Luke sat down to what would no doubt be another silent meal with his wife. It didn't matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't repair the damage he had done. His anger flared at himself with the memory of her, knowing that if he had just handled things differently, he would probably be laughing and talking with her right now. He felt like a man being starved. She wouldn't touch him or respond to his touch. He thought briefly about the first time she had mentioned her dreams. He initially thought it was her way of trying to enhance their sex life with a little fantasy knowing of his desire to see his wife with another woman.
His wife, Andrea, was as straight laced as any woman could be until the dreams began. Her first mention of them was vague, but for Luke just the mention of the ghostly woman that haunted his wife was intensely arousing. Andrea described her as having porcelain skin, cherry red lips, and long flowing hair as black as the night. It stirred his blood again, at the thought of her and the way the words rolled off his wife's tongue. He visualized the two of them together as he had many times. Then he looked over at the empty gaze of his wife as she mechanically put the food to her mouth and wiped her lips with a napkin without even looking in his direction. It was almost more than he could take.
It was just a few short weeks ago that the dreams began and as time went on they became frequent. It was always the same, but with each new dream his wife became more animated and descriptive. This beautiful, haunting woman named Claire would come to his wife after she had fallen asleep. She would stand over his wife and begin to lightly caress and undress her, awaking every nerve in her body. The details had been difficult for her to describe at first, but as time went on it was amazing to listen to Andrea describe the heat of the woman's lips on her nipples, the wetness of her tongue, and the sound of her ghostly whimpers. His fantasies had reached a new height with her vivid narration. She began to ache for the feeling of their two bodies entwined. It was as if she couldn't wait to get to sleep.
Luke began to feel a little left out. He had considered what her dreams might mean and finally decided to approach her with his thoughts of bringing another woman into their marriage. The shock in her eyes immediately warned him to stop and take the conversation in a different direction, but his desire for it pushed him on. It was as if she had become emotionally attached to Claire. They ended up fighting about it because of her adamant refusal to even consider his suggestion. The silence and distance that was now between them was excruciating. He could see a glint in her eyes some mornings and he would hear her whimper in her sleep, but he was no longer a part of it. He had made the mistake of touching her in her sleep one night as she began to squirm and whimper. She woke immediately and was irrationally angry with him. She belonged to Claire now and he had to find a way to get her back.
They cleaned up dinner and the dishes and he mulled over his course of action. Andrea went up to take a hot bath, which had become her nightly routine. He let his thoughts wander until the doorbell interrupted. He went to the door and opened it, only to be greeted with a very loud "TRICK OR TREAT." His mind raced. He had actually forgotten it was Halloween. He quickly went to the kitchen and grabbed an opened bag of candy. He was relieved as he filled their little bags and complimented their cute ghost costumes. He shook his head sadly at the irony of his situation as he closed the door and flipped off the porch light to discourage more interruptions.