Jenny precariously balanced her walk on a tight rope. She dared not look down to the ground below, for fear of the precipitous fall.
She lovingly embraced everyone in the room, as was the norm. She only allowed a fleeting show of love, as her eyes spoke what her lips concealed, when embracing Robert once more.
Perhaps to an impartial audience, her behavior would seem abnormal as she sat right next to Clara and next to Robert, yet totally ignored Andrew.
Jenny surreptitiously steered away from Andrew’s way and gaze, as their mutual attraction was nearly impossible to hide, same as a magnet would not resist attaching itself to steel.
She kept her head demurely down, as she strived to follow the conversation, while her senses inhaled Robert’s scent. His nearby presence felt comforting, and she realized just then, how much she had missed seeing him.
From time to time, Jenny stole stealthy looks alternating between Andrew and Robert. She realized then that she could not make up her mind. It’s not as if something better had came along, and one could discard the old.
It was different with each man, and she thought that her love was as well.
With Robert, it was like being enclaved on a safe harbor. He was her rock of Gibraltar. He was her teacher and her lover. Their loving was comforting, tender, and deliciously sensuous.
With Andrew, she had found the tempest in the magnitude of a Tsunami. Their passion was explosive and consuming, and he was a dear friend who made her heart wrench with the novelty of romance, poems, and serenades.
One might even deem Jenny’s behavior bitchy, as she walked ahead of Andrew to avoid his handling.
Her appetite was null, as they all had settled to go out to dinner to celebrate.
The host had offered them a round table, where it was inevitable that Clara seat next to her husband, while Jenny was sandwiched between Andrew and Robert.
-“I think this deserves a toast. Will you order wine for me too please?” Jenny asked Robert at her side. The strain of walking the tight rope was making knots of her nerves.
The wine heated her cheeks, or perhaps it was the close proximity of the men. Andrew, always the practical joker, lightly brushed his hand against her left leg under the table, while Jenny nursed a simile of a straight face.
Once, Robert clasped her right hand while making a point of conversation. Jenny thoroughly blushed when she imagined both men attempting to kiss her simultaneously when leaving the restaurant.
It was a relief when the meal ended, and everyone parted ways. Clara went home to rest, and said her goodbyes to Andrew in the parking lot.
Robert insisted in driving Andrew to the airport that evening.
Robert furtively stole a kiss and cupped Jenny’s cheek, while Andrew gathered his small suitcase. Jenny thoroughly blushed although she could not help a smile of complicity. She sensed that she would spend that night wrapped in the peacefulness’ of Robert’s arms.
As the three walked to the airport’s terminal, Jenny’s head swirled with how to navigate this tricky situation. She willed herself to calm her nerves, trusting that Andrew would respect her wishes not to say anything to anyone.
He did not exactly utter the words. When he came to the security terminal where he would have to proceed alone, he embraced his dad effusively.
Instead of the kiss on the cheek that Jenny was expecting, Andrew placed his handbag on the ground, and pulled Jenny in for a passionate and urgent kiss on the lips - right in front of Robert.
To be continued…
Cupid Unfastening the Girdle of Venus, 1788 by Joshua Reynolds
