Tom came home and, without even taking off his shoes or coat, blurted out, Emma, we need to have a serious talk.
He stood there, still in his coat, and repeated, Emma! We really need to talk
Then, in one breath, his eyesalready widesomehow got even wider, and without a hint of doubt, he declared, Ive fallen in love!
*Oh great*, Emma thought, *here comes the midlife crisis. Welcome to the club.* She just gave him a careful glance, something she hadnt done in yearsfive, six, maybe even eight?
They say your life flashes before your eyes before you die, but for Emma, it was her entire life with Tom that flashed by. Theyd met the modern wayonline. Emma had shaved three years off her age, Tom had added an inch to his height, and somehow, after a lot of awkward back-and-forth, they managed to tick each others boxes and found each other.
Emma couldnt remember who messaged first, but she knew Toms opening line had no crude jokes, just light self-deprecating humour, which she loved. At thirty-three, sizing up her odds on the dating market, Emma was realistic. She knew she wasnt at the back of the queue, but close enough. So, for their first date, she didnt go overboardjust dressed nicely, slipped on some rose-tinted glasses, wore a stylish lingerie set, and tucked some homemade biscuits and a Jane Austen novel into her handbag.
Their first date went surprisingly smoothly (*see? Dressing right matters!*), and their romance took off fast. They had fun together, so after six months of steady dating and a lot of parental pressure (*her folks had given up hope of ever seeing grandkids*), Tom finally proposed. They introduced their families, opted for a small wedding (*approved unanimously, because whod argue with free cake?*), and booked the first available date.
Life, Emma thought, was good. Their marriage was like a mild British summerno scorching heatwaves, just comfortable warmth. No fiery passion, but steady, respectful lovewasnt that happiness?
Tom, your typical bloke, shed his emotionally deep, romantic, golden-handed failure of a man costume within weeks of marriage and settled into being exactly who he wasa simple, hardworking, dependable husband in comfy joggers.
Emma, meanwhile, slowly loosened the tight corset of her mysterious, intellectual, sexy homemaker image. Pregnancy sped up the process, and within a year, she happily ditched the act, sighed in relief, and wrapped herself in a cosy dressing gown.
The fact that neither of them missed their old personas, and neither complained, convinced Emma theyd made the right choice. Raising two kids and juggling life sometimes rocked their boat, but it never capsized. When the storm passed, they sailed smoothly again.
Happy grandparents helped where they could, work was steady, they travelled when they could, and made time for hobbiesand each other. A perfectly average, statistically unremarkable life.
Twelve years in, and Tom had never been caught flirtingnot even once. Emma wasnt the jealous type, so he couldve gotten away with it, but the idea of him trying was just funny. Early on, after a few failed compliments, hed admitted he was rubbish at it and switched tacticsnow he just *stared* at her, eyes widening like an owls.
Over the years, Emma learned to read his emotions purely by how round his eyes gotwild admiration, quiet approval, sudden shock, utter confusion, complete bewilderment, and full-blown outrage. So when she pictured him sweet-talking some random woman, his eyes practically popping out of his head
Her throat went dry. She smirked nervously. So whats her name, this woman?
Toms eyes nearly rolled back into his skull. What? How did youhow did you evenhow did you *guess* its a woman?! Oh, Emma, you wouldnt *believe* her, shes justlook at her, shes perfect, so soft, so beautiful shes just like you!
From his pocket, he pulled out a tiny, greyish-brown hamster with pink ears, a little pink nose, and beady black eyes.
Emma stopped listening. She stared at Tom, at his new little friend, at the way he cradled it so carefully, and felt overwhelmingly happy. Because of all the creatures in the world, hed fallen in love with one that looked just like her.
