Ending Her Relationship

"Kelly...we need to talk." John said.

"Can it wait until tomorrow? Robert's going to be here to pick me up any minute." Kelly said.

"No Kelly, it can't wait." John said.

Kelly looked at John and saw the pleading look and a touch of anger in his eyes. She walked over and sat on the bed beside him.

"Okay...make it quick." Kelly said.

"I don't want you going out with Robert anymore." John said.

Kelly laughed.

"Oh don't be silly." Kelly said.

"I'm serious. When this started out it was just sex with another man once or twice a month. Then you met Robert. For the past 7 months you've been seeing each other 3 or 4 times a week. You've spent entire weekends with him. This is no longer simply just sex Kelly, it's a relationship, and I don't like it." John said.

There was a fire in John's eyes and a growl in his voice that Kelly had only rarely seen since she'd met him...and not in a very long time.

"Oh John, you're worrying about nothing. Now I've got to finish getting ready." Kelly said.

"Kelly, don't go tonight. Stay here with me." John said.

"John, Robert made plans, he got us tickets to the Bon Jovi concert." Kelly said.

"Kelly...do you see what you just did there?" John asked.

"What?" Kelly asked.

"You picked against me...your husband. When this started it was supposed to be something extra...something that would not change our relationship." John said.

"It hasn't." Kelly said.

"Yes it has. You just picked Robert over me. That's not something extra Kelly...that's something that you want to do instead of being with me. I want you to stay here with me tonight and you just said that Robert made plans so you're going to a concert with him. Eight months ago you never would have picked against me. Three times before you met Robert I asked you to stay here instead of go out with another guy...all 3 times you immediately picked up the phone to tell them that you couldn't go. You didn't even think of reaching for the phone just now did you?" John asked.

He looked at Kelly.

"No...you didn't. Which means that you have decided that you're going to the concert with Robert no matter what. Which means that you've picked him instead of me. Now...do you still think that our relationship hasn't changed Kelly?" John asked.

"John...Robert got the tickets a month ago." Kelly said.

"So did I." John said.

"What?" Kelly asked.

"I was going to surprise you with these tonight when I got home from work, but then you told me you were going out with Robert tonight. So I guess I wasted my money on these front row seats." John said.

He pulled two front row tickets out of his dresser drawer and held them up for Kelly to see.

"Front row?" Kelly asked.

"Yeah...front row. I bet Robert didn't spend this kind of money on the tickets he's got did he? That's how much I wanted to take you to the concert Kelly. I bought front row tickets to a concert that I knew you would want to go to...and you just told me that you are going with Robert so I guess I don't need them." John said.

John went to rip the tickets in half.

"Wait...don't do that John...there's no sense letting tickets like that go to waste." Kelly said.

"Kelly, I swear to god, if you say that you want to have the tickets for you and Robert to use I'll rip them into a thousand pieces." John said.

"I wasn't going to say that John. I had no idea that you would want to go to a Bon Jovi concert with me, and I certainly didn't know that you would go to the expense of getting front row seats. I'll call Robert's cell phone and tell him that I'm going with you instead." Kelly said.

She picked up the phone and dialed Robert's cell phone number.

"Hello?" Robert asked.

"Hi, it's me." Kelly said.

"Oh hey baby, calling to check up on me? I'm about 3 blocks away." Robert said.

"I'm sorry, but I can't go to the concert with you." Kelly said.

"What? We've been talking about this for a month." Robert said.

"I'm sorry, but John surprised me with front row seats...I'm certainly not going to pass up front row seats." Kelly said.

"So get the tickets from him and we'll use them instead." Robert said.

"No, I can't do that. I'm going to the concert with him. Look, I'll call you tomorrow okay?" Kelly asked.

She heard Robert exhale...obviously annoyed.

"Yeah...okay." Robert said.

Kelly hung up the phone.

"Okay...if we're going, then shouldn't you finish getting dressed?" John asked.

"Yes. Give me 5 minutes." Kelly said.

They went to the concert and were front row center.

"So where were the seats Robert got?" John asked.

"I have no idea. He doesn't have a whole lot of money so they're probably in the upper level somewhere. Nothing quite like this. I can't believe how close we are to the stage." Kelly said.

They had a great time at the concert, went home, and made love. After they had made love they were laying in bed holding each other.

"So...and I want you to be honest...how bad do you feel about cancelling your date with Robert and going to the concert with me instead?" John asked.

"Well...in all honesty I do feel pretty bad about it. He and I had been talking about the concert for a week or so before tickets went on sale and then we talked about it for the past month. He was 3 blocks from here when I called him telling him that I was going with you instead. That is literally a last minute change of plans." Kelly said.

"If I had tickets in the nose bleed section would you have gone with me instead of him?" John asked.

Kelly looked at John.

"Yes John, I would have. I wanted to go to the concert. I was blown away when you told me that you'd bought tickets. You've never been a big fan of Bon Jovi and you never did go to a lot of concerts. The fact that you got tickets so we could go see my favorite band really touched me...I'd have gone with you no matter where the seats were." Kelly said.

"Even if he had front row seats?" John asked.

"No matter where the seats were John...I told him that I wasn't going to pass up front row seats to make it a little easier for him to accept the last minute change." Kelly said.

"Now...if I had wanted to take you to a movie...you would have gone with him to the concert instead wouldn't you?" John asked.

Kelly frowned.

"Yes. I really wanted to see the concert John." Kelly said.

"Kelly...we've had a great night and I don't want to start an argument, but please...please promise me that you will think about what I was saying earlier." John said.

