Date With My Bestie's Son

My husband is always working late, and when a young guy suddenly made a move on me, I initially wanted to push him away. But then I found out my husband had been cheating on me for years.

Fine, if he can pick up a girl young enough to be his daughter, I can find myself a young boy to be his brother-in-law.

"Lisa, I've missed you so much!"

The moment I opened the door, before I could even say a word, my best friend Mina's son rushed in and wrapped me in a hug.

If he were still a kid, it'd be fine, but he's a 19-year-old grown man now, and I couldn't help feeling a little awkward. Trying to brush it off, I invited them to sit down and headed to the kitchen to prepare some fruit.

To my surprise, her son followed me in, saying he wanted to help. He glanced around, grabbed an apron, and offered to tie it on for me.

I'm not sure if it was intentional or not, but as he fastened it, his hand brushed against my chest.

I was just cutting fruit, I didn't need an apron, but seeing his smiling face, I couldn't bring myself to say no, so I nodded.

He stood facing me, slipping the apron over my head, then reached around to tie the strings at the back, his arms encircling me.

Is this how you tie an apron? Shouldn't he be behind me for that? It felt like he was taking advantage, holding me like that.

I wanted to protest, but I stayed quiet and let him finish.

"All done," he said, looking at me.

"Then go keep your mom company, I don't need any more help here. Don't let her get bored," I replied, deliberately emphasizing "mom" to remind him I'm an elder, not someone he should be so handsy with.

The afternoon passed with casual chatter. I invited them to stay for dinner since my husband, as usual, was working late and wouldn't be home.

We'd just finished eating and were watching TV on the couch when the power suddenly went out.

I got up quickly, telling them I'd grab some candles from the bedroom. My bestie told her son to go with me, worried I might be scared, and I reluctantly agreed.

As soon as we stepped into the bedroom, I heard the door shut behind me. Startled, I asked, "What's going on? Why's the door closed..." Before I could finish, her son leaned in and kissed me, his hands slipping under my clothes.

I froze. What was he doing? His mom's right there on the couch, how could he dare? Did he realize how outrageous this was?

Snapping out of it, I shoved him away and snapped, "What are you doing? Do you even know what you're doing? I should tell your mom! What's gotten into you, Nikolas?"

"What's gotten into me? Well, I did it. Go ahead and tell her if you want," he said nonchalantly, then opened the door and walked out.

Tell his mom? How could I? Tell her that her son kissed me and groped me? It's so absurd, would she even believe it?

Whether she would or not, I felt humiliated, ashamed, unable to speak about it.

This was a kid I'd watched grow up, I was his auntie, how could I ruin his reputation? He's got a long life ahead of him, maybe it was just a moment of impulse. Deep down, he's still a good kid, right?

I grabbed the candles, lit them outside, and chatted with Mina a bit longer until the power came back.

She'd planned to stay the night, but I was worried Nikolas might try something again, so I convinced her to go home, pointing out her husband was alone. Knowing how close they are, I figured she'd agree, and sure enough, she did, saying we'd catch up next time.

Seeing them out, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Lately, I'd been feeling like I'd gained some weight, probably from eating too much.

I called Mina to complain, and she suggested we hit the gym. I thought working out sounded good, so I said yes.

We met at the mall and headed upstairs to the gym.

Just as we neared the entrance, she casually mentioned it was where her son worked part-time as a trainer, offering us a discount and personal coaching.

I was floored. I didn't want Nikolas training me, not after that awkward incident.

But he was already waiting at the door, and I couldn't just pretend I had to leave, especially since I'd told her I was free all day on the phone.

Forcing a smile, I greeted him.

Then Mina stepped out to take a call, only to return saying she had a work emergency and couldn't stay. She told Nikolas to train me instead.

What? Alone with him? That's way too awkward!

I quickly said, "Let's do it another day then, I'm not feeling great anyway."

But she brushed it off, "No slacking off! Trust me, Nikolas is great at this, you're in good hands." Turning to him, she added, "Take care of Lisa, okay?"

"Don't worry, I'll take good care of her," he replied, giving me a meaningful look that sent a shiver down my spine.

She waved goodbye and left.

"Let's get started, Lisa," he said, leading me inside, showing me the equipment and explaining the basics.

Then he took me to a room for some physical assessments and stretching. The vibe only made me more uncomfortable.

