Written in the Stars

Episode13

Briar Point of View

A silent fall settled around the house as Briar sat on the sofa with little Michaela, who was wrapped in a warm blanket, busy watching cartoons. Driven had told her that he would be out tonight with Mathew, his old friend from college, so Briar didn't expect him back until late.

As she sat there, she noticed that Michaela had grown incredibly quiet. Looking down, she saw her little one had fallen fast asleep next to her, snuggled up like a cocoon. Briar’s heart swelled with warmth; her daughter looked so beautiful lying there. I should probably take her to bed, Briar thought.

Rising slowly to her feet, she cradled her little daughter in her arms, holding her close as she carried her to the bedroom.

The soft light on the nightstand was already warming the princess's room when Briar entered. She walked slowly toward the bed, gently laid her little girl down, and tucked her in with a warm blanket.

Leaning in, Briar pressed a soft goodnight kiss to her forehead, then tiptoed out of the room.

The moment she stepped outside, she was finally free. She could breathe. As long as Driven was out with his friend, she could take this time entirely for herself.

A hot shower and a glass of wine sounded like the perfect way to start.

She exhaled slowly and brushed a strand of blonde hair behind her ear before heading toward the master bedroom. The moment she stepped inside, she kicked off her slippers and let out a tired groan. The day had drained her more than she realized.

A hot shower and wine.

That sounded perfect.

Briar moved toward the bathroom, turning on the shower until steam slowly began filling the room. She stripped out of her comfortable lounge clothes before stepping beneath the hot water. The warmth instantly relaxed the tightness in her shoulders, and for the first time all day, she felt herself unwind.

Closing her eyes, she tilted her head back and let the water run through her hair.

This alone time was just what she needed. This whole week was taking a tall of her of organize Michaela birthday and the stress of work with it.

Twenty minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a soft cream robe, her damp hair falling over her shoulders. She make herself to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of red wine before settling onto the couch again. The television played softly in the background, but she barely paid attention to it.

Her mind wandered.

Things between her and Driven had become so distant lately. Even when they stood in the same room, it felt like miles separated them. He was always working extra shifts on the weekends, and when he finally did come home, he was usually too tired to function.

They barely spoke these days. Every time she tried to convince herself that everything was fine, the uneasy feeling inside her only grew stronger. Ironically, the only person she spoke to more than her own husband was Josh, and they weren't even married.

It had been months since she and Driven had been intimate. The last time they had truly been passionate was on a date night when Michaela was only four months old.

She lifted the wineglass to her lips and took a slow sip. The taste was a mix of sweet and bitter, but it tasted good.

As she sat there, she thought about texting Josh. She wondered what he was up to. Right now, she would kill for a man to kiss her, or to just feel the weight of a man's body over hers. Driven was always working, and when he was home, he was either too exhausted or completely focused on Michaela.

Briar grabbed her phone, unlocked it, and scrolled down to Josh’s contact. Opening a new message thread, she typed out:

“Hi stranger, what are you up to? I’m thinking about you and would kill to have you here with me. I miss you being inside me.”

Heat warmed her cheeks as she re-read the text before finally hitting send. If there was one man who knew how to pleasure a woman, it was Josh. She only wished Driven could be more like him and do the things Josh did. Letting out a heavy sigh, Briar took another sip from her glass. She knew she should probably get dressed instead of sitting on the sofa with only a towel wrapped around her.

Rising to her feet, she made her way to the bedroom. She opened her wardrobe and pulled out some pajamas, but as she did, her eyes fell on a box tucked away on the shelf.

It was an adult toy that one of her best friends had bought her for her birthday. She looked at it, hesitating for a moment. I'm completely alone right now, she thought. Why not be a little naughty and relieve this tension? Lately, she had been feeling incredibly frustrated and full of cravings. Maybe it was just her hormones, but now that she was looking at it, she figured, why not?

Briar grabbed the box from the shelf and walked over to the bed. Unfastening the towel, she let it pool at her feet, completely naked, and opened the box.

She had only used it a few times before, but with her husband away for the entire night, this was her time. Taking the toy out, she climbed onto the bed and lay back, ready to finally focus on her own pleasure.

Driven Point Of View

The thumping bass of the music vibrated through the wooden table as Driven and Mathew sat,their voices a low murmur against the din.

