by Soranna O.
I met him first, just like when we were kids, if any of us saw something first, it belonged to that lucky person.
That's how the rules should be for grownups too.
Chris is my work colleague and he made my heart beat faster from the first moment I saw him.
I never thought, not even for one second, that he would fall in love with me.
I knew from the first moment I saw him that he would be perfect for Dianne.
They met a couple of months later in a bar.
We met there for my birthday party.
I was not at all surprised when they hit it off.
Dianne laughed at all his jokes even the ones that weren't that funny and she couldn’t stop touching his arm or leg every time she talked to him.
The next day he asked me for her number and I had no choice but to stand back and watch their relationship grow.
The only silver lining I can see in all this messed up situation is that now I can spend more time with him.
Before I only got to see him while we were at work.
Now I see him in my free time too because Dianne always invites me to join them whenever they go out.
I feel bad sometimes but I don't let that bother me.
Dianne is always setting me up with random guys trying to help me find someone too.
For some reason, Chris doesn’t like any of my blind dates.
He always finds something negative to say about them.
Dianne even said that it's like Chris thinks no one is good enough for me.
Chris then smiled and said I deserve only the best.
I felt my heart about to explode in my chest and his sexy smile didn't help at all.
I was grateful it was dark in the car when he said that because my face was so read I am sure I looked like a tomato.
One night Dianne was in a bad mood and started a fight with Chris.
She then left home early by herself and I was left alone with Chris.
We were at our favorite bar, but I can't say we were too drunk to know what we were doing.
The alcohol gave me the courage I needed to kiss him.
To my surprise, he didn't push me away.
Chris grabbed my head and pressed his hard body to mine.
I could feel he was excited and that he wanted me.
He whispered into my ear that we should get out of there.
He drove to his apartment and my head was exploding.
What was I doing?
No matter how much Dianne annoyed me, she was still my best friend.
I couldn’t do this to her, or could I?
Christ was the first man I really liked.
I couldn’t lose this opportunity even if I only got to be with him for this one night.
Before I knew it, we've arrived.
He started to undress me and then he pulled his shirt off revealing his muscles.
I got wet just looking at him.
He started kissing me all over and I could hear someone moaning.
It was me.
He brought me to orgasm with his tongue before he even got inside me.
I never wanted this to end but unfortunately it did.
This was a mistake, I thought but immediately changed my mind.
It wasn't a mistake, it was life.
Life is not fair and I knew that better than anyone.
I asked him never to talk about what happened between us.
He was going to be my dirty little secret.
He agreed but had a request too.
Chris asked me if we could repeat this from time to time.
How could I say no to this?
Fantasy Life
Chapter 1
I can't take it anymore.
I never thought I would be thinking about leaving my wife.
It was not what I dreamed of the day we got married.
That was 10 years ago when we were both just 20.
We were high school sweethearts and it seemed that the logical next step was to get married.
Anny was so different back then.
She wasn't as moody as she is now.
She knew how to smile and how to just be in the moment.
Back then we didn’t have any money.
There were days when all we had was a pizza and we gladly shared it.
Over the past 10 years we've built a fortune together.
We own a very successful interior design business and we never have to worry about money again.
It's funny how when you don't have enough money for food you can be happier than if you have billions to spend.
Somehow we both forgot how to love each other.
Or maybe it's not even that.
Maybe we just assumed that we will always love each other no matter what.
That we don't even have to work on our marriage to make it work.
How wrong we were…
Here we are, 10 years later fighting every single day.
There are days when I think she genuinely hates me.
I find excuses to spend more and more time at the office.
And that's not because I love my job that much.
I do love what I do, but I would do anything to avoid her.
When I know she is asleep, then I get back home and watch old movies until I fall asleep on the couch.
No wonder our sex life is practically inexistent these days.
This is no way to live.
We are both miserable and I think we need to talk.
I send her an email to schedule a meeting face to face with my own wife.
It is ridiculous but that's how we communicate lately.
"What is this about?"
Anny asked.
"It's not about work, I want to talk about us."
I said.
"What about us?"
She asked surprised.
"Well, we've both been so unhappy lately.
I think maybe it's better to separate."
I just blurt out.
"Are you asking for a divorce??"
Anny asked.
