Forbbiden Friendship

She just wanted a girl’s night out, minding her business, she ordered her favorite beer. Tall dark and sexy walks up, “Hey I’m Newhouse” “I’m Mariangela”, she replies they exchange a few lines and it must’ve been good because now they’re on the dance floor and they dance the night away. She reluctantly gives him her phone so he can add his number. Thoughts go through her head, “I’ll just erase it as soon as we get out of here, she thought and either way, this didn’t mean shit, anyway plus, it was just a few dances, and her thought process continues.

After all, she was married.

Months later; OMG how could this be?! In millions of people, that’s Newhouse! She thought in a desperate silence! “Hey, what’s up?” As if she never met him before, not to mention in a slow-dancing kind of setting, she replies, HEY! nice to “meet you.” As they are getting introduced by, of all people, her husband!

Turns out, he too was in a relationship, they both have kids. Over the years these families have gotten close, family trips, outings, dinners, long road trips, flights, parties, birthdays, name it they were doing it together.

Newhouse and Mariangela always had this strange attraction as if they had some unfinished business. They remained loyal, until that October.

He calls, and she answers to hear the strangest thing, I want you, stutters Newhouse, the words almost didn’t come out, how she wished they hadn’t. Mariangela was going through a horrible loss in her personal life, and in her married life felt neglected, and unappreciated, not to mention untouched. The words hit her like a ton of beautiful compliments. The months flew by, and they agreed at the end of October.

She arrived at his house as she had many times and year after year for family gatherings and celebrations or just a friendly visit. This time the families were not coming together, this wasn’t any type of celebration and was most definitely not “friendly”. She parks in the driveway as normal, walks up gets to the front door, and walks back to her car. She gets in puts the key in the ignition and starts her car. She remembers things that make her extremely unhappy and depressed, she gets out runs to the door, and does a quick knock ignoring the doorbell. She mentally starts regretting all of it again. “Maybe he doesn’t hear my faint knock, and I’ll just leave”, so much for her wishes.

Newhouse opens the door. His warm smile and inviting arms make Mariangela feel good and safe, as they usually do, they greet each other with a hug and how are you? Come upstairs says Newhouse, I’m watching a movie, it’s Transporter 2! Have you seen it? No! it’s still at the theaters, “you must be watching it bootleg,” laughs Mariangela. I sure am, replies to Newhouse, and adds his usual statement “Not everyone’s able.” “A movie ticket doesn’t cost that much, Newhouse!” she exclaims.

Newhouse grabs her saying, aren’t you glad I didn’t go to the theater to watch it- We can watch it together, as he gently kisses her lips. There it is right? Asks Mariangela, there’s what says, Newhouse. The door — the door that leads to God knows what?! Mariangela that’s not the first time I’ve kissed you and look how many years that door’s been closed. That was different I didn’t know you had a girlfriend, and you didn’t know I was married. It’s all the same, you know how long I’ve been wanting to do that? Every trip we take with the family, every event we’ve been to, you and your husband show up and you light up the room, you make me feel something every time I see you. You’re so close but so far away.

They proceed to sit on the couch to start the movie, to this day she’s never finished watching this movie. Touching leads to kissing, which leads to acts they both cannot erase. They proceed to the guest room, he begins by grabbing her while sitting on the bed he swings her around so that she’s sitting on his lap facing him she looks at him nervously as he whispers don’t worry, I’m not going to drop you. He says enters her while she releases and relaxes her body and lays back on his legs — here it is, the moment she knows she may never see heaven; the feeling was yet heavenly itself. He’s looking right at me! She exclaims in her head, not a normal process during intimacy with her husband, so how do I process this? she thinks. Strange but exotic at the same time.

Over an hour into it, she mentally notes, “Yet another nonexciting act with my husband, he’s done in less than 5 minutes! He asks “You done? Have you climaxed?” “Ok I accept differences but now I’m floored, he’s waiting on me?!” No was her response, I’ve been thinking about how wrong this is and so many other things I wasn’t into it mentally, she replies. He proceeded to look for her Pearl, only to find it with his tongue! Nothing else is on her mind now, but how to stop this river from flowing. He gets excited all over again and enters her one last time, he smiles as he reaches his climax, adding that to the list of differences.

October 27, 2005, the night was chilly and clear outside, inside on the second floor it was hot and muggy. The time had come for Mariangela to head home, the award moments on how to head out the door were here. Thoughts in her head would not allow the muscles in her face to relax so she couldn’t stop smiling. Newhouse’s mindset must have been the same, his smile was shining through the darkness of the lower part of the house. She headed home as if nothing had happened. The guilt in Mariangela’s heart was taking up too much headspace, or was contingency? The next meeting would be when her family would head to Newhouse’s house to celebrate Thanksgiving with his family.

They hugged a lot less tight this time, as the act that took place the month before was too fresh. Nonetheless, They carried on as usual. Fast forward 5 years, these acts had become a fully forbidden friendship. They were unofficially a couple, with dates, gifts, and even arguments and jealousy. Newhouse would show jealousy when Mariangela would kiss her husband in front of him, he never showed it, but his face was doing that mindset trick on him. She couldn’t help but notice.

“Why do you have to kiss him in front of me?” asked Newhouse. “You can’t ask me not to kiss my husband New!” She called him what no one else called him. “Why not, I don’t kiss her!” “Wait you guys don’t kiss even when no one is around?” No, he answered, we haven’t kissed in a long time. To her dismay, she disregarded his request.

Newhouse was driving Marianela home one day when she was dropped off at work. He makes a sudden stop and turns into an unfamiliar street. What the hell, New?! He replies, “That was Too Tall!” as he nicknames her husband to avoid using his name while with her. What are you talking about, that was not him, they get back on the street sure enough her husband had just pulled into their house?! Panting and nervous at the same time they both make a sign of relief when they know he didn’t see his truck. Newhouse and Mariangela are still seeing each other off and on, if you keep an eye out you may see them alone together one day you will not mistake them, they will be the ones kissing.