They recalled college days, a blur of late nights and impulsive decisions before graduation. Driven felt a pang of disbelief, the years slipping away like sand through his fingers. A sudden weariness settled over him, a stark contrast to the vibrant memories they stirred.

"Man, those were the good old days," Mathew slurred slightly, the sharp scent of hops rising as he took a long swallow of his beer. "Now we're old. If we tried any of that, we'd break."

Driven grunted in agreement, the ache in his lower back a sudden, sharp reminder.

"I just tried to tussle with Michaela on the floor the other day, and my back screamed," he admitted, a wry smile touching his lips.

"Must be all those football games," Mathew chuckled, the clink of his glass against the table a familiar sound.

Driven nodded, the warm amber liquid of his own beer sliding down his throat.

He noticed the empty bottles, five in total, the faint sweetness of alcohol already clouding his thoughts despite the food they’d eaten.

"So, how's married life?" Mathew asked, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of curiosity and amusement.

"Beside being a father or being married again " Driven returned, a knowing smirk playing on his lips. How was married life?

A good question, indeed.

"But first," Driven declared, signaling the approaching waitress with a flick of his wrist,

"I think we need another round. Might be our last."

Mathew scowled playfully as another round of beer was ordered, the chill of the fresh glasses a welcome sensation.

Driven watched the waitress disappear back toward the crowded bar before leaning back in his chair and left out a tired sigh.

The loud music vibrated through the walls of the sports bar while groups of people laughed and shouted around them. It reminded him of the old college parties they used to sneak into after football practice.

Mathew gave him a suspicious look. “Your answer totally avoided my question.”

Driven chuckled softly and rubbed a hand over his jaw. “Maybe because I still don’t know how to answer it.”

“That bad?” asked Mathew as he lean forward and rest his elbows on the table.

“No,” Driven said quickly before shaking his head. “I cannot say is bad it is ….. Just… complicated.”

Mathew fold his arms as deep frown appear on his face while looking at him. “Complicated how?”

Driven stared down at the empty beer glass in his hand for a moment before speaking again.

“I quest…… I love…. Briar…… And I truly love my daughter Michaela…” A small smile touched his lips at the thought of his little girl. “That little girl owns my entire heart……. She have given me chance to be father after I lost two girls”

“Driven why do I get the feeling there is a but in this answer “ said Mathew “ You cannot say that you quest you love you wife?”

Driven let out a slow breath. “Sometimes I still feel like I’m trying to figure out how to be the husband she deserves…. I quest sometimes we only stay together because of Michaela and that is the only reason why we are married “

Mathew stayed quiet, listening carefully.

Driven laughed bitterly under his breath.

“Crazy thing is, back in college I thought marriage would be easy…. Excpecally when I meet Joel’s …. My marriage with her was perfect like a fairy tale until I went and mist it all up and lost perfect wife and a woman who I always will love”

“ But you are married to Briar now Driven” said Mathew “ And now one said that marriage would be perfect a good marriage take work and years of trust and build”

The waitress returned with another round of beers and placed them down on the table. Driven thanked her before taking a long sip from the fresh bottle.

Mathew shook his head while smirking. “You know, hearing you talk like this is weird.”

“Why?” asked Driven.

“Because back in college you were the confident one. Mister football star. Mister ‘I got my whole future planned out.’”

Driven groaned and covered his face briefly. “Please don’t remind me.”

“Oh no,” Mathew laughed. “I remember you walking around campus acting like some motivational speaker.”

Driven pointed at him with a grin. “And you were the i***t encouraging me.”

“True.” Said Mathew as he left his glass slight up to take a cheers then take a sip from it.

The two men laughed together, the years between college and now suddenly not feeling so heavy anymore. Their both take a sip from their beer then Driven said as he put his beer glass down “ I use to had it all figure out and thought That I would having the perfect life now being married and have lots of Kids and have good life “

“ But life don’t always turned out the way we wanted “ said Mathew as he take sip from his glass “ I learn that the hard way when I thought about Kaylee where my happy ending back then “

Driven left out heavy sighed as he looked down at his beer glass. He thought that Joelien was his happy ending that their would up ending having lots of children and raising them on the farm. His chest tight as he thought about that , except life did not turned out to be like that for him. He take his glass and then raise it to Mathew And said “ Here is for making our own happy endings now “

Mathew bring his glass to his and cheers. Glasses cling in he air and then their both take big sips from their beer. Knowing that life did not work out the way their wanted but thank full this was not the end and their could still write their own ending.