It was almost midnight as Colette laid in bed, the cotton sheets soft against her skin. She was smiling, her heart filled with contentment. Her husband, Steve, was lying next to her, breathing softly, his chest rising and falling rhythmically. The room was dark except for the small bit of moonlight that was shining through the cracks in the shutters. She was loving this moment, feeling warm and cozy in bed together with the man she loves.
She thought back to the day they'd met. She was fresh out of college. He had graduated a year earlier and was already into his second year as a junior architect. They'd fallen head over heels in love, and within a year, they were married. Looking back, the dating and then courtship now seems short, almost too short, but she'd never once regretted her decision. They'd built a beautiful life together, filled with laughter, love, and, most importantly, each other. And with two happy and healthy children that she loves dearly, it felt like her family was complete.
As she lay there, Colette's mind started to drift. Not fully understanding how or why, she suddenly started recalling a completely random experience she had with a classmate in college. It was a fleeting thought, but it caught her off guard because that solitary event hadn't crossed her mind in years.
The memory came back to her in vivid detail. Her name was Lily, and they were both freshmen. They had been friends for most of that first year, quite close in fact. Then, one night after a fraternity party, they found themselves alone back in Lily's dorm room. They had both been drinking, and for some reason, Lily had leaned over and kissed her on the lips. It started slowly at first, but then quickly turned into a passionate embrace that left them both breathless.
As her mind continued to wander, Colette recalled the intensity of that experience. Their bodies pressed against each other, hands exploring each other, kisses becoming more aggressive, almost desperate, breathing heavily, bodies entwining, sweating in the heat of their moment together.
Now, in the present, as she lay there in bed, Colette found herself becoming aroused beneath the sheets. She shifted slightly, accidentally bumping her hip into Steve, who stirred but didn't wake. Her heart raced as she reached down between her legs.
The memory of Lily's hands on her skin, her lips against hers, was clear as day in her head. She could feel the warmth of Lily's breath, the softness of her hair, the pressing of her body against her own. It was a powerful ache, this desire to relive that moment, to know what it would be like to be with a woman again.
Steve shifted again in his sleep, and Colette jolted. She sat up in bed, gasping for air, her heart racing. Her hands trembled as she wiped the sweat from her brow. What had just happened? Was she really thinking about Lily, or was it just a fleeting thought, a distant memory?
She glanced over at Steve. As she watched his chest rising and falling steadily, she felt a pang of guilt. There was the man she loved with all her heart. They made a promise. And they're raising a family together; a family with two beautiful children. "There's no room for anyone else...," she thought to herself.
Realizing it was still the middle of the night, she chalked it up to the late hour and layed back down. Doing everything she could to clear her mind, she fell soundly back to sleep.
The next morning, as Colette was getting dressed for work, she couldn't shake the strange sensation that had crept up on her the night before. It was as if a part of her had awoken, a part that had been dormant for years. She found herself drawn to the memory of that fleeting night with Lily. However, at the same time, she was adamant with herself that it needed to be just that, a fleeting fantasy, one that she'll never allow herself to entertain in real life.
Deciding to just focus on the day ahead, Colette finished getting ready and left for work. It was a fairly uneventful day at the office. She managed to squeeze in a quick lunch break, but the rest of the afternoon simply dragged on and on. By four o'clock, she was itching to get home to Steve. So she decided to leave work early.
As she drove home, Colette found herself feeling increasingly agitated. It was as if there was a pressure building inside her, a need that she couldn't quite identify. She tried to distract herself by listening to the radio, but even that failed to snap her out of it.
Colette was now ten minutes away from home and was just driving by their neighborhood grocery store. She decided to stop in to pick up a few things for dinner.
Once inside, she took a deep breath and began to walk up and down the aisles. As she turned down one of the aisles, she instantly felt a flutter in her stomach. There, standing halfway down was a beautiful woman with dark brown hair.
She was stylish, looking in her mid-thirties, wearing a loose black shirt and tight, fitted blue jeans that hugged her curves and accentuated her shapely legs. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, revealing her delicate neck and piercing eyes.
Colette felt her heart skip a beat as she noticed the woman staring directly at her. She stopped her cart with gazes locked. But not only was the woman looking at her, Colette also noticed that she was also glancing at her from head to toe. And in the process, she was biting her lower lip slightly, almost hungrily.
Colette felt her cheeks flush. Realizing the amount of time she's now spent standing and staring, she had to start moving again. Pushing her shopping cart forward, she proceeded back down the aisle. As she approached the woman, she managed to squeak out, "Hi."
The two women stood there for a moment again, unable to break away from their gaze. Finally, the woman replied, "Hi."
With an unspoken understanding between them, almost an acknowledgement of the attraction they had for each other, the two women moved closer, almost instinctively. As Colette got within a foot of the woman, she could feel the heat emanating from her body, and she could smell the scent of her perfume.
"My name is Colette," Colette said.
