Wait and listen

After a few seconds, having fully processed Ariana's remark, Matt begins to speak.

"We'll just have to wait and see if you can resist my charms," he says, and a quick side glance reveals that he's wearing a smug smirk. "A gorgeous restaurant, delicious food and dim lightning makes for a romantic atmosphere. In that situation, with a beautiful woman and a dashing man, what comes next is only natural."

You want to sigh in relief because it seems like Matt has taken your wife's ignorance about the true nature of the date as bravado. It's true that you and Matt agreed that sex with either partner wasn't guaranteed, simply that possibility of it ending in physical intimacy was allowed. So Matt is just assuming that Ariana is confident that she won't be wooed by him.

But you can't relax just yet, because your wife might now find Matt's reaction suspicious. You feel like you're watching an acrobat walk a tightrope with every sentence, waiting for the fall after every wobble. A sip of coffee soothes your rapidly beating heart for a second, calming the panicked voice inside telling you to run to the table.

Ariana giggles and says, "well, I guess there's a first time for everything."

Now you feel like you can relax, as your wife is translating Matt's confidence as just being his natural flirtation. But you wonder what exactly she meant. That there's a first time for Matt's charms to be rejected? Or there's a first time that she would succumb to them?

"Well, a second time," Matt's words pierce your thoughts. "Who knows how far you would have went if I hadn't turned on the light back in college."

"Ssssssh," Ariana shushes your best friend, and finally withdraws her hand from his, and gives him a stern look, which you see by taking a quick peek over your shoulder. "We agreed never to talk about that. EVER."

Matt chuckles but it's Ariana who continues to talk.

"This isn't helping my stress levels you know. Bringing up ancient history and embarrassing me."

"Sorry, sorry, you're right," he says, and you hate that he sounds so lighthearted. "But, just think, there's worse things you could tell him."

"That's true..." she agrees, thoughtfully, and then a second later you hear her yawn. "Gosh, I better get home and get to bed or I'll be worthless tomorrow."

"So long as you're feeling better," Matt comforts her and rises from the table at the same time she does.

"Yeah, you were a big help, thanks. I feel much better about telling Eric about the dress now, so I'll definitely do it tomorrow." You hear shuffling behind you and Matt must be trying to pay for their drinks, because Ariana then suddenly adds, "wait, let me pay for mine."

"Don't worry it's on me."

"But you're already paying for Chez Mignon tomorrow."

"So a cup of coffee is a drop in the ocean," he assures her. "But maybe we can figure out another way for you to pay me back tomorrow."

You can't look around even though you want to because Matt and Ariana are now standing much closer behind you. You're sure that if you make any movement, you'll be recognized. But even so, the pause before speaking makes you wonder if your wife is blushing.

"You're such a horndog," she jokes, sidestepping the offer.

Matt leaves the money for the drinks on the table, and the pair exit the coffee shop together. To anyone else it probably looks like they're a couple, as Matt escorts your wife to her car. Now that they're outside you can turn around and watch them freely. You observe through the window as they say goodbye and your wife reaches out to pull your friend into a hug. It's not unusual for them to hug goodbye, but for the first time you notice just how fully their bodies press against the other when they do. Did they always embrace so tightly you wonder, or is her body reciprocating all his teasing from throughout the evening?

You watch your wife drive away, and then your best friend, but you're lost in your own thoughts now, thinking about what they could possibly have meant about Ariana going further if Matt hadn't turned on the light and how whatever happened is worse than the dress. Did Matt and Ariana already have sex in college? Matt met Ariana the same night you did, but you and her began dating a couple weeks after that, so there's a very short window where it wouldn't have been cheating, but your best friend definitely knew you were interested in her from that first meeting, so it would have been unscrupulous on his part at least.

Remembering that you set this evening aside to build your own date, you return to your car and begin looking up places to take Kali. But even as you browse restaurants, your mind keeps going back to Ariana and Matt, picturing the tight, small body of your petite, brunette wife, writhing underneath the strong, toned form of your best friend, his dark eyes gazing down into her chocolate irises, and watching her pupils widen as he lies fully between her legs. You've seen her face contort with pleasure many times but now you're picturing her making that face for Matt instead of you, not in your bed, or his apartment, but back in your college dorm.

Although you shake your head and buckle down to find a place for Kali, your mind keeps drifting away to Matt and Ariana. It takes much longer than you would have liked but eventually you settle for Wicked Felina, a small downtown taco bar. At this point, you're so tired, you don't even care what it's like, but it's close to some bars and a hotel, so you make your choice and head home already.

It's much later than you anticipated, so it's no shock that your wife is already in bed and all the lights except for the hall lamp have been turned off. Quietly you get ready for bed in the dark and slide in beside your wife's sleeping figure. As your eyelids get heavy, you look over at Ariana and wonder, just how much can you trust your wife.

(I hope you're all enjoying the story so far, and thanks to everyone who continues to read and like the chapters. On the issue of images in this story, when I originally asked whether people wanted images it seemed somewhat even, with some people wanting them, some not and others on the fence, so I split the difference and have only included images where the characters themselves have been viewing photos or pictures. But, I recently had the idea to use game mode so images will only be seen by those who choose to see them. Of course, I want to get feedback from you, the reader, first before I go ahead.

So, let me in know in the comments or in the forum thread (https://forum.chyoa.com/threads/my-wife-his-girlfriend.3180/), whether you would be amenable to the idea of game mode images, or if you prefer things as they are currently? Thanks.)