"You seem off today, Lisa. Is it because of me?" Nikolas asked, his eyes looking hurt.

Guilt crept in.

He's still a kid, and I'm the adult here, I shouldn't hold it against him.

Patting his shoulder, I smiled, "Not at all! I'm happy you're here to train me."

His face lit up. "Good, let's stretch then."

Maybe it's my age, but my joints felt stiff, and I struggled.

Nikolas pressed on my body to help, then took me to the pull-up bar, telling me to do ten.

After two, I was spent, my arms giving out.

Suddenly, a hand propped up my backside.

Shocked, I turned to scold him, only to see it was Nikolas.

He leaned close and said, "What's wrong, Lisa? I'm just helping, you ran out of strength, didn't you?"

He acted like it was nothing, even giving me a squeeze.

My face flushed. With people working out all around, causing a scene would ruin both our reputations, and he might even lose his job. How would I explain that to Mina?

Swallowing my discomfort, I finished the ten.

Soon after, he handed me a water bottle and whispered, "Your butt's so soft, Lisa."

Furious, I shot up and snapped, "You! What nonsense are you saying? I'm done for today." I stormed off to the bathroom to shower and leave.

But when I stepped out, I saw Nikolas in the locker area, sniffing my discarded clothes with a dazed look, like they were some rare treasure he was addicted to.

Afraid I'd scream, I covered my mouth and turned away.

Luckily, he left soon after, and I grabbed my stuff and took a cab home.

A few days later, it was Mina's birthday.

I hadn't been back to the gym since, still unsettled by Nikolas's creepy behavior, unsure how to face him.

Holding a bouquet and a bag with a necklace, I rang her doorbell.

Footsteps approached, and she opened the door.

Relieved, I relaxed.

"You're finally here, I've been waiting!" she said with a smile, pinching my cheek.

I grinned back, handing her the gifts. "Happy birthday, you little star! May you stay eighteen forever!"

She welcomed me in. I spotted some mutual friends, then saw Nikolas in the back, playing with some kids.

Ignoring his glance, I headed to a close girlfriend, sitting beside her to chat.

Soon, Mina announced dinner was ready.

We all sat down, raising our glasses to toast her with blessings.

It was a fun meal, catching up with old friends, eating and laughing freely.

Caught up in the mood, I drank quite a bit, my face turning rosy, my eyes heavy, my head spinning.

After, she suggested karaoke, but I was too tipsy to think straight. I told her I'd rest in a room and join later, then stumbled to the guest bed.

Some time later, I felt an itch on my neck but couldn't brush it off. Then something pressed against my lips.

Like a parched traveler finding a sweet spring, I kissed back eagerly, moaning softly as my body gravitated toward the warmth.

Half-aware, I thought I heard Nikolas whisper, "Lisa, I'll love you well."

It felt like a shameful dream.

In it, Nikolas gazed at me with bloodshot, entranced eyes, his voice hoarse with desire.

My body felt crushed yet tingled with pleasure, tears spilling as I cried out, "Nikolas, ah, Nikolas..."

He leaned in, whispering, "I'm here, Lisa, I'm here."

If it's a dream, let me savor this joy and bury my disgrace in it.

My head pounded. How much did I drink? Ugh, my body ached like I'd been beaten. Rubbing my temples, I threw off the blanket to get water, only to freeze at the sight.

There were bruises all over, and I was naked.As someone who's been married, I knew what this meant.

Stunned, I wondered, was it not a dream?

Hearing movement, Nikolas walked in with a glass of water.

Seeing him, I blanked for a second, then realized I was exposed. Screaming, I dove under the covers.

He handed me the glass, asking gently, "What's wrong? Are you still hurting?"

Too ashamed to look up, I took the water, downed it, and hid my face, choking out, "You... me... we didn't, did we?"

Sitting on the bed, he looked at me tenderly. "We did everything, wanted or not. Don't worry, Lisa, I'll take responsibility for you."

Tears streamed down my face, overwhelmed.

After a while, I met his gaze and said firmly, "This is wrong. We can't be together. Let's treat it like a dream and never mention it again."

I dressed quickly and took a cab home.

About a month later, things seemed to settle, my heart calming down.

My friend invited me to the gym again, promising not to bail this time, so I agreed.

Back at the gym, I felt a mix of emotions. Last time, Nikolas and I barely crossed paths; now, that incident made it awkward.

