Succulents on the Window Sill

Chapter 4

"I think he's cheating on me." 

Corinne nearly choked on her sip of coffee, managing to swallow it just before the fit of coughing began. 

"What the hell, Sara? This is Zach we're talking about, he'd never cheat on you." Their wedding night hadn't exactly been consensual. As far as Corinne was concerned, it, therefore, didn't count. 

"Then why has he been ignoring me for weeks?"

"Didn't you say that he was sick?" Corinne turned her attention to the magazine on the table, flicking through the pages as an excuse for why her eyes couldn't meet Sara's right now.

"I don't know, because he won't answer my damn calls." 

Zach had turned on his phone yesterday afternoon only to find thirteen missed calls from Sara. He'd last had his phone on in work on Friday, turning it off again as soon as he had arrived home. On the drive, she had apparently called him three times. 

The constant calls were hurting him, but they were starting to become an overall nuisance too. Zach had no choice but to keep the thing turned off if he wanted to do anything in peace. He couldn't shower, couldn't eat or sleep with it on. With how crazy it was becoming, and how it was affecting him, Corinne couldn't help but take his side. 

"Maybe you just need to cool it for a bit?"

"But then whoever she is can worm her way in and steal him from me!"

"You'd seriously take him back if he cheated?" Corinne raised an eyebrow, looking up through her lashes at Sara sat across from her. 

"No." Yeah, Corinne thought not. She was glad Sara wasn't stupid enough to give a cheater a second chance. "Have you seen any girls at his house, can you check for me?"

"Are you asking me to set up a telescope pointing right at his bedroom window, or sneak inside and search the closets?"

Sara's eyes narrowed, and she appeared thoughtful for a moment before leaning in. "Is that were his bedroom is, at the front of the house?"

"You...didn't know that?"

"No. It's not like I've ever been to his house."

"You were! Sara, you told me you were!"

She looked down, picking at her fingernails. "No, I thought I was going to be, but it never happened. Something about his family not liking non-French girls."

"He said that? Seriously?"

"I know right, they don't sound like the sort of people I'd want to have dinner with anyway." Corinne bit her lip, she was rather fond of the Dubois' actually. She glanced back to her magazine, turning a page to look at the home interior inspiration. 

"What did he say exactly?" 

"Oh, just something about how both of his parent's families came from this village in France and they ended up married to each other, and your parents did too. It's something about immigrants not wanting to lose their culture through marrying other people or something." She chuckled, "he should have just dated you." 

"Me?" Oh, if only she knew. 

"Yeah. I'm joking, don't worry. You've known Zach for years, it would be like kissing your brother or something." Sara turned up her nose, and Corinne placed all of her attention on a chair in the top right corner of the page. Zach was rather a good kisser actually, and kissing him hadn't felt like kissing a brother at all.

Her phone chose that moment to buzz, and Corinne glanced over at it where it sat on the table, grabbing it quick when she saw Zach's name flash up on the screen. If Sara knew Zach was texting her there would be questions, questions she really didn't want to have to try to answer.