Leo's POV, waiting for Maya to come home

Leo sat on the edge of the sofa in their quiet apartment, elbows on his knees, staring at the blank screen of his phone.

He had completely forgotten to message Maya that morning. No “good luck,” no “you’ve got this,” nothing. The realisation had hit him mid-afternoon while he was buried in a stubborn server migration at work. Guilt had settled heavy and immediate in his chest. He had lost track of time trying to finish the job properly, and by the time he surfaced it felt too late for a simple text to make up for it.

So he had packed up early, told his team lead he needed to head home, and driven back with the sole intention of being there when she returned. He wanted to hear everything the moment she walked through the door.

Only he had never asked how long the meeting was supposed to last.

That second layer of guilt made the waiting worse. He paced the living room, then the short hallway, then back again. The apartment still smelled faintly of cardboard and new beginnings. In an effort to do something useful he opened every window, letting the late-afternoon air move through the rooms and clear out the lingering stuffiness from the move. After that he dragged the last few unpacked boxes into the centre of the floor and began emptying them—sorting books onto shelves, stacking spare cables into a drawer, folding the remaining kitchen towels. The activity helped, but only a little.

When the boxes were finally cleared he settled on the sofa and put on his favourite show, volume low, hoping the familiar dialogue would quiet the restless guilt. He kept his phone face-up on the cushion beside him, screen dark.

Somewhere in the second episode the sounds began.

At first Leo thought they were part of the show—a particularly intense scene he had somehow forgotten. Then he realised the television was not the source. The noises were coming from outside, drifting in through the open windows. A woman’s voice, unmistakably real, rising in soft moans that quickly grew louder and more unrestrained. Gasps. Broken cries. Then frank, open screams of pleasure that rose and fell in a steady rhythm.

Leo’s ears went hot. He sat very still, remote forgotten in his hand.

The couple—whoever they were—sounded completely lost in each other. The woman’s voice especially was raw and vocal in a way he had never heard from Maya. With Maya everything had always been quiet, careful, almost shy. These sounds were the opposite: free, urgent, full of unmistakable pleasure. Leo found himself listening longer than he meant to, a complicated mix of embarrassment and reluctant fascination settling over him. He wondered, not for the first time, what it would be like if sex with Maya ever sounded like that—if she ever let go enough to make those kinds of noises for him.

The sounds continued, rising and falling, for a long time. Longer than he expected. By the time they finally faded the light outside had shifted into proper evening. Leo glanced at the time and felt another small jolt of worry. Two and a half hours had passed since he had gotten home.

Then the front door opened.

Maya stepped inside looking refreshed, calm, and quietly happy. Her ginger hair was slightly damp as if she had showered recently. Her cheeks carried a soft, healthy colour. There was a satisfied ease in the way she moved that he had not seen before. She smiled when she saw him, the expression open and genuine.

Leo stood at once, relief flooding through him so strongly that the earlier guilt sharpened again.

“Maya—hey. You’re back.” He crossed the room and pulled her into a careful hug, breathing in the clean scent of her. “I’m so sorry I didn’t message you this morning. I completely lost track of time at work and only realised later. I came home early so I could be here when you finished. I didn’t even think to ask how long the meeting was supposed to last. I’ve been pacing like an idiot.”

He pulled back just enough to look at her face, still smiling, still completely unaware.

“Tell me everything,” he said. “How did it go? I want to hear all of it.”