Imperfect

Heart to Heart

I could see Finley heading down a slippery slope. If he wasn't working, he was out partying and I barely saw him anymore. The paps were having a field day, and there were hundreds of pictures of him looking half cut, or surrounded by beautiful women. I knew he wouldn't cheat on me, but I couldn't help worry. I knew the kinds of things that happened when people got drunk. I had just arrived home after a long day at the office and I was glad I had the weekend to myself. I needed to do some soul searching, on whether this new life was what I really wanted.

I entered the house and Fin was in the lounge eating cereal loudly. The TV was on quietly and I stood for a few seconds debating whether to talk to him or not. He had been in such a foul mood recently and I felt like I had to walk on eggshells around him.

"Hey Fin." I said as I cautiously entered the lounge. I wanted to test the waters with him before I said anything too provocative.

"Oh, hey" he said. He didn't remove his eyes from the television and carried on spooning cereal into his mouth. Things were silent for a few seconds, and I felt so ill at ease, I needed to fill the void that was opening up.

"I was gonna go for a dip in the pool, do you wanna come?" I asked. He glanced at me and shrugged casually. It was a little disheartening but I waited for his response.

"Sure. I'll finish eating and I'll come out." He said flatly. I was shocked he had agreed but also my hopes were raised. Maybe he was feeling better, or less stressed. I gently ruffled his hair as I walked past, and headed up the massive spiral staircase to our bedroom. I began undressing and pulled out my red bikini. It was my favourite one, and it made my bum look amazing. I checked myself over in the mirror and headed back downstairs. I turned the heater on for the pool and walked out into our back garden. I jumped into the water and closed my eyes. I stayed under for a few seconds and just enjoyed the peace and tranquility. I surfaced and flicked my now soaked hair away from my face. I began lazily swimming lengths, and took in the beauty of our back garden as I did so.

Twenty minutes later I was sat on the edge of the pool. I swished my legs back and forth through the luke warm water, creating elaborate ripple patterns through the, otherwise still, water. I saw Fin out of the corner of my eye, and smiled. He looked gorgeous in his bright red shorts. I could see the subtle outline of his six pack and his hair was pushed to the side of his face. He dove into the pool and I recoiled, not wanting to get splashed. When he surfaced he looked like a model in a photoshoot. The water poured off of him, and the droplets that remained made the deep red and orange tones of the sunset dance beautifully off of his skin. He pushed his hair away from his eyes and swam towards me. He gently grabbed my ankles and began tugging at them gently.

"Come on Claire, the water is perfect!" He said whilst laughing I tried to resist but he overpowered me. I was plunged back into the water and popped back up to the surface. I splashed him playfully and he recoiled. He then swam to me and wrapped his arms around me. This was a rare moment of intimacy we shared that I had been craving. I wrapped my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck. He supported my weight by putting his hands on my bum, and slowly moved to the edge of the pool. He leaned against the edge and smiled brightly at me. For a moment I saw the Finley I had fallen for, and everything felt right.

"You're a bully." I said quietly, staring into his eyes. I rested my forehead against his and tangled my fingers in the wet strands of his hair.

"And you, love it." He smirked at me and kissed me quickly. I leaned into him and he wrapped his arms around me. "How are you? I know we haven't spoken much recently."

"I'm ok, I know. I feel bad, have I been upsetting you in some way?" I asked. Finley gently traced patterns on my skin and let out a loud sigh.

"No, don't be silly. I've just been busy. Work has ramped up and I've needed to spend more time there. I'm just exhausted." He explained. That was a funny way to say he had been out partying, but I accepted it.