Almost Easy

Trouble In Paradise

Brian's POV

And that, my friends, is how a week later, I'm sleeping in an unfamiliar bed alone in Zoey's condo. It wasn't awful but it wasn't exactly how I wanted to spend the next five months. I wouldn't have minded being there if I was sleeping with Zoey herself. But she was sticking to the whole "no sleeping together rule. Every fucking night, she scooped up Pinkly, said a formal good night and shut me and the rest of the world out of her bedroom.

It just wasn't the same. What made it worse was that we stopped joking and having fun. She did her best to stay out of my way. One minute she'd be talking to Johnny or Matt and when I'd walk over, she'd clam up, nod and then make excuses to get away. A move that wasn't lost on anyone. When we were home together, she kept to her bedroom, and remained quiet if we had to sit in the same room. She answered questions and would smile but for the most part, she treated me with a neutral cordiality that made me nuts.

This is the reason why I'm sitting here at Zacky's engagement party, drinking my sixth beer watching my wife work the room, smiling and laughing with her family, pretending like I don't exist. I'm trying to act like a model husband, or at least what I thought a good husband should act like.

"What are you doing hiding over here?" Jimmy asked as he came to stand next to me at the bar.

"Staying out of Zoey's way," I said pulling a sip from my bottle.

He frowned "Dude, she's your wife. She probably wants you to hang out with her in front of her family. Especially since you publicly..."

"Ahhhh," I put my hand up to stop him "I hear enough about it from Zoey, I don't need to be reminded of that shit from you too."

He laughed. "She still kicking your ass?"

"I wish...then at least she'd be touching me," I slurred a bit.

"Yikes," he gave me a sympathetic look "She cut you off?"

"We've only had sex one time since we've been married," I blurted.

His blue eyes widened "Really?"

"One time!" I yelled a bit louder drawing a little bit more attention.

"Shhh, I can hear you," he replied lowly "You don't want to give her another reason to be pissed at you."

"Not like it makes a difference," I mumbled "Still not getting any."

He stared at me with a hint of a smile on his face and shook his head.

"What?" I demanded to know what the smirk was about.

"I didn't think you'd stand for something like that," he replied. "You must not be on your game."

"Cause I'm sex deprived," Again I was loud enough to get some attention.

"So go out and fuck one of the many groupies that throw themselves at you," he proposed.

I closed my eyes slowly and re-opened them to try to focus on him. "Just make things worse. She'll never forgive me," was all I could manage.

He smiled again and it creeped me out.

"What?" I demanded to know what the smirk was about

"You're in love with Zoey," he cooed annoyingly.

"Am not," I scowled resisting the urge to smack him.

"Are too," he insisted "Why else would you be bitching about not getting any from her?"

"Because I don't want any from anyone else."

"Ah ha!" he cried startling me "I told you. You love her. If it was Michelle, you would have already had some chick out of her pants and on your dick."