The Spare Room Part 3
Another day ends in the familiar silence of the spare room, the door locking behind me like a final period on my autonomy. My body tenses, adjusting to the loneliness, but my mind is restless, caught in the web of conflicting emotions. There’s the sharp sting of angst, remembering nights spent listening through the device my wife and her regular now call "my sex life." But arousal soon follows—after all, isn't the memory of my torment part of what fuels my desire? Their voices filter through the listening device—not whispers of passion, but something more intimate in its own way. Just two lovers, discussing their days, their thoughts, and, occasionally, me. There’s no sex tonight, but the way they speak about me, their amusement and consideration, makes my skin prickle with awareness. I am the unspoken presence in their relationship, the audience to a play written without me in mind. When the door finally unlocks, I slip into routine. My morning is spent stripping away an...