Bring him to your office

You decide that it would be more suspicious to blow your husband off than to bring him back to your office. There's no way to hide the flowers in your small office, so you quickly arrange them in an old vase and put them on your desk. It's not like you can be blamed for a secret admirer's flowers! Still feeling a little self-conscious, as if your husband will see through your smile and to your thoughts of infidelity, you straighten up and make your sweater a little less revealing.

Brad is waiting for you beneath the portrait of Mr. Perry. His handsomely disheveled hairstyle compliments his big blue eyes framed by his trendy eyeglasses. He's actually dressed up a little, in one of those vintage professor-style jackets with the patches on the sleeve and a pair of slacks you told him to buy during one of your infrequent outings together. You're a little surprised to see that he has shaved off his lazy beard he was growing. His strong chin has reappeared for the first time in weeks and the five o'clock shadow is downright sexy.

He lights up when he sees you and opens his arms. You embrace, exchanging a quick hug and kiss while Wendy looks at you over the pages of a gossip magazine.

"This is a surprise," you say. "Come on back to my office and we can talk."

You walk ahead of him, leading him through Perry Packaging to your small office. To your surprise, when you glance over your shoulder your husband is staring at your ass. He looks up, makes eye contact and a guilty grin spreads across his face. You're not angry at all. It feels good to receive a little attention from your husband after being ignored for years. You finally get him into your office and close the door behind you.

"So, it's good to see you, Brad, but what are you doing here?"

"I know I usually forget, so, you probably forgot, but it's our anniversary today."

He's right about all of it. The realization hits you like a smack in the face. You've grown so far apart that you don't even remember your anniversary.

"Oh my God," the realization hits you and you sit down in your chair, a bit stunned. "You're right. It's been..."

"Ten years," he says. "It's our tenth. It's okay, it's my fault you didn't remember. I have been, well, I've been a shitty husband." He takes your hands in his. "I know I have been ignoring you, but I love you, Rebecca. I'm sorry for the way things have been, that you are this wonderful thing in my life I have taken for granted and neglected. From now on I want things to be different."

Your heart swells at what he is saying, but he has apologized for this sort of thing before, after fights and after forgetting your birthday last year. This is different. He is coming to you out of the blue with an apology and a promise to change. You look up at him, at the emotion in his eyes, and you want to be convinced.

"So when does it start, Brad? When can you make me believe that things are changing?" He toys with the flowers on your desk. There's that guilt again, even if it's not your fault some pervert decided to send you flowers.

"It started with these," he says. "I sent them to you. I've planned an entire day for us, starting right now. Shopping, a reservation at that restaurant you've been wanting to go to, then after that my friend's cousin who works at the Art Institute said he can let us in after hours to look at those French paintings you wanted to see."

Somehow, despite all the video games, your husband was actually paying attention to the things you have recently expressed an interest in. You want to leap up and say yes, to go along with him and recapture the relationship you shared with Brad when you first married. Then reality sinks in. If you run off with Brad for a marriage-saving bit of romance you will be walking away from your job in a critical moment. You can't have both. Maybe you could at least lock your office door and let him know you haven't given up on the marriage either.

"Will you come with me and give me another chance?" Brad waits expectantly for your answer.