31 Days

David's Secret

David sat on his bed, his laptop screen illuminating his face in a soft blue light. He wore only his boxers, comfortable in the privacy of his own room. He leaned back against the pillows, a sly smile curving his lips as he spoke into the computer's microphone.

"Come on, Sarah, you know I'm worth more than that," he said, his voice low and smooth. "You keep me up all night, you're gonna have to pay a little extra."

Sarah, his client, grinned back at him through the screen. "I know, David, but you also know I can't afford to pay you much more."

David sighed, considering her words. He had bills to pay, after all, and he couldn't let himself be taken advantage of. But on the other hand, Sarah was a regular client, and he didn't want to lose her business.

"Fine," he said finally, after a moment of thought. "We'll settle on that price for now. But if you want me to stay any longer, it's gonna cost you extra."

Sarah nodded, satisfied. Dadid felt a flick of guilt. He needed the money, and his girlfriend, Emily, didn't need to know about this part of his life.

Just then, his phone buzzed. He glanced down at the screen, seeing Emily's name flash across it. He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should just let it go to voicemail. But something in him urged him to answer.

"Hey, babe," he said, putting on his best 'I'm-at-work-and-so-busy' tone of voice.

"Hi, babe," Emily said, her voice soft and loving. "I just wanted to call and see how your day was going."

David's heart clenched. Emily was the light of his life, the one person who made everything else in his world make sense. He hated lying to her, but he couldn't let her know what he was really doing.

"Oh, it's going all right," he said, hoping his voice didn't betray him. "Just super busy. You know how it is."

Emily laughed, a light, beautiful sound that made David's heart lift. "I know," she said. "It's the same for me."

David smiled, unable to help himself. Emily was so easy to talk to – it was why he loved her so much. "Well, we're both workaholics," he said. "But I'm looking forward to seeing you tomorrow."

Emily's voice softened. "Me too, babe. I'll let you get back to work, though. Talk to you later?"

"Definitely," David said, nodding even though Emily couldn't see him. "Bye."

He ended the call, staring at the blank screen for a moment. Then he turned back to his computer, pushing away the sense of guilt and focusing on Sarah once again.

"So, tonight at 8, then?" he asked her, all business.

Sarah nodded, her eyes bright with anticipation. "I can't wait," she said. "You're the best, David. See you later."

David closed his laptop, feeling a heavy weight settle in his chest. He didn't want to be doing this – it went against everything he believed in. But he also couldn't deny that the money was good, and it kept Emily and him afloat and more over, he just enjoy doing it.

He took a deep breath, trying to shake off the sense of unease. He needed to focus on work, on everything he needed to do before tonight. He couldn't let his personal life get in the way of his professional one.

So he got up from the bed, dressed himself in his work clothes, and went out to face the rest of the day, trying to ignore the nagging voice in the back of his mind that told him he was doing something wrong.

At Alice's house…

Emily's fingers tapping on her laptop screen as she tried to connect the Zoom link for the online business meeting. And it was an important meeting she couldn't afford to miss.

But then, she decided to check on the baby before joining the meeting. Just as she reached the door to the room, she heard the baby's wails fill the air. Without a second thought, she pushed open the door and rushed into the room, feeling her heart heavy with concern.

"Aww, shhh," she whispered to the crying baby, cooing as she lifted her up from the crib. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

The baby continued to cry, her tiny arms waving around wildly in the air. Emily knew that she had to do something fast if she wanted to make it to her meeting on time. She quickly checked her watch and groaned as she realized that she only had a few minutes until the meeting was due to begin.

Carefully taking off the baby's clothes and lifting her into the bathtub, where she turned on the warm water. Emily had to be careful not to let the water get too hot.

The baby continued to cry as Emily scrubbed her down with baby soap, lathering up her body and hair. She sang softly, trying to calm the little girl down, and soon enough, the baby began to quieten down.

"Good Job, my little angel," Emily said and rinsed her body as she lifted her out of the bath and wrapped her up in a soft towel. "I'm scared I won't make it in time for my meeting." Her heart was troubled.

As she dried her off and rubbed cream on the baby's skin, she wore her an outfit fit for the weather and fed her. With a deep breath, she gently rocked the baby in her arms, considering her strategies for putting her to sleep. She hummed a lullaby and rocked the baby back and forth gently, allowing her to rest her tiny head on her shoulder.

15 minutes later, Emily was startled as she opened her eyes and realized that the baby was peacefully sleeping in her arms. With a smile, she sat and laid the baby on the couch beside her.

In the next second, she tuned in to the meeting and listened to her colleagues through the screen, nodding her head and answering their questions as she made gestures to the baby in the background.

She couldn't deny, though, that her heart leapt when she heard a gentle cooing from the baby on the couch beside her. She looked over and saw that the little one had woken up and was staring at her through the camera.

After the meeting was over, Emily continued to sit in front of her laptop, staring at the baby and smiling at the baby's sweet face. She felt a sense of satisfaction as she realized that she knew that no matter what happened or what was to come, she could handle it.