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Christina walked into her home hand in hand with a man that she had recently been seeing. Tonight was their first outing as a couple and she already knew people were going to go crazy trying to figure out who it was.
“I’m going to make you some tea. Go upstairs and get ready for bed. I’ll be up in a minute.”
“Thank you.” She whispered as she slipped off her heels.
This relationship was new. They had only been seeing each other for a few months and it had just become more serious recently. The last couple of years have been crazy for her personally. She went from being married to divorced to dating to single. One night last fall, she and an old friend reconnected in a way neither of them expected. They had spent hours on the phone. Countless nights at dinner just to see one another but the only problem was that he was not single.
Christina knew that she didn’t want to be that person and they sat down and had that conversation. Unfortunately, He was not in a position where he was able to leave the relationship. Over the next 8 months, they decided they would take a step back and that she needed to be with someone that she deserved to be with.
Working on a new show she got to meet so many amazing people. One is Mike. He is one of the film crew and they grew an instant bond over the last few months. He wasn’t her usual type but there was something about his personality that she loved. They finally decided to take their relationship to the next level and make their first public appearance. The night went off without a hitch and they couldn’t have had a better time together.
Christina walked into her room and stripped off her dress. She tiptoes into her bathroom and turns on her shower to allow it to get warm. Stepping in front of the mirror she took off her wig and all her jewelry when she heard Mike come back up the stairs. As she stood under the water she felt her body relax. She washed her face and hair and then climbed out throwing in her robe. She finished her nightly facial routine and talked back into her room.
“I got your tea but it might be cold by now.”
“That’s okay. Thank you.” She answered walking over to her bed. After she rubbed lotion on her legs she grabbed a pair of pajamas and hung up her robe.
Mike heard her phone vibrate on the table and leaned over to see who it was. “Babe, John is calling you.”
Her stomach dropped. She quickly walked over to the phone and answered, “Hello?”
“Hi, Baby Girl. How was your evening?”
“It was pretty good. How about you?”
“Well, that’s why I was calling. I have something I wanna talk to you about.”
Christina was worried about what he was going to bring up so she politely excused herself from the room. She walked down the hall into her spare room. “Okay?”
“I know that our situation is very different. I know you know I love you and I know you love me but I got a text from a friend of ours that included a picture of who they believed was you kissing another guy.”
Her heart was racing as he listened to them talk. She knew exactly what conversation they were about to have and she was terrified.
“Was it you?”
There was no point in lying since he has photo evidence. “Yeah. His name is Mike.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
She laughed, “Well I don’t know maybe because you’re married. It should really matter who I am seeing anyway because it isn’t the man I want it to be.”
“You know..”
She cut him off before he could finish, “I know you would leave her if you could. Jon, I get it. I’ve heard it a million times but it doesn’t make it any easier. It’s been almost a year. One year of me standing back and watching you go home after spending a night with me and leaving me with an empty bed. I love you, yes. But I love myself more to not stand back and patiently wait until the time comes that you leave her.”
“Baby, you know I would do everything in my power to make you happy. I want to show you that I love you and prove to you that you mean the world to me. You are the one that won’t have sex because you don’t want to be that person and I was completely okay with that. I understand that you have needs and you are going to see other people. I was just shocked, that's all because I thought you would have told me.”
Talking about their relationship always made her emotional and she didn’t want to make it obvious. “Okay, well can we talk about this tomorrow? I have to go.”
“Oh, he’s there.”
She could hear the hurt in his voice, “yeah. I have to go. I will call you tomorrow. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
She hung up the phone and checked herself in the mirror.
“I’m sorry.” She smiled as she walked back into their room.
“That’s okay. Is everything alright?”
She climbed into bed and leaned over giving him a kiss. “Yeah.” He must have been able to tell she was lying because he sat up and turned on his light.
“Hey tell me what's going on? I can tell you’re upset.”
Ugh, this is not how she wanted her night to end. She rubbed her eyes and then let out a sigh. “Babe, I really don’t want to talk about it.”
“Are you sleeping with him?”
Her head shot up and looked at him with wide eyes. She was surprised by the question but more by his tone. It was very soft and as if a friend were asking. “No, I’ve never slept with Jon.”
“Okay. You know I’ve been wanting to ask that for weeks because that’s not the first time he’s called during late night or seen you talking to him. When you usually do talk you always walk away. So I was curious.”
“Yeah, I guess I could see why you would think that. No uh, Jon and I have a very different relationship. He’s married to his wife Michelle but we have had a strictly nonsexual relationship over the last year. He called tonight because he saw the picture of us together and he didn’t know about you.” She watched as he processed what she was saying. She sat in silence for a few moments and she began to get worried because he didn’t speak up.
Just as she began to apologize he spoke up, “let me just make sure I understand this, you have been in an emotional relationship with someone for the last year but you are in a sexual relationship with me because the one you want is married.”
Wow when he put it that way it sounded way worse, “I’m not just in this for sex. I really like you. If it was just sex, I wouldn’t have invited you to spend the weekend with me.” The minute the words left her mouth she regrets the tone. “I’m sorry that sounded rude. I just want you to know that I like you. We have great times together and this weekend just proves that.”
“But you’re in love with someone else.”
“Mike..”
He didn’t say anything else. He climbed out of bed and put on his clothes. “Babe, what are you doing?”
“I think I better go.” He buttoned up his pants and grabbed hold of his coat off the chair. He walked over and gave her a kiss, “Have a good rest of your evening.”
