Point of View: Narrator
When Brian got home, Leighanne was in the kitchen cooking and Baylee was sitting at the table. Brian hung his jacket up at the door and put his keys into the pocket of it, kicked his shoes off onto the plastic guard on the floor and took a deep breath. He walked into the kitchen in his stocking feet.
"Hey beautiful," he said, taking the it-never-happened approach to the argument first. He went over, planning to hug and kiss her, but Leighanne turned at exactly the right moment and opened the cupboard doors. Brian looked at Baylee, and Baylee giggled.
Leighanne turned around at the sound of Baylee laughing and glared at Brian, sure he'd pulled a funny face, though he'd actually done nothing more than look at their son, and then glared at Baylee. "Eat the broccoli, don't just play with it," she said sharply.
"Yes momma," Baylee chirped and quickly stuffed a whole tree of broccoli into his mouth and chewed, making grossed-out expressions.
Leighanne took a can of cake frosting out of the cupboard and turned to the counter. She opened the utensils drawer and started fishing around. Brian stood awkwardly behind her, "Leighanne, listen, about today..."
She turned around rapidly, brandishing a large spreader in her hand, which at first the irrational side of Brian had thought was a knife. He jumped back and Baylee laughed again. Leighanne turned to Baylee, "Go clean your room."
"But--" Baylee looked at the broccoli. He didn't wanna miss his parents get into a fight. He had a pretty good inkling his mom could beat up his dad anyday of the week and he wanted to see it in action.
"NOW." Leighanne snapped.
"Bye Daddy!" Baylee called, bolting out of the room.
Leighanne turned back to Brian. "You lied to me," she snarled as soon as she was sure Baylee was out of earshot.
Brian stepped forward, pushing the spreader out from between them, "Leighanne, I --"
"DON'T LEIGHANNE, I-- ME!" she shouted.
Brian blinked and stepped back until he was flush against the counter on the opposite side of the room. She turned and grabbed the frosting jar and pried off the plastic lid and threw it vengefully in the direction of the garbage. It hit the rim and landed on the floor. Brian quickly bent and picked it up. "If you'd just listen to me, I'll tell you why I --"
"There IS NO REASON why you should ever be lying to me!" she bellowed.
Brian looked at his feet.
Leighanne shoved by him to the oven and grabbed a cake and a platter off the stovetop that had been sitting on a cooling rack. She turned back to the other counter, back-to her husband. She stuck the spreader into the frosting and set to work.
"I know there's no good reason," Brian said, "But there is a reason... Baby, please, won't you listen to me?"
"I have no interest in listening to you right now," she said coldly, "You lie to me, I don't want to hear a bunch of bullshit come out of your mouth."
"Where exactly do you think I was? A brothel? Good lord, Leighanne..."
"I DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU WERE!" she screamed, "That's exactly the point!"
Kevin appeared in the door of the kitchen just as Leighanne was screaming. He looked awkwardly from Leighanne to Brian, "I'll come back down in a bit," he said, and he disappeared again.
"Great, good job, spectacular, now Kevin thinks we're fighting," Brian said, pointing at the doorway.
"We are fighting, Brian," Leighanne said.
He sighed, "I only did it because I knew you wouldn't let me go if you knew the truth about where I was going."
Leighanne rolled her eyes, "When have I ever not let you go somewhere?" she demanded, "Other than when it's potentially dangerous, of course?"
Brian raised his eyebrow.
Leighanne stared at him. The significance of his stare sank in. "Brian, where the hell were you exactly?" she asked.
Brian had kind of hoped she'd have had time to cool down before he told her the truth. "Well, I uh..."
"Brian?" The warning tone was back.
"I went to- to Leon's apartment," he stammered.
He watched as her face turned from anger to confusion to understanding to shock to fear to relief as she went through realizing who Leon was and what that meant," OH MY GOD BRIAN YOU IDIOT!" she cried, but she ran to him, the frosting spreader in her grip and wrapped her arms around his neck. The spreader slapped his cheek and frosting stuck to his face as she kissed his chin.
Brian reached up and dragged his finger on the spreader, getting frosting on his hand and stuck it to Leighanne's cheek.
She pulled away at the feeling of the frosting on her face and backed away, staring at him. "Do not think my joy over your being alive means you're off the hook, you ass," she commanded, turning back to the cake.
"Don't you want to know why I was at Leon's?" Brian asked.
Leighanne turned back to him. She'd forgotten to ask that. She looked at her husband apprehensively.
Brian reached into his pocket and pulled out Desi's cell phone and put it on the table.
Leighanne stared at it. "A cell phone?"
"It's the cell phone with Krystal's messages on it," Brian said.
Leighanne looked up at Brian, her eyes sparkling. "You found it."
Brian nodded. "Well, Leon gave it."
"What? Why?" she looked confused.
Brian shrugged, "I have no idea."
Leighanne stared at the cell phone. She looked up at Brian. "You're still not forgiven for lying yet," she said.
"I understand," he said.
She turned back to the cake. Brian watched her for a moment, smiling stupidly. After he felt an appropriate amount of time had gone by, he inched closer and snaked his arms around her waist. She didn't shake him off. He pressed his lips against the back of her neck, right at her hairline and his nose sank into her hair. He smelled deeply and hummed.
"Brian," she said quietly, "You cant worm your way out of this." But the tone she was speaking with was melting.
"I know," he whispered," kissing her back at the top of her spine ever so softly.
"Brian, I'm not done being mad at you."
"Can you tivo it?" Brian asked.
Leighanne turned around and Brian pulled her to him, hoisted her up off the floor and carried her upstairs as she laughed and smeared the frosting around on his cheek.
