Love is hard to last

Chapter 1

My usually sweet kid, Alex, suddenly decided he had to sleep in my bed with me. And he wouldn't let his dad, Mark, within ten feet of me. Mark, bless his heart, just went along with it and bunked in the guest room that night. For two whole weeks, he didn't come back to our bedroom.

At the time, I didn't think much of it. I figured he was just indulging Alex. Until one night at a get-together…

I was running late and walked in just as I heard Mark laughing with his buddies.

"Dude, last time, your little side piece got all feisty and scratched the hell out of your back, didn't your wife notice?" one of his friends asked.

Mark casually replied, "Nah, I bought Alex a Transformer and he covered for me. Been crashing in the guest room for the last two weeks." He paused, "But yeah, the wounds are all healed now, so I'm planning on moving back into the master bedroom tonight."

His friends were all impressed, calling it a pro move. But I just stood there outside the lounge, feeling like I'd been dropped into a freezer.

1

A little later, another friend chimed in.

"So, Mark, that firecracker of yours seems like a handful. What if she gets tired of scratching your back and starts going for other… parts? What's the plan then?"

There was a beat of silence before everyone burst into laughter. Mark couldn’t help but chuckle with them.

"A little back scratching is fun, it's part of the game. But if she messes with anything else, well, then I can't play. And she wouldn't like that either, would she?”

The guys all let out a collective “Ooooh.”

Then someone else asked, "But seriously, dude, this little drama queen throws a tantrum every other week and leaves some kind of love mark on you. You really gonna keep using your kid as a shield? Isn't your wife gonna get suspicious?"

The door to the lounge was half-open, and I could see Mark clearly through the crack. He didn't look guilty or worried at all. Instead, he raised an eyebrow, a glint of excitement in his eyes.

"Sarah's kind of naive, and my kid’s a pretty good actor, she just thinks Alex is being a brat, she wouldn’t think I’m teaching him."

He paused, and his smile faded slightly. He looked around at the guys, and his voice turned serious.

"Just don't mention this to your wives, okay? Sarah's pretty tight with them, I'm scared they’ll spill the beans."

The guy next to Mark immediately nodded.

"Dude, no worries, we all know the rules. Won't make trouble for you. Besides, everyone knows how much you adore your wife."

The mood lightened again, and Mark grinned, nodding. "You bet, Sarah's the love of my life."

Out of the crowd, someone quickly asked, “What about the firecracker?”

Mark hesitated for a second, like he was thinking about something, his eyes getting all dark. Then, he said in this weird tone, “She’s… hot, spicy, a great time, the best bedmate."

Everyone started howling with laughter again.

No one noticed me – standing outside the door, feeling like I'd just been punched in the gut.

2

I never ...