“So, this is Garth. Do you remember him?”
"Of course I do," I responded with a wry smile, which pleased Garth as he almost drooled while gazing at me.
I wondered what Kyle was driving at, though. But I couldn't have forgotten about a man he had made me have sex with in our horse. It was Garth's last visit to our home about a year ago, and I had never seen or heard of him since then. I remembered the details of the sex and tried to hide my reaction to something I did then.
But Kyle was now in my face as if waiting for my reaction. I was sure I didn't react as he liked, or he pretended not to get one from me. Garth's greeting interrupted our mind games.
“Hello, Andrea!” he said with a sheepish smile and conspiratorial look at Kyle.
"Garth, you're welcome to our home. Kyle already told me of your coming," I said while staring at Kyle. His mouth was agape, and I thought I had unwittingly denied him before his friend. I didn't bother as I offered Garth a seat, "You can sit there," pointing at the chair two seats farther away from where I thought Kyle and I would sit.
“Thank you,” Garth responded and sat.
“You are welcome to eat with us,” I said as I sat beside my husband.
Kyle had now joined the table. The table was set, and everyone dished their portions. I began with wine. I caught Garth staring at me as I gulped the drink. Kyle focused on his meal and ate without talking to me or his friend. I wondered if he noticed his friend ogling at me.
I looked away, poured another glass of wine, and began to eat. Suddenly, Kyle cleared his throat and took some wine. I looked at him, and he smiled but spoke to his friend.
"Are you enjoying the meal?" he asked as he cracked his knuckles. Kyle cracked his knuckles to draw attention, so I looked up at him. But his disposition passed no message to me, and I wondered why he did that.
“Yes, it tastes nice. Your wife is a great cook. I remember the one I ate a year ago. Can't help but talk about it,” Garth retorted.
“You do?” I asked.
"Of course I do," Garth responded, "I can't but tell people about it."
“People? What kind of people have you talked to about my food? Anyone that I know?”
Garth looked uncomfortable with my question but responded anyway, "None that you know. But Andrea, your meals taste sweet."
"Ahem!" Kyle cleared his throat, and what he said next changed the discussion, "I have the best woman anyone can think of. She is the best."
Although I had heard Kyle compliment me like that many times, each time felt different depending on how he said it. Now, I felt a wave of air on my skin, and I wasn't sure if it was due to his words, his hand on my arm on the table, or both. I giggled and patted the back of his hand in return.
“I am who you made me to be,” I said.
Kyle rubbed my arm as if he drove the emotions deeper inside me. I liked how I felt and wished that his friend would leave soon so we could have our privacy and sex.
“That’s because you have been a loyal and obedient partner,” Kyle responded.
“Now you make me feel I am missing out on not getting married,” Garth said, and we all laughed. I sipped from my glass and bit my chicken.
"Sure, you are," Kyle responded quickly, "Even if you had wanted to, you cannot find another woman like Andrea. She is a complete package and doesn’t come with a duplicate.”
"You don't have to make me hopeless, do you? When the time is ripe, I will get a woman to marry,” Garth asked.
“Don’t mind Kyle. He is only teasing you with his excessive compliments of me,” I said.
"Oh! So, do you think there is another woman like you out there?" Kyle asked with a stare at me, "I bet if there were, Garth wouldn't be here tonight."
Laughing, Garth said, "Maybe I haven't looked at the right places and hard enough for the right woman for me.”
I felt that Garth wanted to deflect the discussion. So, I asked, "So, what brought you to our home? You cannot tell me it is the food. There must be something else,” I questioned Garth.
"I haven't come to your home for no reason," Garth began like a confessor and looked at Kyle, who seemed engrossed with his food, "I am in this city for business, and I thought rather than sleep over in a hotel, I can spend the night in my buddy's place. Isn't that a good thing for me to do?"
Kyle asked, "What business brought you to the city?”