She looked around at the yard.
“Isn’t this…isn’t this your neighbor’s house? I thought you lived there.”
She waved in the general direction of my house.
“Yeah…this is where my friend Amber lives” I said.
I thought that Helen glanced down at my crotch quickly but I couldn’t be sure. My nerves might be playing tricks on me.
“Oh is she your…girlfriend?” She said, with an inquisitive raise of her eyebrows.
I almost started to shake my head but then I considered. I didn’t know how I would explain all the time I spend working in her yard if I was just a friendly neighbor.
“Yeah, we’ve been dating a while now” I said, trying to sound casual. I made a mental note to make sure to tell Amber about this conversation so she would be prepared if she ever ran into this particular neighbor.
A quick frown appeared on Helen’s face. She shifted uncomfortable, hugging her arms across her chest.
This time I was sure I saw her eyes flicker down to my crotch for just a second. I felt myself start to sweat again. I wasn’t sure what she was up to. I was positive that she recognized me from the other night.
“Look, Chris. I…I’m not sure how to say this.”
Oh god, I thought. Here it comes. She’s going to blackmail me or tell me she’s going to turn me into the police for indecent exposure, or something like that. I braced myself.
She bit her lower lip for a second before continuing.
“Look, it’s not my business but…I think your girlfriend is cheating on you.”
I stood there, stunned for a second. She took my silence for shock.
“Hey, look” she said, reaching out and touching my arm. “You seem like a really nice guy – I mean, no one I ever dated would spend all of their time every weekend taking care of MY house! I wouldn’t have said anything otherwise…but…”
She looked down.
“If I were ever in your position I’d want to know. So I thought I should tell you.”
My mind was racing. It had to be Justin, of course, but how…
“How…” I said, immediately cursing myself for acting so stupidly.
She looked up, an apologetic look on her face.
“I go for walks a lot, in the evening and sometimes late at night. It helps me relax and I sleep better. Anyways, I noticed there was often another car in her driveway, which of course I didn’t think anything of. But last week…”
She paused again, and reached out again to touch my arm.
“I’m sorry…last night I saw a guy leave her place around midnight. They uh…well they kissed and..kinda made out for a while in her doorway before he got in his car. The same car I see there all the time. Mostly at night.”
Uh oh. This wasn’t good. The last thing I wanted was for Amber to be hated by the whole neighborhood if people started gossiping.
Helen looked at me pityingly. I think she took my silence for more shock.
“Hey, why don’t you come to my place and I’ll make us a cup of coffee?” She suggested. “I’m sure you’re devastated and I’m here to talk about it if you want.”
I was weighing all my options quickly. I needed time to think of something.
“Uh…yeah. That’s nice of you…I mean, yes that would be great. Thank you.”
She smiled briefly.
“Great.” She patted me gently on the shoulder for a second and then we started walking slowly down the street towards her house.
“How long have you lived here?” She asked. We started chatting about the neighborhood and the city while my mind was working overtime for a story. By the time she invited me into her house I had an idea that seemed like my best option.
“Let me put on a shirt and then I’ll get us something to drink.”
She disappeared upstairs for just a second, returning with a shirt on over her jog bra.
Helen busied herself with preparing two cups of coffee while I looked around her kitchen. There were pictures of her and her husband and their two kids along with some random family and friends.
“Here you go.” She handed me a cup of steaming coffee and we sank down into their kitchen table chairs.
“Sorry it’s a bit of a mess” she laughed, waving her hand around to indicate the whole house. “It’s tough to keep it organized with kids running around.”
I nodded. I could imagine.
“Now” she said, leaning forward and putting her hand on mine. “Do you want to talk about it?”
I tried to force an easy laugh.
“You’re so kind Helen, really, but…I think you might have the wrong idea.”
She tilted her head and gave me a pitying look again.
“Chris, I know what I saw. She was definitely making out with a young handsome guy.”
Ouch. She didn’t have to add the word handsome, I thought.
“Yeah…I know. That’s Justin.”
She looked at me with an eyebrow arched.
“Justin?”
“Yeah” I said, taking a quick sip of my coffee for courage. “Uh…Amber and I…we have an open relationship.”
Helen sat back, clearly surprised.
“Oh…but…oh wow. Ok.” She shook her head.
“I guess I’ve heard of that, but…I mean, I just don’t understand it.”
I shrugged.
“Yeah I know it’s…different. But it works for us.”
This seemed to be the best way to explain our unusual situation in a way that Helen might understand, and would also explain anything odd she might see in the future.
“An open relationship, huh?”
I nodded.
She shook her head.
“Look Chris. I…uh…” She was clearly uncomfortable. “I saw you, the other night…outside your house. I was in the car.”
I sat back. Here it comes. Now she was going to tell me that she sent the photo to the cops.
“And…I know what I saw. You were wearing a…you were wearing a chastity cage.”
She said the last few words quickly, as if embarrassed to be saying that. She bit her lower lip nervously.
I started to protest but she held up her hand.
“I know what I saw, Chris. I saw one before in a video…” She blushed suddenly, realizing what she was admitting to. “I mean, I saw one before.” She amended.
“Uh…yeah…” I said, feeling my voice quiver slightly. Where was this going?
“So…how can you be in an open relationship when you…when your thing is locked up?”
Shit. I hadn’t seen this coming.
She took a slow sip of her coffee and looked at me with raised eyebrows, waiting for me to respond.
I studied my hands on the table for a second before looking up at her.
“Uh…it’s…well, it’s open for her. Not for me.”
Her blue eyes widened slightly in surprise.
“Wait, what??”
“Yeah…so…she has some guys that she sees. But I’m faithful to her.” That was true, in a fashion.
Helen blinked.
“Is that even a thing? Like in real life? Oh my god. Why would you let her treat you like that?” She was looking at me with a strange mix of doubt and curiosity. “Like…what’s in it for you?”
Oh boy.
“I’m going to need a second cup of coffee for that one.” I gestured to my empty cup.
“Oh sure” Helen said, quickly rising. “Me too. Just a sec.”
She poured a couple of fresh cups from the pitcher. I noticed she gave me a funny glance from across the room before sliding back to her seat and handing me a steaming cup. I took another sip appreciatively.
“Thanks. Ok so this is pretty complex, I guess.”
“I’m listening” She curled her hands under her chin and propped her elbows on the table, ignoring her coffee for the moment.
I didn’t think she needed to know everything about the chores and money, so I quickly came up with an edited version of the truth.