Maddie was hunched on top of the marble countertop almost trembling in fear. It wasnât even fifteen minutes ago that sheâd been planted in front of the vanity doing her make up when sheâd felt the beast zap across her toes. A shiver ran down her spine as she remembered the feel of the thing touching her body. Yuck, she thought now, shivering at the mere memory. However, sheâd managed to scream, and jump onto the countertop in justified panic. Thankfully her phone had been nearby. With a barely solid hand sheâd reached out and called Matt. He was a firefighter, sheâd reasoned, he knew how to deal with these things. Of course the traitor of a voice in her head had cackled and chided, if thatâs what you tell yourself to sleep better at night.Â
âOh, stop it. Iâm not marriedâŚat least not yet,â she responded, wagging a finger at the toilet. âHeâs behind there. I swear to God Matty, heâs the size of an iguana. Hurry before he moves again.â Her cheeks were red and she could feel sweat gather under her armpits. And it wasnât because Matt was there or because she was in a robe with nothing else underneath. Nope, it was because there was a ten foot long iguana behind her toilet.Â
Everything about this was hilarious to him now that he got the full picture. The frantic tone that rattled through the receiver had put an unnecessary amount of stress on his chest until she explained. By that point, he had already been jogging down the street to his truck. Maddieâs imagination ran away with her. It was one of the things that he enjoyed the most about her. She always seemed to be filled with an outrageous amount of creativity; it made all of her stories all the more riveting. Her choice of career made all the more sense as the moments rolled on.Â
âDonât let him hear you say that. The ring says otherwise,â he retorted with a kinked brow. To him, marriage meant everything. It was the unity of two people who loved each other furiously. His parents had been married for forty years happily. He hoped that heâd be that lucky but it seemed the clock had other plans for him. He gingerly stepped in as not to disturb the beast. Matt grabbed the first container that he could find and one of her girly magazines from the coffee table. âIf he moves, Iâll catch him. Donât worry,â he mockingly puffed out his chest. Matt artfully avoided looking at her. The light sheen of sweat coupled with the way the light illuminated the shadow along her collar bone just played on his good nature.Â
Itâs a sin to lust after anotherâs wife, Matthew. Be better.
Matt folded the magazine and banged it against the base of the toilet. He noticed the quick twirl of green that curled around the porcelain throne. âI have so many questions,â he hissed. The lizard slithered out with unnatural speed from behind it. Leaping down, he placed the container over it but caught nothing but air. Matt balanced in a neat squat with a burdened huff.Â
âLittle shit is faster than I thought.â