I think I can see a tear forming in the corner of her eye but I might be wrong.
I don't think she would be sad if she never saw me again.
"I feel like this marriage is my prison.
I had no idea you felt the same way.
But Colin, I don't want to lose what we've built together.
We have so many people depending on us.
Also, I hate the idea of half my fortune to end up in the hands of another woman."
Anny said.
"I know just what you mean.
I would hate it if a man comes and take half of my life's work.
But what other choice do we have?
We have to separate and we have to move on with our lives.
I know we haven't seen eye to eye lately but I still care for you and I want you to be happy.
If I can't make you happy, maybe some other man can."
I replied.
"Colin, I want you to be happy too.
I have an idea.
What if we stay married and start dating other people?
That would solve all our problems.
Maybe now we will stop fighting too.
There would be no reason to fight if we are just roommates and business associates.
On paper we will still be married but just on paper."
Anny said.
"Hm, that actually doesn’t sound bad at all.
Let's do it.
We will start with moving in different rooms.
We have plenty of rooms to choose from."
I said.
"Yes, and we can share the kitchen, if any of us ever decides to use that room."
Anny said smiling.
We always eat out so the kitchen is just decorative or a place where we make coffee.
Chapter 2
I can't believe how great things are between us now. We are actually becoming good friends.
I don’t know if we will ever be able to talk about the people we date but I hope we get there some day.
Anny is still the most important person in my life even if my love for her has changed.
I am sure I mean a lot to her too.
No doubt about that.
It didn’t take long for Anny to find someone to date.
She is a very attractive woman and I am sure she would have the same success even if she didn’t have a lot of money.
Of course, we could never be sure if people really liked us or if they were after our money.
I guess this is the curse of the rich people.
I am glad I am still in her life to keep an eye on her and the man she is dating.
I think I will be able to spot right away if someone is trying to use her.
If anyone dares to hurt my Anny, he will regret the day he was born.
That's for sure.
We are back to being good friends just like we were when we first met in high school.
We actually started to go out together again and we spend quality time with each other.
We forgot to do this during our marriage.
Maybe that could have saved our relationship but it's too late for regrets now.
The guy she started dating is a business associate.
He has his own money so at a first glance he doesn’t seem to be after her money but you never know.
Some people want to have more money no matter how much they already have.
Anny and I never even dreamed of being so successful with our business.
We just wanted to make a decent living.
The success that followed is a result of our hard work and maybe we sacrificed our relationship for it.
Since we have no children, this is our baby.
I am not going to allow anyone to take it away from us or to hurt us in any way.
I know Carlos and even though we are not close friends, I can tell he is a decent man.
I will still keep an eye on him though.
He comes over our house to pick Anny up for dates.
It's so strange, I feel like a father.
Although I must admit I did feel the knife of jealousy twisting in my guts when I saw them together.
Anny respects me enough not to show any signs of affection towards him when I am around but still I can't help but feel jealous.
I guess this is normal since I was the only man in her life for so many years.
I was her first and I used to believe I would be her last.
It was a romantic idea but this is real life.
Nothing lasts forever and I am glad that at least we found a way to stay in each other's life.
I am glad she suggested it.
Of course, I care about everything we built together too but it would break my heart if I would have to remove her completely from my life.
This way we still live and work together.
And best of all, we have fun together every time we have some time off.
I guess the best way to get over my silly jealousy is to find someone too.
How hard can it be to find a nice woman to keep me company during the lonely nights?
Not hard at all since women basically throw themselves at my feet.
Unfortunately most women want me for my money.
Although I do know that I am good looking and I work out a lot to maintain my looks.
So I know there must be some physical attraction too.
But is this enough?
I want something more.
I want to get excited.
To feel my blood boiling and butterflies in my stomach just as I felt when I first met Anny.
I don't think I am asking for too much, am I?
I don't really go out but I meet plenty of single women through my work.
We are working on the house of a billionaire, Suzanne Williams.
She is a very rich widow and I am one hundred per cent sure she is not after my money.
She could actually suspect me of being interested just in her money.
However, that is the last thing on my mind.
I prefer to make an honest living and enjoy the success after a lot of hard work.
She is in her 40s but she looks amazing.
