Lauren and Nikki lay in bed, their faces inches apart. It was the middle of the night, and though they were having fun, they were exhausted.
“Did you love her?” Nikki asked.
“Who?”
“Who? The mother of your child, who.”
“I thought I did. When you’re young, you don’t know the difference.”
“You… didn’t know the difference. That’s not everyone’s issue.”
Lauren liked that she challenged him. He thought her delivery was short and rude, but he knew he was being sensitive. She challenged everything about him. He didn’t change, but she made him reassess everything he stood on.
Their conversations and sexual experiences went on for days, and then the days stretched into weeks. One night, they were standing at the bar and kissing.
Nikki heard her husband’s car pull up, “Shit. Listen. I told my husband that you’re gay.”
“He knows about us? He knows I’ve been coming here?”
“Yes. I had to say something. I didn’t know how else to justify you spending so much time here. Quick. Here he comes. Be gay,” She insisted.
Lauren stumbled,” What does that? I don’t know…”
When Nikki’s husband entered the house, he looked exactly as Lauren had remembered him that one time at the bar, the night he met Nikki. He was wearing a suit and had a four-day beard. He dropped his bags at the doorway.
“Hey babe. Is this the famous Lauren?” He asked.
“How was your flight,” she asked while kissing her husband politely.
Lauren approached her husband for a handshake then turned his hand palm for a more feminine handshake, “Au Chante.”
Nikki returned to their telepathic style of communicating, “What the hell are you doing?”
“I don’t know!,” Lauren shot back silently,” Couldn’t you have picked something else. A long lost cousin or something?”
Nikki’s husband interrupted, “So did you two do it?”
“Umm. What?” Lauren asked.
“The website for her ceramics. She said you were going to help her sell her work, so we can get this shit out of here.”
“Thanks, a lot,” Nikki fired back.
“We are working things through,” Lauren answered.
“You sure are,” Nikki shot at him telepathically.
“Stop it,” Lauren sent back.
“We’re making him uncomfortable, honey. Let’s get him a drink. I’m having a tequila. Want one, Lauren?”
“Sure,” Lauren answered, “Nikki, I thought you were didn’t have tequila.”
“He loves tequila. That’s all he drinks. You threw me.”
“Don’t you need a computer to build a website?” he asked.
“We’re still in development.”
Her husband left the room and went upstairs. Nikki immediately started kissing Lauren again, as she loved the danger. They fell behind the sofa and continued.
The following day at their ad agency, Lauren and his friend KG sat in the company lounge drinking coffee. Lauren finally relayed his experiences to KG.
“Are you out of your mind?”
“You encouraged me to have an experience,” Lauren insisted.
“For one night, not as a way of life. You’re not even dating anyone else anymore and this guy is going to murder you.”
“I only see her on the weekends now.”
“She’s married. It’s been long enough. Just end it. She won’t be as upset as you think. Not the way she’s behaving.”
“I’m going to tell her that I love her,” Lauren insisted.
“Or do the opposite.”