Alexander's car was parked outside the supernova bar, his hands on the steering wheel as he stared out through the window.
His whole day had been nothing but busy and naturally, he was at his favorite place to be. But oddly, just like the last time, he found himself hesitating to step into the bar again.
A soft groan managed to escape his lips, Alexander's fingers moving towards his car key to reignite it. He immediately hesitated though, his eyes catching sight of the wedding ring wrapped around his finger.
Another groan that escaped his lips, this time a hard one as he was once again reminded of the encounter he was fervently trying to permanently get out of his mind. The whole discussion with Lana from earlier had crossed his mind a few- maybe more than a few times all day and every single time he gave the thoughts a chance, he only ended up at the same conclusion- she was being ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous.
Wedding rings weren't a big deal. They never were. They exchanged it in front of hundreds of people so naturally, he just didn't bother taking it off and he also didn't expect her to take hers off. That was all to it. Nothing more, nothing less. So why did she have to make a big deal about it?
A misunderstanding? Was that what it was? Was she really thinking the ring on his finger meant the whole marriage meant something to him?
He scoffed at the thought, annoyed at the mere fact that he was still thinking about it. The only thing he contributed to the wedding ring was his ring size. He didn't even take a glance at it until it was presented to him at the altar so why would she think it actually mattered to him?
"What the hell am I actually doing right now?" He muttered under his breath, wrapping his other hand around the finger in an attempt to take it off. Immediately changing his mind, he shook his head and continued to stare at the entrance of the bar, watching new people walk in, some walk out- all having smiles and contented expression on his face.
That was supposed to be him. That was the life he was supposed to be living and without a single extra hesitation, he reached for the door and stepped out, making his way into the bar.
Few minutes in, seated in his usual vip spot, he found himself once again rethinking anything. The bar wasn't as fun as he'd anticipated and to make it all worse, the whole situation from his last time was repeating itself.
No woman was making her way towards him. Not even one who'd embarrass herself for a second. Not even one he was willing to settle for.
"Fan-fucking-tastic," he pushed the wine bottle away from him and immediately rose to his feet, loosing his tie as he did. He should have trusted his guts when he was contemplating stepping in. He should have just gone straight home after work.
Driving slower than usual, it took him almost an hour to get home, his car key tossed into the hands of one of his guards as he stepped out. He was already extremely exhausted and as he massaged his temples, he could feel an headache coming up.
He reached for his phone in his pocket and turned it off, signing off for the day. If he was lucky, he'd fall asleep the second he got into his bed and if luck wasn't on his side, he'd finish an entire rack of alcohol and then pass out till the following morning.
Hoping he wouldn't have to resort to the latter, he began loosening his buttons and quickened his steps towards the front door. Already used to the door barely locked, he immediately reached for the knob, pushed it open and taking him by total surprise, met Lana standing by the entrance.
For a second, he thought he was hallucinating but watching her fold her arms and furrowed her brows, he was certain he wasn't. There was no reason for her to be in his imaginations and no reason for her to actually be standing in front of him at the front door by almost 10pm.
"You're late."
Alexander didn't even speak, his eyebrows doing the talking. He stared at her from head to toe, watching her spread her legs to take up more space, her arms still folded as she actually stopped him from walking into the house.
"You're late," she repeated, clearly unsure he heard her the first time. "Why are you just coming back home by this time?"
He blinked, looked around him and on confirming she was actually talking to him, finally spoke up. "Are you drunk?"
"No," she flashed him a smile, the smile disappearing a second later. "I'm not."
"Move out of my way then," he nodded then tried to walk in, Lana blocking him again. "Lana, what do you think you're doing right now?"
"Asking you a question," she replied him. "You're home late so I'm asking you. Why are you late?"
She was testing his patience. "And why is that any of your business?"
"Because I'm your wife," she waved her hand in his face, showing him the ring now wrapped around her finger. "And you're my husband. We're a married couple so don't you think you should start acting the part?"
"What?" Alexander was actually dumbfounded. "Lana you- fine, you say you aren't drunk. Then where is this coming from? This isn't our agreement. Why the hell are you suddenly in my business?"
"It's because of you," she pouted then once again, showed off her ring. "You wore our wedding ring and i realized you truly are my husband and also realized I haven't been acting like your wife."
"I don't need you to act like my wife."
"So if I'm going to be acting your wife," she continued. "Then the least i can do is instill a bit of discipline in you."
"Instill a bit of discipline in…me?"
"Yes," Lana was thoroughly enjoying herself. "For example, you coming home late. You shouldn't be staying out late till odd hours as a married man. If you stay out till real late, I'd just assume you have no intentions on returning home that night."
Alexander could have burst into laughter. But his headache had successfully appeared and every word that came out of her mouth actually made it worse.
He didn't have the strength for whatever sick game she was playing. He didn't even have the strength to talk to her not to imagine actually arguing.
"So you're not going to allow me get in?"
"If you refuse to tell me the actual reason you're back so late, no."
"Alright then," he nodded then took a step backwards, returning the buttons of his shirt to their original position. "Have a nice night then."
"What?"
He didn't wait for another word from her, immediately turning around to head over to his garage. Picking a car with the keys nearby, he got into the car and immediately drove out.
Not caring if he got a speeding ticket, he drove fast, not stopping until he was back at the place he was supposed to be. He pulled over in front of the supernova bar, slammed his car door shut and stormed back in.
He had no particular plan in mind for the night but knew he needed to be somewhere he didn't need to say or even do much.
"Not so fast," he was suddenly stopped by an unfamiliar figure appearing in front of him. "Where do you think you're going handsome? I've been waiting for you."
"What the f-"
He was ready to use the last bit of energy in him to vent on whoever had dared to stop him again. His fists were balled, his eyes venomous as he raised his gaze, ready to growl at the intruder only for him to suddenly stop halfway.
"Oh, did I startle you?" Joan whispered at him, gently placing her hand on his shoulders. "I'm sorry, that wasn't my intention."
He let out an exhale, unclenching his fists. His gaze flickered from her face to her neck and then checked her out from head to toe. "What was your intention then?"