Yes, but not satisfying as usual -Blink

Amelia lay completely still on the plush living room sofa. Today, she didn't feel like watching those baking and kitten videos.

Her mind constantly drifted back to the afternoon as her skin still hummed with a lingering warmth.

Her phone suddenly vibrated in her hand, flashing a picture of a vibrant, ginger-haired woman holding a cocktail. It was her younger sister, Sarah.

Amelia immediately swiped the green icon, holding the phone against her ear. "Hi, Sarah! How are you?"

"Amy!" Sarah’s loud, energetic voice filled the speaker, accompanied by the faint sound of city traffic in the background. "I'm so sorry, I couldn't call you at all this past week, you know I had just moved in with my new boyfriend. Anyway, how's the new suburban prison treating you?"

"Sarah, don't call it that," Amelia giggled, shifting her weight on the cushions. "The new house is lovely. We have a huge porch and a tidy backyard."

"Yeah, yeah. Plenty of space for you to grow your vegetables and flowers all by your lonely self again," Sarah sighed.

At twenty-eight, Sarah was Amelia's polar opposite, an independent, social and party girl. She had practically sprinted out of their parents' strictly religious household the moment she turned eighteen. She was currently a divorcee with no children, living alone in a bustling downtown apartment, and completely thriving in her highly social life.

"Don't be mean," Amelia pouted playfully. "I happen to love gardening."

"I know you do, sis," Sarah’s tone softened slightly. "I'm just checking in. You know I worry about you out there. Especially since Mom and Dad passed... it's literally just you, me, and your brooding husband now."

"Marcus isn't brooding. He just takes his job very seriously."

"Marcus is a control freak, sis," Sarah stated bluntly, the clinking of a wine glass echoing on her end of the line. "I mean, don't get me wrong. He is incredibly hot and handsome. But the way he locks you down? No social media, no going out alone? Thank God I got out of our parents' house when I did, or I'd probably be trapped in a marriage just like yours."

"It's not a trap, Sarah. He is also a very hard worker, he is the one who feeds us all." Amelia sighed, trying to explain to her rebellious little sister.

"He isolates you," Sarah countered easily. "Honestly, sis, if I were in your shoes, locked up in that giant house all day with a guy barking orders at me? I would totally cheat on him. I wonder how you can just tolerate him even now."

"Sarah! What a terrible thing to say!" Amelia scolded, her voice dripping with sweet, moral superiority. "Cheating is an awful, terrible sin! A good wife never, ever breaks her vows like that!"

"Oh, come on, I'm just joking-"

"No, I mean it!" Amelia interrupted, "It is perfectly fine for a woman to have some innocent fun! If a girl gets lonely, she can make a nice friend. She can keep him company, but cheating is never allowed."

"Oh my God, Amelia, you are too pure for this planet," Sarah wheezed, completely misinterpreting Amelia's bizarre defense. "Live a little! Gosh, I love you. You're basically a saint."

"I love you too, sweetie," Amelia chirped, feeling deeply validated.

"Alright, I gotta run," Sarah said, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Mister boyfriend is coming over in five minutes, and I am not wearing pants. Talk to you later, sis!"

"Oh! Geez! Have a good night, Sarah!" Amelia blushed, hanging up the phone.

The evening slipped by quietly. Liam came downstairs for dinner, eating his plate of meat and vegetables in his usual, hunched silence. Amelia didn't push him to talk, and by nine o'clock, Liam had retreated to his bedroom for the night.

Alone again, Amelia pulled her phone from her pocket and tapped the secret calculator icon. She punched in the passcode, her heart doing a happy little flutter as the hidden chat screen appeared.

Amelia: Thank you again for today, Samuel. I had so much fun. I wish I could just come there, right now.

She hit send and waited. She watched the screen for five minutes. Then ten.

No reply.

Amelia: Samuel. Why aren't you replying. Are you angry with something?

After five more minutes, a message appears.

Samuel: I'm busy, right now. Talk to you tomorrow.

"Geez, what's he so busy with? Hmm.." she put her phone down, her mind drifted. thinking about him and Marcus's talk during the day "He said he retired as a fleet mechanic, and then started doing sales job, He said he retired from the job too and is currently working as a freelance or something.

"He's so hardworking even in this age, and never even brings up his work in front of me...." She made a determined expression. "It's decided, tomorrow I'll bake him a fresh peach cobbler. I'm sure it'll cheer him up."

Satisfied with her plan, she stood up and did her evening stretches. She winced slightly as her Pilates routine pulled the tender, red skin of her spanked rear, but the dull ache quickly lulled her into a deep, exhausted sleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

***

Midnight,

The heavy clatter of the front door deadbolt echoing through the hallway woke her hours later.

Amelia blinked her heavy eyes open, glancing at the glowing red numbers on the nightstand clock. 12:45 AM.

"Hey, baby," Amelia mumbled, her voice thick with sleep as she curled deeper under the blankets.

"Hey, did I wake you up?" Marcus grunted, stripping off his utility belt and dark uniform shirt. He looked completely drained, his broad shoulders slumping as he tossed his gear onto a chair.

He walked over and sat on the edge of the mattress, the bed groaning under his weight. "You're still wearing your robe in bed?"

"I was a little chilly," she lied smoothly, the words rolling off her tongue. "How was your shift?"

"A lot of paperwork," Marcus sighed, leaning back to rest his hand heavily on her covered hip. "How was your day after I left? Did Samuel return with the fertilizers?"

"Mmhmm," Amelia nodded, burying her face half into the pillow. "I just helped him weed the plants for a bit. Then came back home after some time. Then, Liam and I just watched TV all evening."

Marcus nodded slowly. It was as he expected.

"Good," Marcus murmured, standing up to head toward the bathroom. "Get some sleep, Amelia."

Amelia let her eyes drift shut. Her first day of keeping a massive, dirty secret was officially over.