He greeted us, led us through warm-ups, and started training us.

Maybe he was extra attentive to me, because Mina noticed, teasing, "You two look so close, if I didn't know you, I'd think you were a couple, haha!"

Nikolas just smiled.

I felt a pang of guilt, quickly pulling away from his hand on my waist, playfully swatting her. "What are you saying? You can't joke like that! Nikolas is your son, practically mine too."

He smirked.

To escape the tension, I pretended I'd left something in the locker room and slipped away.

I retied my hair with a new elastic, ready to head back, when someone pinned me against a locker. A man's breath filled my ear.

Trapped between the cold metal and his hot chest, he rasped, "Your son, huh? So your son can sleep with you? Right, Mom?"

My face burned with anger. "What nonsense are you spouting? Didn't we agree it was a dream? Why bring it up?"

I stomped on his foot, and as he hopped back in pain, I darted past him to rejoin Mina.

Soon, the front desk called Nikolas over, saying a girl claiming to be his ex was looking for him.

Oddly, I felt a twinge of unease. Who knew he had so many romantic entanglements?

Pretending to be casual, I said to Mina, "Let's check it out," and we went to the entrance.

An argument broke out, mostly the girl yelling while Nikolas rubbed his temples.

She shouted, "Look at this jerk! He dumped me for someone new! Two-timing, greedy pig! He works here, don't let him off easy!"

Hearing her slander him, I stepped forward, heated. "You think you can just say whatever? Got proof? No proof, that's defamation, you'd be sued!"

Stammering, she glanced around as people stared, expecting evidence.

Smirking, I pressed, "What? Nothing? No proof and you're causing a scene? Life too cushy, want a taste of jail?"

Realizing she was cornered, she muttered a curse at Nikolas, "You're lucky this time, but no one's saving you next time! Just wait!" Then she slunk off.

As the crowd dispersed, Nikolas approached us, smiling. "Thanks for sticking up for me, Lisa. Next week, I'm taking Mom on a trip, come with us! As a thank-you, okay?"

I started to decline, but Mina grabbed my hand, her pleading eyes swaying me.

I gave in.

Trip day arrived, and they picked me up early for the airport. After a few hours' flight, we landed in Maley.

It's a paradise, sunny with gentle sea breezes, a place where stress melts away.

I'd just fought with my husband days before, he's always work, work, work, no time for me. Sometimes I wonder if I'm even married, why other couples are so loving while we barely see each other.

I was down before the trip, but Maley's vibe lifted my spirits.

That afternoon, Mina and I slathered on sunscreen and hit the ocean.

Nikolas, a top swimmer from school, made us feel safe.

I got carried away, swimming too far out. When I realized, I shouted to Mina, but the noise drowned me out.

Just as I thought I'd sink, arms lifted me up.

Nikolas! He'd spotted me from so far and saved me! Was he watching me the whole time?

My heart swirled with mixed feelings.

"Don't worry, Lisa, I'll protect you," he said, kissing my ear.

This time, I just blushed, not pushing him away.

The trip flew by, every day a blast, food, beaches, shopping, pure joy.

Back home, the next day, Nikolas texted to meet up. I agreed.

He picked a rooftop restaurant.

I used to take him here for desserts as a kid. Seeing it now stirred something in me.

A small screen lit up, and Nikolas walked over with flowers.

The video played memories of us, from his toddler days to now, even photos I didn't recall taking.

Time had flown, he'd grown from a little boy into a vibrant, mature young man.

Looking into my eyes, he said earnestly, "Lisa, you might not believe it, but I've loved you for so long. I fought it, thinking it was wrong, that I'd taint you. I dated others to forget you, but I couldn't."

He touched my face gently. "I can't get over you. I love you, crazily so. I feel like I'll never love anyone else this much. I'd spend my life cherishing you. Do you like me? Will you accept my love and be with me?"

His sincerity moved me.

It'd been ages since I felt such raw, burning affection.

I wanted to say yes. If I weren't married, I'd take the chance, despite the age gap, the gossip, the obstacles.

But I knew I couldn't. Marriage means loyalty, I can't betray my husband while he's working hard for us, betray our vows.

My voice hoarse but resolute, I said, "I'm sorry, I can't. Find someone else to love." Then I hurried downstairs and left.