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For it being almost 3:30 in the morning, it really wasn’t that dark out. The clouds were a light gray, making it look much lighter out than it really was. The moon was bloated and full, sitting low in the sky and taunting Tyler with every empty corner of the yard it illuminated. The rain dripped from the eave spout, splattering on the wooden deck beside Tyler’s rocking chair. Tyler offers a bored glance to the puddles dripping off the edge of the porch, flicking his gaze over to the black and white spotted fur ball beside him. Tyler heaves a sigh, looking at the empty driveway. “Where is he?!” he grumbles loudly, clenching his fist around the armrest and attracting Kino’s attention. The dog whines, getting off his feet to stand beside Tyler. One hand rests on the Kino’s head, scratching his ears as Tyler stares off into the distance, following the streetlights through the empty town with his eyes.
Not one car. Craig was supposed to be home hours ago, like several hours ago. The thunder suddenly cracks overhead, startling Tyler out of his train of thought. Once his mind is silent, he comes to the realization that he knows exactly where Craig is, but just the idea of admitting that to himself out loud. “Craig’s not…” but Tyler stops, rubbing his hand over his face and stopping to rest his hand on his chin. Kino glances over, noticing his owner is staring at him. Those brown eyes almost stare through Tyler, through all his bullshit even if Tyler believes it himself or not. Tyler hadn't heard from his husband once yet today, being that Craig had disappeared for work before Tyler had woken up and headed to a shift that had ended hours ago.
Tyler bites his lip, pulling at his hair to relieve himself of some of his stress, an act that does nothing for him. There was nowhere in town that Craig could've been hiding, being that their small country town only had one bar that Tyler knew for a fact had closed already. It helped, knowing Evan wouldn't keep the bar open too late on a stormy Sunday night like this. The weather was a more likely contributor to his husband's disappearance, knowing Craig's shitty sedan wouldn't hold up in the rain like Tyler's truck would. Which meant Tyler had to be wrong, he just had to be. Suni was just that, a coworker...right?
The thunder cracks again, this time accompanied by lightning, and this time Tyler is convinced that it's nature trying to tell him he's wrong. Even this, this tiny admission to himself, is enough to break and bruise his heart. He can feel the wooden chair's armrest splinter under the hateful force he applies to it, but he feels the cracking that he's awarded for his efforts is fitting. Cracking in his chair, cracking in the air, and cracking in his heart. Tyler glances down, letting depression creep up on him for just a moment before the crunching of the gravel driveway brings his head shooting up.
Thank fuck, Craig is back. Grateful for the distraction and for the safe return of his husband, Tyler rushes out to wrap him in a hug. He can hear Craig's chuckling, muffled by Tyler's shirt, as he shuts the car door. But, the next words out of Craig's mouth feel quiet and far away as Tyler buries his head in Craig's neck and smells it. Her. Tyler lets go immediately, and judging by the look in Craig's eyes, they both know. Tyler shoves him back almost forcefully, vision going red and blurring as he yanks his wedding ring off and chucks it at Craig. He only says one thing, he only needs to say one thing.
"Don't come back."