Anna sat on the couch, staring at the television as she had countless nights before this one. She had never watched television before she met Jason. She was always busy with her art, her friends, school...
She loved him deeply, but she resented him at the same time. She had locked herself into a serious relationship at such a young age, she was only 18! As she gazed at Jayson, sleeping in the recliner only a few feet away, she thought of all the things she would be doing if she didn't love him. Maybe swimming with friends, drinking and having fun at a party, possibly. She used to do things like that every night. She let out a sigh...
Jason was eleven years older than her, and she had what her friends jokingly called a "Daddy Complex", a Freudian kind of issue. She simply wasn't attracted to the boys her age, with their soft skin and small hands. She liked big, strong hands, skin that was aged and tanned, rough with hair. Jason was the oldest man she could date and still hold onto at least a little social acceptance. However, she was starting to realize how boring an older man could be. In the beginning, it had been so exciting. Jason could do anything... and did. He was so experienced in the bedroom, the way he touched her, teased her, and finally acquiesced to her begging drove her crazy every night.
As the months passed, it became every week... Then every two weeks or three weeks. She wanted more, but he was tired, he worked all day. His neck or his back hurt. They had stopped going out to dinner and out to the movies ages ago. He didn't want to hang out with her friends, they were all so young.
And so there she was, sitting on the couch, like every night. Wishing she was somewhere else, longing for anything to stir things up, excite her.
She decided that since Jason was fast asleep and wouldn't miss her, she'd go over to the guest room bed and, well, take care of the business that he was too tired to deal with. She stood and stretched her slender arms and legs, catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror hanging behind the couch. She was short, with a fair complexion and petite. She had dark hair that fell nearly to her waist. She had never had self esteem problems before she met Jason, but lately she'd been wondering if he would be more interested if she was tanned, tall and blond with big breasts. She cupped her own small breasts, watching her reflection in the mirror.
"Maybe if I get implants, then you'll want me again?" She whispered to Jason. He only snored a little louder in response. She walked out of the room.
It was a big old house, and Jason's parents lived on the bottom level. The guest bedroom was part of what used to be the servant's quarters and linked to a hallway with another bedroom and a back stairway to the kitchen. Jason's father had made his den in the second bedroom, and Anna forgot to check under the door to see if the light was on in the den. She was just slipping off her shorts when the door creaked and Jason's father leaned in the door. He knew what she was about to do and didn't want to embarrass her. He acted as if he'd seen nothing.
"Hey, I was hoping it was you I heard. Come over to the den. I've got something I want to show you."
He closed the door quietly and walked back to his den.
Blushing, Anna considered not going. She was ashamed of almost being caught, but she was intrigued all the same. Joel always had neat things to show her. They shared a mutual interest in all things antique or made with beautiful craftsmanship. She pulled her little shorts back on and went to his den's door, hesitated, and entered.
He was sitting at his desk, with the small desk light the only source in the room. It lit his weathered face in the fashion a few candles might have, warmly, with a soft yellow cast. He was maybe sixty years old, with strong Italian features and a nearly constant expression of neither happiness nor displeasure. To look at him, one might think he was very serious. Then he laughs, and his face changes drastically. Warm and happy, with the same eyes as Jason.
"Hello... What's up?" Anna said, sheepishly, hoping he won't mention what just happened.
"You're standing on it." Joel said, with a trace of a smile.