Sue and Ben had been married for nearly two years. Add that to the years they had dated, and it seemed there was a reason that their sex life had grown stale. Nothing wrong with it, exactly. But it was very routine. They would get in bed and kiss goodnight, and two or three times a week the kiss would deepen, hands would begin roaming bodies, and intercourse would result. And it seemed about as lifeless as it sounds.
Ben thought about that at work one day. He started out feeling bad about his sex life, upset at how boring it had become. He was unhappy with his wife about it, but as he kept thinking he realized it wasn't her fault. Nor was it his fault. They had both just let it get into a rut. Sue was as lovely as ever, five and a half feet of sexy, athletic woman. Ben slowly realized that she probably felt just like he did. He decided that something should be done, and he needed to do it.
He thought of what kind of lavish, grand gesture he should make. No, not that. Don't overdo it. He didn't want her to wonder what kind of bad news was coming at the end of the evening. A plan started forming in his head, and he began setting it in motion.
He called Sue at her office, which was itself unusual. They both were busy at work and seldom called each other. That would have to change, he thought. He arranged for them to meet at one of their favorite restaurants for dinner that night. Ben rode the bus to work, and he could catch one to go to the restaurant, then they could both go home together since she drove to work. He then called the restaurant to make a reservation. He also made sure that her favorite wine was ordered and set up at the table when they arrived.
The bus was a little late, so Sue arrived a few minutes before he did and was seated at the table. She was already in a good mood as she realized that he had put some thought into this since the wine was waiting, and she had enjoyed part of a glass while she waited. When Ben came in, he surprised her further by going over to her, taking her hand in his, and leaning down to give her a short but nice kiss. Sue gave him a loving smile, then asked what was the occasion.
"Nothing unusual," he answered her. "Just that I love you."
"Oh, Ben," she said, her eyes suddenly just a bit misty. Then her smile faded a bit, concern replacing it. "Is anything wrong?"
He sat down in the chair beside her, instead of across the table as had become his habit recently. "No, nothing at all, dear. How was your day?"
"It was good. Really good." Funny, she had thought of several problems that had cropped up during the day, but they had vanished from her mind since she had entered the restaurant. She realized that it actually had been a pretty good day. And it was getting better.
During dinner Ben brushed his hand against her arm and even held her hand for short periods, but mostly he looked into her eyes and paid attention to the lovely woman he married. As he did this he realized what a lucky man he was to be sharing his life with her.