CLEO
Cleo liked hotels. She liked sleeping on sheets she hadn’t, and wouldn’t wash. There was something about them that felt like a clean slate, an invitation to step outside her life and slip into someone else’s, just for a little while. No judgment. No obligations.
This boutique hotel was tucked into a quiet stretch along the coast, just far enough from the city to feel like a secret. She hadn’t stayed here before, but the glowing reviews had drawn her in and the distance made it feel like a real escape.
The room smelled of freshly laundered sheets, with crisp undertones of lemon and clove clinging to the air. A half-drunk flute of champagne sat on the marble-topped side table, catching bits of soft afternoon light. They had ordered it the moment they arrived, feeling like naughty school kids indulging in day drinking. The bubbles had gone straight to her head, melting her tension and dissolving the usual rhythm of small talk. Things had moved faster than she expected and Cleo was pleasantly surprised when Jacob did not object when she asked him to choke her.
The plush robe, now draped over the edge of the bed, still held the warmth of her body. Beneath her, the cool tiled floor made her aware of every step, a contrast to the softness she’d sunk into just hours before.
Jacob had stepped into the shower, and the steady hiss of hot water created a cocoon of sound in the background. For a moment, Cleo let herself sink into the hush. It was rare for her world to be this still.
Even though she was away from home, a rare luxury she didn’t take for granted, she missed her children. She’d spent barely four hours away from them and she was already thinking of calling to hear Axel’s voice say Mummy and Mandy’s delighted giggle.
“Sure you don’t want to join me, babe?” Jacob’s voice called above the cascade of water.
Cleo leaned against the frame, crossing her arms. Warm steam curled around her ankles.
“And freeze to death because you can’t bathe in warm water like a normal human being?”
“I beg to differ. I’m the normal one.”
They both laughed.
“Do you miss this?” Cleo asked, when their laughter subsided.
“Miss what?” Jacob asked, stepping out of the shower, droplets clinging to his skin. He reached for a towel, wrapping it low around his waist.
“God, you are sexy,” she murmured, momentarily distracted by the way the water clung to the ringlets of hair on his chest.
It occurred to her how incredibly lucky she was to still be so attracted to her husband after six years of marriage and eight years of being together. Before marriage, Cleo’s track record in relationships had been terrible. She had a short attention span when it came to men, dumping them as soon as she was bored which was usually within six months tops.
But Jacob had been different from the start. After their first date, he’d kissed her at the door and left. They hadn’t had sex for nearly a year, just long talks and slow, magnetic kisses. It was new for Cleo. But it had been worth it because it showed Cleo that there was more to romance than sex, that she could have a romantic relationship that didn’t thrive on sex alone.
When she and Jacob eventually began to have sex, Cleo realised that sex was often better when it wasn’t the foundation of a relationship.
“Focus, woman,” Jacob said now, running his fingers through his wet hair. “What do you miss?”
“Us.This. Just the two of us, like it used to be.”
He closed the distance between them, warm and freshly showered, and kissed the tiny tattoo on her upper arm..
“I do. But I also love our life now. I won’t trade Axe or Mandy for anything in this world.”
“Me neither. I just…sometimes I miss when things were simple, you know? When I went to work and came back and just…relaxed. Now my schedule is so packed, I barely recognize myself.”
“So, you don’t miss working? Or you do?”
“I don’t know.” She pressed her cheek against his damp chest, felt the slow thud of his heart. “This is the most pressure I’ve felt in my life. Two kids? Different meals? I’m not even a good cook, Jacob. And now sex is something we schedule? I didn’t think this would be my life.”
He sighed and pulled her tighter. “First of all, I’m always down to get freaky with you. Just say the word.”
“But why don’t you make the move anymore? I feel like you don’t find me attractive anymore.”
“Cleo, come on. You know that is not true. I love you.”
“That’s not what I asked, Jake.”
He exhaled sharply and looked at her, suddenly serious. “I have to tell you something.”
Cleo stiffened. A chill swept up her spine. The room was warm, but she felt cold.
“What is it? You’re scaring me.”
“Come, let’s sit,” he said gently, taking her hand and leading her to the bed.
“I don’t want you to take this the wrong way…”
“Are you leaving me?” she blurted. “Just say it. I can take it.”
“No, babe. No. Of course not.” He took both her hands in his. “I love you, Cleo. You’re it for me. Forever and always.”
“Then just tell me.”
“I kissed someone.”
She stared at him. Surely she’d misheard. Her brain didn’t compute it right away.
“You’re joking, right?”
He shook his head, “it was a mistake, I swear.”
“What? You lips accidentally met hers? And who is she? When did this happen? How long has this been going on?”
Jacob’s mouth opened, then closed. He ran a hand through his wet curls, still glistening with droplets from the shower.
“It wasn’t planned,” he said quietly. “It just… happened.”
Cleo blinked. “That’s not an explanation, Jacob. You don’t just fall into someone’s mouth.”
He sat on the edge of the bed, elbows on his knees, his towel loosening slightly but neither of them cared.
“It was one night after work in April. We’d had a brutal day, weather delays, a subcontractor quit mid-project, everything was behind schedule. A few of us went for drinks downtown to blow off steam. Just talking, laughing… then everyone else left. She and I stayed back a bit longer.”
He paused, shame tightening his jaw.
“I had one drink too many. She leaned in and I didn’t stop it right away. But it ended there. I pulled away, said goodnight, and left. I took an Uber and…” he let out a breath, “I felt disgusting.”
“You should,” Cleo said, her voice flat.
“I haven’t spoken to her since. I swear. It didn’t mean anything. I didn’t even want it. I don’t even know why I didn’t push her away immediately.” He looked up at her, eyes wide with shame. “I just kept thinking… I didn’t want to be that guy. And now I am.”
Cleo’s breath came in shallow pulls. She didn’t know if she wanted to scream, cry, or curl into herself and disappear.
This was certainly not how she had seen this weekend going.
“Wait, this happened in April. Mandy was…three months old then. Why are you telling me now?” she asked.
“I couldn’t keep carrying it. I felt it every time I came home. That’s why I stopped initiating anything. I felt like I didn’t deserve you.”
Cleo stood abruptly. The room spun. Her bare feet whispered across the rug as she walked into the bathroom and locked the door behind her.