History

                                    

                                          
Mike couldn't wrap his head around the fact that Anna was in front of him, in Florida, twenty-five hundred miles away from their home. He couldn't process that she was sitting amidst the evidence of his infidelity. He didn't know what to say as she looked at him, and he felt Chester behind him, and he didn't want to start a fight with her but his brain went on the defensive when he couldn't figure out anything else. "Anna, you can't just... show up on tour! Without saying anything! Who's with the kids?"
                          
"The kids?" Anna looked incredulous. "Don't you even ask me about the kids right now, it's pretty clear to me that you haven't been thinking about them while you've been gone." Her eyes flicked back to Chester, who she noted at least had the decency to blush.
                          
Mike, though, was enraged. "I tried to call you last night. Why didn't you answer? Because you wanted to come out here and ambush me? I don't have time for this right now, Anna! You shouldn't be here!"
                          
"Shouldn't be here?!" she spat, matching his anger. "Since when do I have to ask permission to surprise my husband? Was I supposed to let you know so you'd have enough time to clean up after yourself?" Anna stood up, taking a step toward Mike, her stance threatening though the emcee was both taller and heavier.
                          
"And seriously, you want to talk about trying to call me? I couldn't answer the phone last night, not when I'm being texted photos of you and Chester kissing on stage from everyone we know! Yeah, I've seen the pictures!" she exclaimed as the tears started to fall again. "How could you, Mike? Why? Why would you do this?" 
                          
Mike ran a hand over his face, then rubbed the back of his neck before he turned and said to Chester, "I think you'd better go, Ches." The look of concern on his face tugged at Mike's heart, and even though he was terrified of facing Anna alone, he finished, "I'll be fine."
                          
Nodding slowly, Chester looked around the room, then took a few steps toward the bed to pick up the bag he'd dropped there earlier in the day. Mike's face flushed red as he realized just how obvious it was that he and Chester had been sharing the room earlier. Their eyes met as Chester made his way to the door, passing Mike wordlessly but with distress across his features. Mike nodded his head slightly and then Chester let himself out, and Mike was left alone with his wife.
                          
They stared at each other for long moments, neither speaking, until Mike finally just dropped his head and whispered brokenly, "I'm sorry, Anna."
                          
She didn't react at first, but Mike heard her erratic breathing and knew she was crying still. It was making his chest ache. "I just couldn't believe it," she started before having to catch her breath, the little sobs escaping between words. "The first picture, I was sure that it was just an accident, that maybe one of you had turned to say something to the other at the wrong moment, or something... but then I got a few more, different angles, and..." Mike looked up at her as she paused. "Mike. There's no way. You can't deny it. It was a kiss, on the lips, and it wasn't an accident." There was a longer pause. Then, "Who kissed who?"
                          
All Mike could think about was how stupid he was as he sighed, "I kissed Chester."
                          
Anna looked away, biting her bottom lip, her eyes falling on the clothes just inside the bathroom door. She waved a hand in the direction of the pile and took a deep breath. "How long, Mike? How long has this been going on?"
                          
It was an echo of Brad's words the night before, the same notes of fear and betrayal laced into her tone. He closed his eyes as he felt the world closing in on him. The room suddenly felt small, hot, stuffy... I can't believe this is all going down this way. This is not how I wanted to tell her about us. "Not very long." Mike couldn't bring himself to admit that, while the physical intimacy was relatively new, the emotional intimacy had been there for years. He didn't know which would trigger a worse reaction.