to the airport I was going to lose it on him if he stepped one inch out of line.

I grabbed my hat from the seat beside me and pulled it on backwards, keeping my sunglasses over my eyes as I trekked up to the door and opened it, “Zack?” I called out, glancing around until I heard something in the back yard. I arched an eyebrow and made my way to the sliding glass door, peering out and sighing in relief, “Hey, loser, when you invite someone over don’t play hide and seek in the back yard.” I walked out and laughed.

“Oh hey, I didn’t think you’d get here this fast.” Zack looked up from his conversation with a very familiar looking brown haired girl, “You remember Marie, right? Works with Liz?”

“Right, yeah, how’ve you been?” I asked, watching the look on her face borderline anger, “I get it, but relax ok? What are you even doing here?”

“Leaving, that’s what.” She stood, taking a stack of papers with her, “Thanks for helping with that Zack, she’ll be really excited. Good to see you Matt.” Marie smirked at me and pushed past me and in to the house.

I pointed my thumb over my shoulder, “What the hell was that about?”

“Nothing,” Zack waved it off, “Work stuff, I’m trying to get Liz’s company to pick up designing for us.”

“Gotcha, so anyways. What’s on the agenda for today?” I leaned against the arm of the lounge chair across from him, watching his shoulders shrug slightly, “No ideas? At all?”

“You wanna go out? Like, tonight, with the guys? No girls, just the guys. Get fucked up?”

I smiled, “Now you’re speaking my language, make some bad decisions?”

“I think it’s about time we let loose again and wreak some old school havoc. Jacky already said go for it and I know Brian’s off the hook for the night.” Zack smiled and grabbed his phone, “It’s fucking on.”