I couldn't help steel glances at her chest. She must've purchased some better-fitting bras. I wonder if she went for a professional fitting locally, or measured herself. Either way, she looked good.
"Bonnie...?"
"Oh, sorry honey, I was just distracted for a minute there. What'd you want to know?"
A guy had strolled past a few moments ago, all sculpted jawline and tanned skin, and Bonnie’s gaze had locked onto his. That little tilt of her head, that slight parting of her lips. We'd agreed on this, hadn't we? A loosening of boundaries, an exploration. But watching it play out in front of me felt different than I'd expected.
I was trying to tell her about running into our neighbor at the grocery store earlier this morning. "So, she invited us over for a barbecue…" My voice trailed off as I realized she wasn't listening.
Her eyes were fixed on another man now. Younger this time, with a messy mop of dark hair and laughing at something his companion said. Bonnie’s smile widened, that particular kind of smile that wasn’t meant for me.
“Hey, are you listening?” I asked, trying to keep the frustration from my voice.
She blinked, her attention snapping back to me with an embarrassed realization. “Oh! Sorry, babe. I don't know what's gotten into me today.” The apology felt hollow.
I repeated my question about the dinner invitation, but she just nodded vaguely, already scanning the patio again. Her eyes lingered on our waiter, and I could sense her assessing him. Judging his potential. Was there no man off-limits?
I know we'd agreed on this path, but it was infuriating all the same right now. But I imagined her at some point, another man touching her cheek, pulling her close to his body. The image pulsed in my mind - a forbidden fantasy fueled by our mutual arrangement.
“You okay?” she asked, tilting her head again, that utterly charming gesture.
"Fine," I mumbled, picking at the edge of the table. "Just…thinking."
She leaned forward, her voice dropping to a whisper. “About what? About how handsome our waiter is? Or maybe you're wondering if I’ll finally ask someone home today?” Her eyes sparkled with mischief, and I knew she was deliberately poking at my unease, enjoying my discomfort.
I didn’t respond. What was I thinking? That maybe this whole experiment was a mistake on my part? Or perhaps this was just a temporary feeling - one small upward hill on the roller coaster adventure ahead of us? How does one discern one from the other?
She let out a soft laugh. "I see it's now your turn to be lost in thought, huh?"