Hold My Tear, I’m Getting My Wife Back!

After a refreshing shower, Joy looked clean and stunningly beautiful. She slipped into one of Austin's shirts and a pair of casual pants, rolling up the overly long sleeves and trouser legs. The sight stopped the two men dead in their tracks right at the doorstep.

Their eyes met.

Frank exclaimed, "Holy shit, isn't that your employee?"

A second look at Joy, especially the clothes she was wearing, and it was clear what had happened.

"Look at you, man. Back in the game, huh?" Frank whispered with shock and amusement in his voice. "Going after her even during a flu outbreak, you badass!"

Austin opened the door wider, pulling Joy to his side. "Let me introduce you, my girlfriend."

Frank gave Joy a warm, overly friendly smile, which said he was terrified of scaring her off and leaving his buddy back in singleton territory. "Sorry to intrude," he said politely, "I'll just leave you two. No need to be nervous, miss."

Frank had already made a swift exit before Joy could say she wasn't nervous.

As he stepped out, Frank popped his head back in, lowering his voice to ask Austin, "Hey, you guys have condoms, or should I run to the store for you?"

Before Austin could reply, Joy peeked from behind and said, "That'll be great, thanks."

Austin was speechless.

After closing the door, Joy complimented, "Your friend is a good person."

Austin couldn't help but laugh, finding her straightforward nature utterly endearing.

Ten minutes later, there was another knock on the door. When Austin opened it, no one was there, just a convenience bag hanging on the doorknob. Inside the bag was a box of ultra-thin condoms with a sticky note attached.

[Bro, that's all I can do for you.]

Everything felt right then, and what happened next seemed only natural.

As their evening ended, Austin held Joy close and suddenly mentioned, "What about that scarf you were halfway through knitting?"

Mentally rating their moments, Joy got caught off guard. "What scarf?"

"The one you were knitting for your

ex. It's khaki. You hid it in your drawer sneaking stitches at work.

You got halfway, messed up

and

started over."

Joy was surprised he had noticed. "Were you spying on me at the office?"

"Maybe you were just knitting a bit too often?"

Joy defended herself. "It was just a way to relax during work."

"It's not a big deal," Austin said. "Did you finish it?"

"We broke up, so why bother?" Joy remarked. "It's just sitting in my drawer."Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

"Finish it," Austin suggested, holding her close. "Finish it and give it to me."

Joy looked up at him, puzzled why he'd

sa scarf meant for

else. But she eventually

to dig it out and start over.

Her knitting skills were rusty, and she had to relearn everything from videos online. The yarn she needed was out of stock, and the new batch she ordered had a slight color mismatch.

After overcoming numerous hurdles, when she finished, spring was almost over.

Looking at her handiwork, Joy felt it was too amateurish to wear, let alone give away.

"Maybe I should get you a different one."

"Aren't I worthy of a scarf you knitted?" Austin asked.

"Of course, you are." Joy handed over the scarf reluctantly.

When Austin unfolded it, the uneven stitches and the visible color difference under the bright light were hard to miss.

Joy tried to cover. "It's called color-blocking. It's fashion, you know?"

"I know," Austin said, not minding the flaws. He wrapped the scarf around his neck with a smile. "I love it."