I have always admired her but I never thought there could be anything between us.
Now that I am sort of single, I can give it a shot.
I can't believe I am feeling nervous.
I've always considered myself a self-confident man but I don't have much experience with women and dating.
I have been with Anny for such a long time.
It's time to get back in the game, so I just bite the bullet and give her a call.
I ask her out in the first sentence.
I don't want to lose my courage.
She immediately says yes and I have my first date.
I can't wait to tell Anny.
I wonder if she will be jealous too.
If she is, I will tell her that's normal.
We have to talk about these things if we want our friendship to survive.
Chapter 3
Suzanne is confused, "So you live together and you're still married but you both date other people?
How does that even work?"
"It works for us.
We are better than ever.
We used to argue every day, I couldn’t stand to be around her anymore.
And I am sure she felt the same about me.
Now we look out for each other and we are best friends.
It's possible."
I say full of confidence.
"If you say so, I still think you are both fulling yourselves.
This is like a ticking bomb ready to explode any time."
Suzanne said.
"Let's agree to disagree then.
I guess time will tell.
But tell me, are you okay with this?
I have to tell you, this is a deal breaker.
I wanted to be completely honest with you from the beginning.
I will never divorce my wife and if you are not okay with this, which I would completely understand, then we can't go on.
So, please tell me what you think."
I said looking into her blue eyes.
"That’s not really a choice then.
You see, Colin, I had a crush on you for a long time.
I couldn’t believe when you called to ask me out.
At this point, I would agree to anything."
Suzanne said smiling.
"There is always a choice.
I don't want to hurt you in any way."
"I am a big girl, don't worry.
I know how to take care of myself.
There is no guarantee with any relationship and at least you are being honest.
Not many men or women are so honest these days.
I love that about you."
She said.
"Thank you.
Here's to us."
I say serving her with a glass of wine.
I get home that night in a really good mood.
Suzanne suggested that I could spend the night at her place if I wanted but I made an excuse that I had to wake up really early the next day.
I want to take it slow and see where things go.
I can't say that I am in love or that the attraction is off the charts but I am sure things will change.
Suzanne is a fascinating woman.
"So, how was your date?"
Anny asks as soon as I step in the house.
I am surprised to see her still up at this hour.
What's even strange, she is sitting in the dark and drinking wine.
Anny doesn’t really drink.
Maybe a glass now and then but the bottle on the table is empty.
"Did you have company?"
I ask pointing at the empty bottle on the table.
"Nope, I drank it all by myself.
I
am a grown woman you know, I can drink if I want to."
Anny said slurring her words.
"Of course you can drink, come on, let me help you get to bed."
I said.
"Yes, I am feeling tired.
But promise to tell me about your date in the morning, okay, husband?"
She said laughing.
"Sure, I will tell you in the morning.
Come on, up we go."
I help her get to her room and then I go take a shower.
I wonder what happened to Anny tonight.
I just hope Carlos didn’t end up being a jerk.
Chapter 4
The next morning Anny wakes up with a terrible headache.
No wonder after how much she had to drink last night.
For a normal person a bottle of wine wouldn’t be that much but since Anny hardly ever drinks, she could feel the side effects this morning.
"Please, shut off the sun.
It's too bright this morning."
Anny complained in a little girl's voice.
"For you anything, sweetheart."
I said pulling down the curtains.
"Thank you, do we have any coffee?"
She asked.
"Of course, here you have a cup.
I guess you don't want any breakfast?"
I asked laughing.
"Please don’t mention food."
She said looking like she is about to get sick.
We drink our coffee in silence but I can see there is something she wants to ask me.
"Come on, out with it.
What do you want to know?"
I asked.
"Tell me about your date.
Do you love her already?"
Anny asked looking sad.
"Love, you have to be kidding.
It was only our first date.
It takes a lot more than that for someone to steal my heart."
I said.
"Well, it wasn’t so hard for me.
I remember you fell in love with me from the first moment."
Anny said.
"Yes but honey, you are unique.
What we had is once in a life time."
I said immediately regretting my words. I didn’t want to make it sound like a love declaration.
"Anyway," I say sipping my coffee, "she is a nice woman.
We'll see how it goes.
How about Carlos, is he still behaving?
You know you can tell me anything."