What a coincidencehis wife was taken aback when she found her husband in the train compartment with another woman.
“Andrew, have you seen my blue scarf? The one you gave me last Christmas?” Emily rummaged through the wardrobe, pretending to be absorbed in her search.
“Check the top shelf, behind the boxes,” Andrew called from the kitchen. “You stuffed it there after your last business trip.”
Emily froze. There was something odd in his tone. Had she imagined it? After fifteen years of marriage, theyd learned to catch the slightest shifts in each others voices. But theyd also become experts at pretending not to notice.
“Found it!” she exclaimed a moment later, forcing cheer into her voice. “Youre rightbehind the boxes. Youve got an amazing memory for these things.”
“Occupational habit,” Andrew smiled, stepping into the room with two mugs of coffee. “A lorry driver needs a good memory. All the routes, turns, stops”
*”And all the excuses,”* Emily added silently. Out loud, she said something entirely different.
“Guess what? Theyre sending me to Manchester last minuteright before New Years. Management insists I have to be there in person, something about closing the annual report before the holidays.”
She busied herself packing, careful not to meet his eyes. There was no report. There was James, a regional manager from Birmingham shed met at a company event three years ago. Since then, theyd met every few months under the guise of work trips.
“What a coincidence,” Andrew said, sitting on the edge of the bed and handing her a coffee. “Ive got a delivery to Liverpoolurgent cargo, client needs it by the 29th.”
Emily suppressed a smirk. She knew there was no urgent delivery. There was a phone left on the kitchen counter three months ago. Messages from a woman named Sophie, a dispatcher from Liverpool. Photos Emily had glimpsed before returning it. Shed known exactly where Andrew was going ever since.
“How long will you be away?” Andrew asked casually.
“Should be back by the 29th,” she replied. “Got to get everything ready for the holidays. You?”
“SameIll wrap it up by then.”
They exchanged smiles, both knowing the other was lying. Emily had a hotel in Chester booked until the 30th. Andrew planned to spend a few days with Sophie at her countryside cottage.
That evening, they sat in the kitchen sipping tea, discussing New Years plans. The conversation flowed effortlesslyyears of marriage had perfected the art of appearances.
“Should we invite your parents over?” Emily suggested.
“Theyre visiting my sister in Brighton,” Andrew shook his head. “Yours?”
“My brother just had a babytheyre going to see him in Edinburgh.”
Both felt relief. No extra lies to keep up.
The train compartment was warm and cosy. Emily settled by the window with a book and a blanket. Ten minutes till departure. Outside, passengers hurried past, snippets of conversation and station announcements drifting in.
“Excuse me, is this your bag?” a womans voice carried from the corridor. “It was left by the carriage door.”
“No, mines with me,” a familiar male voice replied. “Let me help you find your seat.”
Emilys breath hitched. That voiceit couldnt be. She looked up just as the compartment door slid open.
Andrew stood there. Beside him, a striking woman in a tailored beige coatSophie, from the photos. More beautiful in person: tall, slender, with auburn waves and sharp green eyes.
For a moment, no one spoke. Time stretched.
“What a surprise,” Emily said evenly, though her heart hammered. “I thought you were going to Liverpool?”
“I” Andrew faltered, glancing between them. “Last-minute route change.”
“And here I thought you were driving your lorry,” Emilys smile didnt reach her eyes. “Urgent cargo, wasnt it?”
Just then, a tall man in an expensive navy overcoat peered in.
“Sorry Im late, love,” he said. “Got held up in a meeting”
Andrews brows shot up. He knew exactly who this was.
“James,” the newcomer introduced himself, eyeing the odd gathering. “And you are?”
“My husband, Andrew,” Emily said calmly. “And his colleague?”
“Sophie,” the redhead murmured.
A conductor appeared. “Tickets, please. Theres been a mix-up with seating.”
All four handed over their tickets. The conductor frowned.
“Strangeyoure all booked for the same seats. System glitch, happens around the holidays. Ill have to reseat you.”
“Dont bother,” Emily said firmly. “Well stay. Seems weve got things to discuss. Unless anyone objects?”
She looked at Andrew. Relief flickered in his eyes.
“Honestly,” he agreed, “since fates put us all here”
James and Sophie exchanged uneasy glances but stayed silent.
The conductor left. The train lurched forward. Four people, tangled in lies, sat in taut silence.
“So,” Emily leaned back. “Four hours to Manchester. Might as well talk.”
The first minutes were stifling. James scrolled his phone. Sophie twisted a pendant. Andrew stared out at the passing countryside. Emily flipped pages without reading.
“How long?” she finally asked Sophie.
“Four years,” Sophie admitted. “Met when his lorry broke down near Liverpool.”
“And you?” Andrew asked James.
“Three years. Company party in Manchester.”
“Funny,” Emily smiled thinly. “We both started looking elsewhere around the same time.”
“Why?” James blurted. “You two seem fine”
“Fine,” Andrew echoed. “Exactly that. Like clockwork. Up, work, home, sleep. Year after year.”
“I missed feeling something,” Emily admitted. “We used to talk for hours. Then it was just bills and weekend plans.”
“I missed being asked how my day was,” Andrew added. “Emily never worried if I was late”
“Because I knew where you really were,” she cut in. “I saw Sophies texts three months ago.”
“And I found a receipt from The Riverside in your bag,” he countered. “Photos with James on your phone.”
“And neither of you said anything?” Sophie asked.
“What was there to say?” Emily shrugged. *’Darling, I know youre cheating, but dont worryso am I?”*
“Easier to pretend,” Andrew muttered. “We had our routines. Our little comforts”
“Little comforts,” Emily repeated. “What about big ones? Remember when we talked about buying a house in the countryside? Getting a dog? Travelling?”
“I remember,” Andrew said quietly. “Every time I pass those cottages, I think about it.”
“I look at listings and imagine us there.”
James and Sophie shifted uncomfortably.
“Andrew and I never talked about the future,” Sophie said softly. “Only the present.”
“Same with Emily and me,” James admitted. “Maybe because we knew it wouldnt last.”
“Do we have one?” Emily asked suddenly, meeting Andrews gaze. “A future, I mean.”
Andrew was silent a long time. Then:
“Remember how we met? You missed the last train, and I offered a lift in that old Ford.”
Emily smiled. “It broke down halfway. We sat on the kerb for hours, talking about everything.”
“We *could* talk about everything. Then we forgot how.”
“Maybe its not too late to remember?”
As the train slowed into Manchester, James stood. “I should go. Emily I think its best we dont see each other again.”
“Same, Andrew,” Sophie said quietly. “Before this goes any further.”
On the platform, Andrew and Emily watched them disappear into the crowd.
“Home?” Andrew asked finally.
“What about your cargo in Manchester?”
“There isnt any. Just like your annual report.”
“I know.” Emily took his hand. “Theres a house for sale near Oxford. Two floors, garden. Room for a dog”
“A big one?”
“Massive. And a garage for your lorry.”
They booked tickets back to London. Talked honestly for the first time in yearsabout fear, regret, and how much theyd missed each other.
Six months later, they bought that house. Got a Labrador. Emily sometimes met Andrew after long hauls with homemade meals. He learned to ask about her day.
They realised that after fifteen years, they werent just spousesthey were family. And that mattered more than any fleeting fling.
That strange, awkward train ride became a story theyd tell on summer evenings, sitting on their porch. A reminder that sometimes, it takes losing something to remember how much its worth.
