This is a little story that happened to me when I first started dating my wife. At the time, we'd been together about 10 months, had already dropped the "I love you bomb" and were making plans to start living together soon. And why not? We'd pretty much spent every waking minute together since the day we met, which is pretty shocking, since I'm a guy who generally doesn't like people. Having been cheated on before by previous girlfriends, I wouldn't say I was cynical so much as "cautious".
Alexandra ("Alex" to her friends) checked all of the boxes for what I was attracted to in a girl. She was 28 (two years older than me), a total tomboy who grew up with three older brothers, she was an assertive alpha-female type who was quick to laugh, but also quick to call someone out for their bullshit. She wasn't boring. She had hobbies, interests, and quirks. Definitely
not
what you'd refer to as meek or a damsel-in-distress type. She had an appeal that made all men want her, especially her candid personality and her guy-like sense of humor. She wasn't easy to offend, could tell dirty jokes, and throw back beer better than any guy could.
It also helped that she was a knockout. She was tall (about 5'9"), and definitely an athletic body type. She was a fitness freak- the type to go running (even in the dead of winter), hit the gym afterwards, and in the evenings attend her social dodgeball, volleyball, or softball leagues (usually in tiny gym shorts that showed off her strong legs). She had nice toned legs, perky B-cups with puffy pink nipples, a perfect ass that she was practically famous for, and a belly button ring and nose stud that hinted at a naughty side.
She had straight brown hair, brown eyes, perfect white teeth and big dimples. Her mouth was definitely her dominant feature. As far as celebs went, she was often likened to Hilary Swank and Jennifer Garner.
I always knew that she partied when she was younger. "I was promiscuous," she wasn't afraid to brag on several occasions after a few cocktails. It never bothered me... much... since everyone had a past, right?
But I had a few unspoken suspicions about her. For starters, most of her long term relationships (and she'd had many) ended rather abruptly. Her high school sweetheart, her college fiancΓ©, and a man she'd shared an apartment with. She admitted to cheating once or twice on them, but never told me specifically who or how many times.
I had filed it away in my memory, but had no reason to think too much on it. After all, if she had an interest in another guy, she'd just end it with me, right? That's what I thought too.
It started when I got home after a long night of delivering packages. I was a driver helper for UPS as a favor to a friend. The nights were long, the work was exhausting, and the pay was crap.
Alex met me at the door to her apartment, practically giddy with excitement.
"Hey baby, I did it!" She exclaimed.
"You did what?" I asked.
"I bought a WRX!"
"Get the hell out of here!" I said. I was happy for her. Having three brothers, Alex was a car chick. She knew her shit, from basic mechanic work to driving stick shift (something that even I didn't know). She did not fall easy prey to dishonest mechanics or salesmen, and she wasn't timid. She could deal with them without a man present. Her wit, sarcasm, and calling them out immediately could put them in their place, and her good looks ensured there were no hard feelings after she did it.
For a long time, she'd had her eye on the Subaru WRX, and with her apartment less than a mile from the 'auto mile' (a highway lined for miles with car dealerships), I figured it was only a matter of time before she did something a little wild and impulsive.
"Nope, dead serious. I got bored waiting for you to get home, so I stopped off at the dealership, took it for a test drive. I think I scared the hell out of the salesman."
"Did you?" I smirked.
"Oh I fuckin' gunned it when I got us out on the highway."
"Poor guy." I said. "So where is the car?"
"Oh, I only started the paperwork. I pick it up tomorrow. Josh is having it cleaned and detailed for me." She picked up her phone as she spoke and checked her messages. Neither of us are the type who are glued to our phones, so for her to do this mid-conversation is somewhat curious.
"Josh?" I asked.
"The salesman. I think he likes me," she replied as she continued to text. "That's him now," she held up her phone.
"You traded numbers?"
"How else am I supposed to get ahold of him to finalize the paperwork?" She said, dismissively.
Now I'm not really the jealous type of guy. I'm fully aware that a lot of men are attracted to Alex, and I don't worry. She's not exactly a Rory Gilmore who goes for any guy who starts to shower her with attention. But for some reason, I had a little pang of insecurity. Call it intuition?
"Is he good looking?" I asked, my expression and voice full of easy going good humor.
"He is kind of hot," she admitted. "He's got nice teeth. I like that. He was trying to flirt pretty hard after the test drive."
"Desperate to make that sale, huh? Should we be worried about the car being a lemon?"
"Oh trust me, I interrogated him. And why wouldn't he flirt? I'm a delight."
"And so modest," I gave her a smirk as I started dinner.
"Just let me have my moment," she laughed, but resumed her texting. "Besides, he didn't seem that desperate to make the sale. He was actually kind of cocky," she explained. "I talked him down pretty hard, with the help of my brother. I got exactly what I wanted on the price."
"Was he butt-hurt about it?"
Alex shook her head. "He told me it had been a good year for him, so it didn't matter if I got my way." For most of dinner, her focus drifted in and out of the moment. One minute she'd be on her phone, and when she did return to the interaction with me, I found that she would talk more about Josh than the car. "So I had him cracking up after the test drive..." she would start a story.
I thought it was a bit of a red flag, but again, didn't want to let my inner crazy show through. Alex would pick up on it in a second if I did. She was excited. How could I deprive her of that? But when the messaging went on and on, I eventually spoke up.
"Everything okay?" I asked.
"What? Huh?" She was smiling to herself about something. "Oh yeah. He's just sending some pics of the car."