She stood up and followed behind him, “Babe, you don’t have to leave. It’s late. Let’s go to bed and we can talk about all of this tomorrow.”
They stopped at the front door and she looked up into his blue eyes. “Thank you for a lovely weekend. I loved spending time with you.” He leaned down kissed her forehead and walked out the front door. She watched as he climbed into his car and backed out of her driveway. Even though it had only been a couple of months, heartbreak always hurt.
She ran upstairs and called Jon.
“Hello?”
“Are you fucking happy!?” She yelled into the phone.
“Woah! What are you yelling about?”
“You called and ruined my night! You made Mike question where he stood and I had to explain that there was no competition between you and him. Of course, he didn’t buy the bullshit lies and he fucking left!” This wasn’t like her. She didn’t get mad over things like this. She didn’t raise her voice like this.
“I’m sorry.” he apologized. He truly didn’t mean to cause any harm.
“Why can’t I just be happy in at least one aspect of my life? After my divorce, I finally was loving myself again and then you just waltzed in and flipped my world upside down.” She cried.
“I’m coming over.”
“I don’t want to see you. It's almost 1 am. I’m going to bed.”
She cuddled down into her bed and wiped the flowing tears away.
“I’ll be there in 15.” He said then hung up before she had time to answer.
She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. Where her life was right now she was extremely grateful. Even though it seemed like things were falling apart she didn’t feel out of control. She quickly sent Mike a message, ‘please call me or at least tell me when you get home. I would really like to talk tomorrow.’
She must have dozed off because she woke when she felt Jon climb into bed with her. “Come here.” He whispered and pulled her into him, wrapping his body around hers.
The feeling of him was something that she will never get over. His warmth was like no other and it killed her that she couldn’t have it all to herself.
“Baby, I have something to tell you,” Jon whispered as he ran his fingers through her hair.
“Hmm?”
“I talked to Michelle tonight and I told her about us. She understands that she and I are going through a lot with her being sick so she knows that we are seeing each other.”
Christina lifted her head and looked at him intensely trying to ensure she wasn't dreaming. “No, you didn’t.”
He smiled and nodded, “look at your phone. She said she was going to text you.”
She sat up and grabbed her phone. There was a text from Mike and Michelle. She read Mike’s that let her know he made it and then opened Michelle’s.
‘Hi, Chrissy! I sat down and had a talk with Jon and he explained everything that had been going on the last year. First off I want to tell you how much I appreciate you for all that you have done for not only him but me. Ever since I got sick you have been one of our friends that has constantly gone above and beyond. Secondly, I don’t know if you know this but I have a “friend” as well just like you to Jon. He knows and he understands. He told me that you were the one that wouldn’t let your relationship progress any further but I want you to know I get it. Life is hard and that’s one thing I’ve learned after my diagnosis. As long as you make him happy and he makes you happy I am completely okay with whatever you two want. Obviously, we aren’t able to have the types of relationships we want but I hope the two of you find a happy medium. If you want to talk things over I’d love to meet and catch up over coffee or lunch. Don’t forget you’re just as much a friend to me as you are to him. Much love ❤️’
Christina turned and looked at Jon, “Are you serious?”
He nodded as he tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “That's another reason I called you earlier. I wanted to tell you all about it but it didn’t go over well.”
She didn’t quite know how to act. This night had been so crazy she just didn’t know what to process first. Jon watched as the wheels were spinning in her head. He pulled her into him and gave her a deep sensual kiss. He slipped his fingers into her damp hair and made sure their bodies were connected.
“I love you, Christina. What you and I have is something different and I want to show you that you mean the world to me.”
The following morning they woke to their bodies tangled in one another. Christina opened her eyes and loved to inhale his scent. She ran her hand down his torso and down between his legs. She watched as his eyes fluttered open. He let out a big yawn. “Good Morning, Baby. That feels so good.”
She smiled and straddled his waist. She trailed her hands down his torso and he immediately went to her chest.
Last night, the sex was fast and rough as if they couldn’t wait to finally be together. Today was all about getting to know each other's bodies and exploring what each had to offer.
Jon pulled her down into him and planted a sweet and gentle kiss on her lips. There was no rush. He flipped them over and trailed his kisses down to her clavicle where he sucked gently. He loved the fact that he was finally able to mark what was his. He moved up and whispered I love you in her ear. He knew it was driving her insane when the chills danced across her skin.
They spent what felt like hours touching, kissing, and loving on one another. The sex was incredible. Christina was covered in love bites and Jon had teeth marks on his shoulder.
Christina laid next to Jon and looked into his big green eyes. She trailed her fingers down his face through his beard. “I love you.” She whispered.
He smiled, “I love you too.”
“It feels different now when I say it.”
Jon intertwined his fingers in the side of her hair and gently rubbed her cheek with his thumb. “I loved you just as much then as I do now. Sex changed nothing. Well, maybe something.”
“And what’s that?” She grinned.
“Now I have to control myself around you because the way you sound just when you are about to come is music to my ears.”
Christina rolled her eyes and swatted his chest. She rolled out of bed, “I’m going to go take a shower. I don’t know what you had planned for today but I’m just going to hang around the house and take down my decorations.”
“Well seeing as it’s a Sunday, I have no plans. I just have to be home later to get ready for work tomorrow.”
“Okay. Then it looks like you’re helping me.” She said as she leaned into the bathroom doorway.
Jon looked at her body and just couldn’t believe she was finally his. “There is no place I’d rather be.”
Christina smiled and walked into the bathroom. What she always dreamed of was finally coming true. It still may be unconventional but it was perfect for now.