Mandy grabbed her purse, running late. "I'm off!" she told Tommy.
"Oh, OK", he said, "Are you meeting up with friends or something?" He looked up briefly from his newspaper.
"Just a girls' lunch," she replied. She gave her husband a peck on the cheek, giving him a lickety-split flash of delicious cleavage, and turned to go. "See you later!"
"You", he mused, not loud enough for her to hear, returning to his paper, "Should wear that top more often..."
***
Mandy walked quickly, her little black pleated skirt flapping in the wind, on her way to meet Ben. She was already 10 minutes late and wanted to get there before him, to settle herself. She'd picked a place she knew Tommy and their friends didn't know of... it was off an alley in town and down some stairs, in a basement. It was called "Sacred Bean" and had half-a-dozen private booths as well as the main seating area.
Ben had texted her last week, saying he was back for a business conference. He'd asked if she wanted to catch up. She'd agreed, not really knowing why she had agreed nor exactly what to think. It had been nearly five years since they'd been together, and she had moved on. She had married Tommy three years ago... he was good to her, yes, but the relationship had already become sort of tedious. Stale, even.
Mandy pushed open the door to the café and looked around. Ben wasn't there yet, but that was no surprise. He was always late. She took a seat in a booth and tried to act casual, but she couldn't stop fidgeting. She ordered two coffees as the waitress popped her head around the corner. She waited, eyes darting nervously to the door every few seconds. She now felt self-conscious in such a low-cut top, pulling at the neckline to try to cover up more of her cleavage. Not that she had much to show anyway - but still. She glanced at the door again. No sign of Ben. She started to feel a knot of anxiety in her stomach. What if he didn't show? What if he stood her up?
After what seemed an eternity, Mandy saw him walk in. Her breath caught in her throat. She couldn't believe he was actually here. He filled the doorway, his imposing presence instantly familiar. She felt a little rush, her heart skipping a beat. Tall and confident, he had a square jaw, blonde hair and a big smile that made him look both handsome and just a little mischievous. He looked good - or maybe even better than he had the last time she had seen him. He had always been a "statement dresser" and his suit fit him well. Even the waitress, only half his age, couldn't help but give him a sneaky up-and-down look. He'd always had that effect on women.
Ben strode into the booth, his grin confident and his eyes twinkling. He kissed Mandy on the cheek, his lips lingering for a moment longer than necessary. "Hey, Mandy," he said. "You look good. How've you been?" Mandy felt her heart flutter as she caught his scent. He smelled like sea air. She forced herself to maintain steady eye contact. "G-good, thanks, Ben," she managed. "You're looking well too. Trip gone OK?". She caught his eyes flick to her breasts, just fleetingly, then back to her face.
"Oh, you know. Same shit, different day", he sighed as the waitress returned with the coffees, "But I'm making money, so I'm happy. You?"
"Oh, you know, married life. Same old thing. How's your wife, by the way? Lucy, isn't it?", Mandy asked, keeping up the idle chit chat.
Ben scoffed and sipped his coffee. "I left her a while ago, actually. Turns out she was screwing my best friend".
"Ooh, that... that really sucks", said Mandy. She didn't really feel that bad for him; he'd treated women, including Mandy, pretty awfully at times.
"Ahh, whatever ... fuck that... how's Tommy?"
"Oh, he's good, still in his boring IT job. But he's fine", Mandy said. "Still playing rugby on weekends. Not quite the physique he once had though".
"We all get old I guess." He sipped his coffee and smirked. "He... uh... keeping your candle burning?" He was always straight to the point.
"Ben... gimme a break". Mandy rolled her eyes. She wasn't about to discuss her marriage bed with him.
"Well... I just mean... we had a lot of fun... but if you're happy, good on you," he said, raising his coffee cup, toasting her with gentle mockery.
"Well..." She knew she had paused too long.
Mandy stared back into Ben's eyes, and then looked down. She sipped her coffee, avoiding his gaze, shrugging her shoulders slightly.