Jealousy's a bitch

He sipped his coffee and tasted the grounds too much. Did his filter suck? Was he fucking up the coffee-water ratio. It didn't matter. Kathy wasn't home yet. She had gone out on a girls' night and that was fine. That's fine. It's not like Kathy would... I mean even if Aston showed up she could...

Fuck. He didn't need coffee at 8 P.M., but he did need Family Guy. He flipped it on. Despite its dated jokes, he could sink his teeth into the material and just lay there on his couch. He checked his phone repeatedly for the message "OMW" which never came. So he stayed up 'til 2 A.M.

And that's when he remembered he lived close to a run-down baseball field. And it was late Fall. And the bugs wouldn't... Okay it's time to go.

He put on his hiking boots because his tennis shoes were too worn down, leashed his dog, and walked over to the baseball field. Thank God none of the lights were on. He put the leash under his butt as he lay down and stared at the stars. Or star. Not much starlight could penetrate the Houston pollution-haze. But the star looked unimaginably beautiful. It flickered green and red. Okay actually that was imaginable. Whatever.

His jacket kept his upper body warm but he felt the cold breeze kick under his sweatpants and send shivers through his legs that made him stiffen up. His dog finally settled down and lay down. The dog's gentle breathing accentuated his own in a harmony of sorts. And God it was nice to see the fog of his breath. 

Kathy could keep stupid Aston for all he cared. No, those aren't hot tears running down my face, he told himself. How had he allowed this to go on for so long? Kathy had told him that she missed Aston, but that hadn't felt unmanageable. Fuck love. Fuck the wretched stupidity of it. Fuck me for thinking I could work through this fucking roadblock. 

That was the nice part about laying in a baseball field at 2 A.M.. He could dramatically grab handfuls of grass in a dramatic flair of anger. 

You know what? The stars and hopes and dreams can go fuck themselves. 

He stood up and started walking the stupid bases for that stupid sport with 9 innings and a 7th inning stretch. Jesus how much was Aston stretching her pussy right now? 

His phone buzzed. "OMW!!!"

He stopped and smiled and felt elated. But then he felt a sort of horror at the train of thoughts he had entertained. At his jealousy that boiled at the slightest temperature change. 

He thought he was above that but apparently not. He ran home and turned on the TV quickly and made it look like he had been there the whole time. Giselle and Lisa dropped her off, and he saw Kathy in her yellow dress, looking beautiful as ever. Kathy waved at them and he met her at the door with a warm embrace. 

"Wow you're still up? I hope my text didn't wake you."

He laughed awkwardly, "No I had some coffee for some dumb reason. But yeah I could use some sleep now."

Kathy's phone buzzed and she moved her phone out of his sight to text. 

"Oh your friends?" he asked, hopeful.

"Yeah yeah, they're just... texting about some inside joke."

He forced himself not to ask more questions. "Let's go to bed." 

"I'm gonna shower first."

"That's fair."

From his bed he heard the buzz of Kathy's phone by the nightstand. He forced himself not to look at it. They'd talked about that in couple's counseling. But truth be told he had her home now. That's all that matters, he told himself. Oh and the stars can unfuck themselves now.