Chapter 20

William returned to the bedroom after freshening up in the other bathroom. Brian was drying his hair. As the bedroom door closed, Brian glanced at him.

They were alone for the first time, and William didn't know what to say. Honestly, he and Brian never had much to talk about. Plus, that glance from Brian sent shivers down his spine.

He mustered the courage to speak. "Where's my blanket and pillow?"

"Don't have any. I'm not used to having extra stuff on the bed," Brian replied.

Sleeping alone in a double bed with a double blanket and pillows was the epitome of loneliness. Brian had gotten rid of the extras.

"Am I also considered 'extra'?" William asked.

Brian gave him a cold look, as if to say, 'Do you think you're not?'

"Alright, looks like I won't be sleeping in the bed tonight either. Are you going to kick me out?" William said, his voice tinged with sarcasm.

Couples often start sleeping separately when they're upset with each other. Brian felt wronged and wasn't in the mood to make amends, which is why he had been giving William the cold shoulder all day.

To avoid being kicked out of bed, William pulled a blanket from the closet and spread it on the floor at the foot of the bed.

Brian didn't say anything. He just picked up a book, read for half an hour, turned off the light, and settled into bed.

One on the bed, one on the floor, both lying flat, staring at the ceiling, not saying a word.

William thought that if they continued like this, not talking or interacting, even sixty years wouldn't save their marriage.

He turned to look at Brian on the bed. "What do you like to eat?"

"Anything."

"Let's go see a movie tomorrow."

"Depends on the time."

"What do you like to do in your free time?"

"I have to work."

"I like martial arts. Let's get a punching bag for the house. I can teach you some moves."

"I know how."

"Brian, can you please give me more than three words?"

Brian simply turned away, not saying anything.

"You talk about building a relationship, but with your icy demeanor, it's like trying to melt a glacier. The unmeltable kind!" William exclaimed.

Building a relationship is a two-way street, but how could they do that if Brian only gave him three-word answers?

"Hey, Brian, do you like camping? How about we go for a wilderness survival trip? Just a bottle of water, nothing else. We can catch fish, snakes, and rodents to eat. If we can't find anything, we can eat tree bark. I know some barks are edible. Hey, don't fall asleep! Let's chat."

"Chat about what?"

"About love. I get to know you, and you get to know me. We need to talk more."

"Go ahead, I'm listening."

"Alright then." William sat up, looking like he was ready for a long chat. But he realized they had nothing in common and didn't know what to talk about.

"I'll tell you about a mission I was on last year. I met this gorgeous woman, oh man, she was stunning. Wearing a red evening gown with a slit up to her thigh, her curves had all the men drooling. Blonde hair, blue eyes, and fiery red lips. She flirted with me, blew kisses, and her eyes were electric. She even…"

Brian, who had been hoping for something interesting or new, couldn't take it anymore. He didn't want to hear William praising how beautiful some woman was. He grabbed a book and threw it at William.

"Why are you throwing stuff at me? I haven't even gotten to the main part!" William exclaimed, dodging the book.

"What's the main part? You getting into bed with her? Are you going to share all the details?" Brian said, his face stern.

"If you dare say you slept with her, I'll sign the divorce papers this instant!" Brian thought to himself, fuming.

"Well, we did get into bed," William began.

Brian, gritting his teeth, swung his legs out of bed and reached for his bag to grab the divorce papers.

"But she undressed first, and I didn't. She thought she had me fooled, but I kicked her out of the room, and she ran out naked!" William quickly added, seeing Brian getting up. He was puzzled as to why Brian was rummaging through his bag.

"Weren't you going to sleep? Why are you getting up? Are you thirsty? Need to use the bathroom? At least put on some slippers," William said, offering his own slippers to Brian. "Here, put these on, the floor is cold."

As he helped Brian put on the slippers, William noticed the divorce papers in Brian's hand and recoiled in shock.