One of the women, a redhead, tilted her head. “Aren’t you handsome?”
A blonde with a short bob looked from Shannon to me and back again. “Are you two a thing?”
“Oh, no. He’s married,” Shannon said.
Her words caught me off guard. I should have felt relieved. Instead, it was like a slap in the face.
The redhead pouted. “Oh, too bad.”
“Married,” the blonde repeated, her voice dripping with something between disappointment and mockery.
“Right, right,” the redhead said, trailing a finger along the rim of her glass. “Still, I could eat you up.”
“Nice to meet you, too,” I said, trying to laugh it off.
“Oh, the pleasure is all ours,” the redhead purred.
Shannon set her glass down and straightened. “I’m calling it a night.” Looking to Marcus, “Try not to get yourself into too much trouble.”
Marcus grinned. “No promises.”
That was my cue, I clapped him on the shoulder. “See you tomorrow.”
With that, Shannon and I stepped out into the cold Manhattan night.
The warmth of the bar was gone, and reality settled back in. I pulled out my phone to order an Uber, but Shannon stood beside me, arms crossed over her coat.
“What was that?” she asked after a beat.
I exhaled. “What was what?”
She turned to face me fully, her expression unreadable. “In there. The way you…” she trailed off, shaking her head. “Never mind.”
I stared at her for a moment, then looked down the street, watching headlights blur through the city. “This isn’t something we should be talking about.”
Shannon let out a short, humorless laugh. “Right,” she said. “Because you’re married.”
The way she said it wasn’t a reminder. It was an accusation.
My jaw tightened. “Yeah, I am.”
She looked at me then, really looked at me. “Are you happy?”
The words hit me like a punch to the gut. I swallowed. “I can’t discuss this, Shannon,” I said finally. “She’s a good person and the mother of my children.”
Her lips pressed together. She nodded, but her shoulders stiffened. My Uber pulled up to the curb. I hesitated.
“Do you want me to wait until you get a ride?”
“I’m fine,” she said, voice flat.
I knew she wasn’t, and I hated the part of me that cared. She didn’t move. The air between us felt heavier now, like there was more to say but no good way to say it.
Shannon finally exhaled, shifting her weight slightly. “Have a safe flight, Jason.”
I nodded, gripping the door handle. “Good night, Shannon.”
She gave the smallest of nods before turning away, disappearing into the glow of a streetlamp. I got into the car, shutting the door behind me. The driver pulled away. A part of me wanted to tell him to stop. To get out and follow her. To pull her into me and kiss her, to feel the heat of her body against mine, to bury myself so deep inside her that I forgot who I was.
