Chapter 17: Something Missing
518 Words
The bathroom mirror was foggy from the steam of Mike’s shower. He stood shirtless at the sink, brushing his teeth slowly, eyes fixed on his reflection. Every stroke of the brush felt mechanical. His mind wandered—drifting where it shouldn’t, to a heat he couldn’t shake.
Karen’s breath. Karen’s voice. Karen’s mouth.
He shut his eyes, trying to push it away.
But then, the door creaked open.
“Still in here,” Diana said with a soft smile, stepping in barefoot, her hair slightly damp from the shower she’d taken earlier. She wore nothing but one of his old t-shirts, the hem barely covering her thighs.
Mike glanced at her in the mirror, quickly lowering his eyes.
“You’ve been quiet lately,” she said, stepping behind him. “Too quiet.”
“I’m just tired,” he mumbled, rinsing his mouth.
Diana wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, laying her cheek against his bare back. “I miss you,” she whispered.
He paused, then slowly dried his face with the towel. “I’m here.”
She moved around him and stood in front, her hands sliding up his chest. “Not really.”
Her voice was low, laced with something sultry. Something she hadn’t used in a while.
She reached up, kissed his neck. “We’ve been... distant. I want to feel close to you again.”
Mike’s stomach twisted. “Babe, maybe we can just—”
Diana shut him up with a kiss. Soft, then deeper. Her lips moved with practiced warmth, her hands roaming across his skin, finding the hem of his boxers.
He froze.
“I want you,” she whispered into his mouth.
He didn’t respond.
Her hand slid inside his boxers. She was gentle at first, then her touch turned urgent, trying to stir something—anything.
But he didn’t react.
Her brow furrowed slightly. “You’re not hard.”
Mike swallowed. “I told you, I’m just... stressed. Work’s been a lot.”
Diana didn’t stop. She kissed down his jaw, her hand still exploring, trying. Her body pressed into him. She moved against him deliberately, slowly grinding.
Still nothing.
“Come on,” she whispered. “Let me take care of you. Let me make you feel good.”
But Mike gently pulled her hand out of his shorts.
“Not tonight,” he said softly, trying to smile.
Diana stepped back slowly, hurt flashing briefly in her eyes. “You sure?”
“Yeah,” he lied.
She didn’t push. She wrapped her arms around herself. “Okay. I guess we both need rest.”
He nodded. “Yeah.”
She turned and walked out of the bathroom, her footsteps soft, her mood deflated—but no accusations, no suspicion. Just silence.
Mike stood there, heart racing. His reflection stared back at him—empty, exhausted, hollow.
He touched the sink’s edge and gripped it hard.
And somewhere in the hallway, Liam’s nightlight clicked softly as it lit up the room.
The house was quiet. Too quiet.
But inside Mike’s chest, everything was screaming.
- Writer
