Tarasia {OneShots}

6: Open {1}

Morning came, and her alarm sounded off throughout the room. She sat up, stretching and rubbing her eyes as she tried to will her sleepiness away. Sitting on the side of the bed, she finally turned the annoying blaring noise off. She looked over at her husband, who was still knocked out. One day she would wake up to the sweet smell of coffee already brewing, but for now, she would get up and start her morning routine.

She moved around the bathroom effortlessly. Her skincare regimen never took long; she did it with practiced ease. After getting herself ready, she went into each of her children's rooms, waking them up and getting them dressed for school. Keziah, her youngest, always gave her the most trouble, but she was used to it. Dallas was easygoing like her—a real mama's boy.

Breakfast was ready before her husband even woke up fully. He made his way downstairs and to the kitchen. He kissed his son and daughter on the tops of their heads as they sat at the table eating. Then he made his way over to his wife, who was already holding out his plate to him. He ignored the plate for a moment and instead hugged her from behind, kissing her neck. "Good morning," he whispered into her ear. She turned around and pecked his lips. "Good morning, handsome. How did you sleep?" He smirked at her. He had slept like a baby after his wife put it on him.

She shook her head while laughing. He finally took his plate and went to the table to eat with his kids. "Mommy, look. Daddy made a mess." Keziah yelled. Her husband had spilled orange juice all over the table. He's worse than the kids. She grabbed a wet dishrag and went to clean it up. "Sorry about that," he apologized and got up to leave for work. "See y'all tonight." He was out the door before his wife had even finished cleaning up his mess.

She got her kids on the bus and then went back into the house. The dishes got washed, and the kitchen and living room got tidied up. She sighed heavily after washing and folding clothes. What else was there for her to do? She was happy with her life, or so she thought. She had never known anything different. Her grandmother and mother had both been housewives, so it just made sense that she would be one as well. The routine of it all had her feeling some kind of way, though. She loved her husband and kids, but there was no excitement in her life outside of them.

Later that evening, after the kids were in bed, her husband told her that they needed to talk. She wondered what it could be about. He had been cryptic, and that had her feeling uneasy. They were happy and in love, and their kids were happy and healthy. So what was there to discuss? The anticipation of their upcoming conversation made her nervous. She took a shower to calm herself and then paced frantically around the living room while he took his.

She flopped down on the sofa as her husband poured them some wine in the kitchen and brought it to the living room. She reached out to take the fluted glass of rosé from him and leaned back onto the sofa, making herself comfortable. He sat down on the opposite end of the sofa with his glass of red wine and a smile on his face. So it's not an unpleasant talk, she thought to herself as she watched her husband's smile widen.

"Babe, what is this about? You're making me anxious," she stated curiously. He put his wine glass down and then took hers and sat it beside his. He grabbed her hands and laced their fingers together. "I think we should have an open marriage," he finally blurted out. She looked shocked, confused, and hurt. She was feeling so many emotions all at once. Am I not good enough?

"I love you, baby. You are the love of my life. But you have to admit that our marriage has become a bit too routine—boring even." He took a deep breath while watching a myriad of emotions play across his wife's face. He wasn't trying to hurt her; he just wanted to be open and honest. "I want you to be happy, fulfilled, and to have a little fun. And I want the same for myself. I believe we can have security in our relationship and have some adventures on the side, together and apart."