"What were you saying earlier?" Kelly asked.

"For crying out loud Kelly...were you not even listening?" John asked.

"I was listening John...I just want to be sure that we're talking about the same thing. Do you mean the part about how you think our relationship has changed since I met Robert?" Kelly asked.

"Yes. Please think about that. Promise me." John said.

"Okay John...I'll think about it...I promise." Kelly said.

She kissed John and they went to sleep. The next day was Saturday. John was outside mowing the yard and doing other yard work and Kelly was curled up on the couch reading a book. She was facing one of the windows and she could see John as he was mowing and she lowered her book and just watched him for a while.

She had promised John to think about how their relationship had changed since she'd been with Robert.

Obviously having sex with Robert was a change...though she had been having sex with other men, with John's consent, for a few months before she met Robert.

She did spend a lot of time with Robert...they would go out 3 or 4 times per week and there had been 3 whole weekends where she would leave Friday night and come back Sunday night. She hadn't really thought about it before, but John had said that she was having a relationship with Robert. She realized that he was right...that gave her a little pain in the pit of her stomach.

Every time that she was with Robert they had sex...that was 3 or 4 times per week. She had only been having sex with John once or twice a week since she met Robert. The pain in her stomach got a little worse.

She remembered that when she got her promotion two months earlier Robert was the first one she called...not John. Why hadn't she called her husband first? He should have been first on the list...why wasn't he? The pain in her stomach increased.

Kelly started remembering more and more things that she had done where she put Robert ahead of John. She had made excuses to John to get out of things so she could be with Robert. She hadn't let Robert do anything sexually that she hadn't let John do, but she did things like anal much more willingly with Robert. The pain in her stomach got even more intense.

The more she thought about it the more she realized that she was lucky John hadn't left her.

She wasn't seeing Robert behind John's back. He knew that she was seeing Robert. He knew that she was having sex with Robert. He had realized what she hadn't...she had a relationship with Robert...not just a sexual affair...a full relationship.

Kelly got up from the couch, ran out the back door into the yard, and tackled John. She clamped a tight hold on him and wouldn't let go.

"Easy there sweetheart...you could hurt someone doing that." John said.

"I've already hurt you John...I see that now. I never wanted to hurt you. I'm so sorry John; I was too blind to see what I was doing. I'm sorry John...I'm so sorry. Please forgive me John. I'll never see Robert or anyone else ever again...I promise." Kelly said.

"I guess you kept your promise to think about what I said last night." John said.

"Yes John...I kept my promise. You were right. I removed myself from the situation and looked at things from a different point of view and what I saw sickened me. How could I hurt you like that and be too blind to even notice? I'm sorry John...I'm so sorry...I never meant to hurt you." Kelly said.

"I know you didn't baby...I know." John said.

"Can we...can we still have a future together? Can I still be your wife after what I've done?" Kelly asked.

"If I've stuck by you through this...I'll stick by you in the good times that are ahead as well." John said.

"Yes...good times...no more bad times. There will only be good times from now on...I promise John. I promise." Kelly said.

"I look forward to them. Have you told Robert yet?" John asked.

"No...he's no longer first in my mind...he never should have been in the first place, but he was. Well no more. You were the first person that needed to know. He no longer matters." Kelly said.

"Well...he might not be as quick to let go as you are." John said.

"Well he'll have to...I want nothing more to do with him." Kelly said.

"You should probably go call him and ask him to meet us for lunch." John said.

"Meet us?" Kelly asked.

"Yes...this should be done face to face...he shouldn't have to hear it over the phone." John said.

"Okay...I'll call him. I'll have him meet us at the diner at 12:30." Kelly said.

At 12:30 John and Kelly were sitting in a booth at the diner when Robert walked in. He saw them, walked over to them, and sat down on the other side of the booth.

"I was a little surprised when you called and asked me to meet both of you. Is this some kind of apology for last night?" Robert asked.

"In a way." John said.

"What does that mean?" Robert asked.

"I'm sorry that last night ever happened." Kelly said.

"Well...I guess since he had better tickets I wouldn't have said no either." Robert said.

"Wait...I'm not apologizing to you Robert, I'm apologizing to John." Kelly said.

"What? Why are you apologizing to him for last night?" Robert asked.

"I'm apologizing to John for ever getting in the position for there to be a problem last night. When you and I met I told you that John was okay with me being with other men. He was okay with me being with other men sexually, which is how we started out. Over the course of 7 months though...well it became much more than just sex. That wasn't what John had been okay with and it was more than I ever intended to do." Kelly said.

"So what are you saying?" Robert asked.

"I'm apologizing to John for having a relationship with you. I never should have let things go the way that they did. I'm also apologizing to you for ending things so abruptly like this, but there's no way that I can ever see you again." Kelly said.

Robert was silent for a moment.

"Well...I guess I can understand all of that. I'm not happy about it...but I knew going in that you were married. I hadn't expected things to go the way that they did either, but I enjoyed our time together. I'm gonna miss you Kelly, but I'll always have fond memories of our time together." Robert said.

Robert left and John and Kelly ordered lunch.

"You know...last night never would have happened if I weren't trying to be spontaneous." John said.

"What do you mean?" Kelly asked.

"Well...you didn't really talk to me about the concert and you only told me that you were going last night so I had no idea that you were planning to go so I figured that I'd surprise you at the last minute instead of telling you ahead of time." John said.

"Well...if I hadn't let myself get into a relationship with Robert I wouldn't have been making plans with him instead of with you." Kelly said.

"That's all behind us now...I suggest we just leave it at that." John said.