Roses and Chamomile (Flash Fiction)

This is my response to Priceless Joy’s photo prompted Flash Fiction challenge (75 – 175 words). It’s my pleasure to also thank Cat for the inspiring shot, too.

PART ONE

The world lay at Kyle’s feet as he gazed out of the seventh-story window, out over the vast lake.

His heart pounded against his ribcage like the waves beat against the dock below. Success, money, fame — he’d still felt empty.

But things changed when his wife, not their cook, had surprised him with dinner. It’d tasted awful, but he’d realized he needed to rekindle their passion. She wasn’t just his business partner; she was his heart that had grown cold. That was the problem.

Every day since, he’d done something special for her in between meetings. He already felt like a happier man.

Smirking, he turned away from the window and sauntered into the bathroom. “Do I have my queen’s permission to join her now?”

Leslie smiled, surrounded by billows of bubbles. Kyle knelt beside the rose-and-chamomile-scented tub and captured her mouth. A smile stretched across her luscious lips. She wrapped a hand around his neck. Shivers ran down his spine. He’d missed this feeling.

His face slapped the surface of the water and went under.

(176 words)

~*~

PART TWO

Kyle tried to jerk his head back up, but Leslie’s sharp nails dug into his skin and kept him under. A force yanked his arms behind him. He couldn’t move the rest of his body.

What the hell?

She fisted his hair and tugged his head up. “The gifts, the breakfast in bed, the surprises at work. Trying to play me for a fool, you whore?”

He sucked in more air. “Are you craz—”

She shoved his head back into the water. Fear gripped him as his lungs burned and his vision blurred.

She’ll let go.

She’ll stop.

I only wanted to—

(102 words)