You’re busy getting ready for work, begrudgingly drying off after a quick shower and brushing your teeth. You stare at yourself in the mirror—tired, drained, and still half asleep.

As you spit toothpaste and froth into the sink you hear your phone beep from the other room, vibrating against your nightstand. You curse yourself internally, hoping it’s not your boss (even though you silently hope it’s actually that your workplace exploded and you don’t have work anymore).

Slipping into a shirt and wandering back into your bedroom, you pick up your phone.

1 New Message

Uh oh.

Sliding past your lock (and typing the passcode wrong twice) you eventually make it to your messages app, opening it and almost choking on air.

It’s a photo of Ruth in a sleek, silky nightgown, half raised over her hips to expose her fathomless curves and the soft love handles at her waist. It’s posed just right for you to see the bottom of her face, a grin wide and that stupidly attractive tongue piercing on glaring display.

A simple text is attached: ‘Kids are gone. Come over?’

She knows you have work, but she also knows you can’t resist an offer like this. You never have, and you never will.

She sees you approach through the window and grins wickedly as she answers the door before you even get a chance to knock. The moment you see her face-to-face, your body responds instantly; a mixture of relief and arousal flooding through you in equal measures. She stands on her tiptoes, pressing herself against you, hands threading into your hair as she pulls your head down for a scorching hot kiss.

Ruth's tongue darts between your lips, dancing with yours as her body writhes against yours, the soft heat of her flesh pressed to yours making it almost painful to remember that you need to be anywhere else but right here in this moment with her.

Her smile turns slightly wicked as she responds, voice low and husky. "Oh, he'll be at work until late." She steps back, hands resting on your shoulders, gaze trailing from your eyes down to your lips and lower still. "And when I called him earlier..." Her grin widens even more. "...He didn't seem too keen on coming home tonight."

Ruth laughs softly, eyes sparkling. "Oh, sweetheart, I don't really care if he is or isn't." She runs a hand through her hair, the motion drawing your attention to how plush it feels and just how shiny her lavender strands look in the light. "It's not like we have an amazing relationship, anyway... It's just that sometimes..." Her voice trails off and she shrugs one shoulder before reaching for the hem of your shirt. "...Sometimes I need someone to make me feel alive."

"Ah, you ask the good questions." Ruth hums softly as she leans forward, brow furrowed in thought. "I suppose I was young and naive, I wanted a family... It's not like I expected things to stay this way. And honestly? Sometimes..." She swallows hard, glancing away. "...Sometimes he reminds me of why I fell for him in the first place." Her eyes meet yours again and she smiles, albeit somewhat sadly. "But then there are times like these... When all I want is someone who can make me forget about everything else." She reaches up, fingers curling around your neck as her thumb caresses your Adam's apple. "And I know you're that person."

Her lips part, and she considers your question for a moment before saying carefully, "I think I love the idea of being in love more than anything else." She pauses again, brow furrowing deeper. "And then there's this... this need inside me. The wantonness... The desire to just let myself go sometimes and be utterly selfish." Her gaze drops to your chest, tracing the lines of muscle visible through your shirt. "When I'm with you, it's like I can feel that part of myself come alive again. And as much as it hurts my husband... It feels so damn good."

Her eyes meet yours and she sees the pain there, written plain as day across your features. For a moment, it makes her feel guilty. Selfish even. But then she reminds herself of why she's here in the first place; why she wanted this, why she needed this.

"No," she whispers, voice barely audible above the sound of your heart beating wildly in your ears. "I don't think he's having an affair. It's not that... But I know that sometimes..." Her lips part, throat constricting as she swallows hard. "Sometimes, when we're together, it feels like... Like nothing matters but him and what he wants." She pauses, shaking her head slightly. "And then there are times like this... When all I can think about is how much better things would be if..." Her voice trails off, eyes flicking

"If they were better..." she repeats, lips forming a faint pout. "I don't know... Maybe we wouldn't be in this situation." She takes a step closer to you, hands sliding down your chest and resting on your hips. "But right now? Right here, with you?" Her expression softens, becoming almost dreamy. "I don't want things to ever change." A smile curves her lips upward and she leans in, lips brushing against yours. "As long as we have each other... As long as I can come home to this," she whispers against your skin, "I think I'll be alright."

"He's not my everything," she whispers against your skin, nibbling at your earlobe. "You are." Her hands slide lower, curling around your hips as she pulls you closer, grinding her body against yours in a silent promise of pleasure and release. "Just let me have this, okay? For now..."

When she finally comes down from her high, the world seems brighter and clearer all at once. She stands in your living room, catching her breath as she stares out the window and watches a car drive by, wind rustling through the trees beyond. The late afternoon sunlight paints everything gold, bathing the room in warmth that soothes her soul after such an intense exchange between you two.

"I don't know," she says quietly, mostly to herself. "Maybe I should just... talk to him." Her hands find their way back into her hair as she continues to mull over the idea. "Or maybe..." She pauses, considering something else entirely. "...Maybe I should just give him a little space for now."

The thought had honestly crossed her mind before. Not in the heat of passion when everything seemed possible and right there at her fingertips... but in quiet moments like these, when she could actually think straight and not be swayed by lust and desire. She shrugs, unsure herself. "I don't know," she says finally. "Maybe... Maybe it's time for a change." Her gaze lingers on you as she speaks, the image of your body pressed against hers still burned into her memory. "But for now?"

She grins at you, and for just a moment, you can see the old Ruth shining through—the one that used to be so vibrant and confident before marriage and children took their toll on her spirit. "For now... I think I'll enjoy being selfish."

She laughs softly, shaking her head. "Oh, you were just a little boy back then... I mean, don't take it the wrong way or anything." Her grin widens into something genuine and fond as she remembers those days. "But honestly? Things would have been so different if we had gotten together."

She looks at you for a moment longer before taking a step closer, reaching up to gently cup your cheek in her hand. "But it's not like that now," she whispers softly. "Now... we are who we are, and I couldn't be happier with how things have turned out."

Her eyes meet yours and hold, expressing all the words she can't quite bring herself to say aloud. For a moment, it feels like time stands still, as if there is nothing else in the world but the two of you and this quiet, intimate exchange