Lovers to Friends

They were both consenting adults. She in her forties and he in his fifties. Both were lonely when it came to companionship and missed the excitement of a lover. Neither of them was looking for the one, just a casual hook up.

It began as introductions on an adult site. Flirtatious banter and chat. It was easy to be open and coy when you were not face to face with the person you were talking to. Those emails and private messages led to a first meet.

They met in a public place, somewhere neutral where they could escape if needed. You can never be too safe. This went for them both, people tend to forget men can also be victims. That first meeting in a well-known coffee shop was adoringly awkward. Two middle-aged people meeting for the first time after having spoken for weeks on a hookup site. This should have been simple, but no one tells you how embarrassing it actually was.

However, there was an instant connection. They both felt it and knew it was worth investigating. From that first public meeting came a much more private one. They chose a place away from both of their homes. It was a random chain hotel, that was far enough from home that it felt safe. Neither of them wanting the other to touch their 'real' everyday lives.

This wasn't real after all. This was a fantasy brought to life. A few stolen hours in a day, taking away the emptiness of an otherwise full and happy life. Afterwards, they both went away satisfied and content. Smiles on their faces, a new spark growing deep inside of them. Remember that spark dear readers, it is the beginning of a rebirth, like the mythical phoenix rising from the ashes.

The weeks turn into months and the two continue to meet when and where they can. In today's world, they would call themselves, 'friends with benefits.' The language is crass but apt. Their meetings were not often but thanks to modern technology they were able to talk regularly.

The phones began to ping musically throughout the days, more and more often as time passed. Like today young, their hands seemed to always hover near their phones. Grabbing it quickly whenever it would chime with a new incoming message. A blind man would have been able to see the excitement radiating from them with each text.

Family and friends noticed, but they brushed it off as groups, work, or something else related to some hobby or another. Facebook notifications can cover a lot of questions, they found. Neither was ready to share their secret.

Soon, three years had passed and though they only met physically sporadically, they knew of one another's every trial, triumph and failure. Slowly, over time these two secret lovers had become the closest of friends.

They became one another's bounce boards and confidants. They comforted one another or shared new joys or grief. In all truth, emotionally they were married to one another closer than any paper could ever make real.

If their secret relationship had become known to others, they would probably see it as most peculiar. Perhaps be suspicious of why they kept it secret. Was there an unknowing partner being duped? Were they ashamed of the other? What could it be? What could possibly be the reason that they did not want anyone else to know?

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