A Change in Tune

The warm sunlight streaming through the windows highlighted the relaxed atmosphere of Lexi's living room, where Marco was sitting on the couch, scrolling through his phone. Lexi walked in, dropping her bag on the floor and letting out a deep sigh as she kicked off her shoes. "Hey," she said, smiling at Marco, who looked up and smiled back. "Hey," he replied, setting his phone aside and standing up to kiss her. Lexi melted into his arms, enjoying the gentle touch of his lips on hers. But as they pulled back, Lexi's expression changed, and she launched into a detailed account of her day at work. "So, we had a meeting with the marketing team, and they were all excited about the new campaign," she said, barely pausing for breath. "I'm thinking of making some changes to the layout, and I want to run them by you before I present them to the team." Marco's expression changed, his eyes narrowing slightly as he listened to Lexi's work-related monologue. At first, he tried to be interested, asking her questions and making supportive noises, but as the minutes ticked by, his patience began to wear thin. "Lexi, can we talk about something else?" he asked, trying to interject, but she didn't seem to notice. "Oh, and I also had a conversation with John about the budget, and he's being really stubborn about it," she continued, not even acknowledging Marco's attempt to change the subject. Marco's eyes flashed with annoyance, and he felt his temper rising. Why did she always do this? Why did she always have to talk about work? He tried to keep his cool, but it was no use. "For crying out loud, Lexi, can't you talk about anything else?" he snapped, his voice rising. "It's always work, work, work. Can't you just take a break from it for one second?" Lexi's eyes widened in surprise, and she took a step back, her voice rising. "What's wrong with you? I'm just trying to share my day with you," she said, her tone defensive. Marco's face darkened, and he started to swear. "Screw it, Lexi. I'm sick of this. I'm sick of being ignored and dismissed. You're always so caught up in your precious job that you can't even be bothered to talk to me about anything real." Lexi's face fell, and she looked at Marco like she was seeing him for the first time. "Excuse me?" she said, her voice cold. "I don't appreciate your language, Marco. And I don't appreciate your attitude." The room fell silent, the tension between them thick and heavy. Marco's chest heaved with anger, and Lexi's eyes flashed with hurt and indignation. It was clear that their relaxing evening was not going to happen.