Chapter 5 - festivities

“So… I met up with Jenny a few weeks ago,” Martin explained to his friends as he came home for the holidays. “She’s looking so damn fine!” he grinned, admiring the interested faces all around him.

The truth was that Martin had had more than two months with Jenny, sneaking around behind her meat-head husband’s back. Vincent was often gone for whole weeks at time, leaving them both plenty of their own time to explore their attraction to each other. Each evening, Martin had sat in Jenny’s apartment, going to bed with her every night; just like a fantasy he had long played out in his head.

Martin had long known that Jenny had a good job in New York, but he hadn’t expected the lavish lifestyle that she seemed to lead. The girl appeared to think nothing of ordering food in whenever they talked about it, or buying an expensive bottle of champagne for them to drink over a cosy movie on the sofa. It was a world that Martin had never experienced before; and liked it.

“And did you manage to worm your way into her bedroom at long last?” Jimmy asked mockingly, making the other guys laugh. “Martin the sex god!”

“Actually…” Martin grinned proudly, enjoying the attention he was getting, “…Jenny and I… sort of… you know, slept together. Quite a few times now, in fact.”

“Whatever!” Jimmy scoffed, not believing a word. But as Martin held his stare and slowly nodded, his face dropped. “Wait, are you serious?”

All around were gasps of shock and interest. “You slept with Jenny?” Liam parroted, just to be sure. “No way!”

“Are things all over with her and her husband then?” Jimmy asked, concerned.

“Well…” Martin mumbled, dreading this question, “…he’s hardly ever there. He’s a marine. He works away all the time, and Jenny gets lonely. We’ve sort of been getting together every night he’s not there….”

The guys all shook their heads, barely comprehending the fact that one of them was sleeping with Jenny Johnson! They didn’t approve, but the fact that Martin was having a casual affair with the prettiest girl this town had ever produce; it was a feat in itself.

“Just take care,” Liam warned. “From what I remember of Jenny’s husband, Vincent, I wouldn’t like to be on the wrong side of his fist. I’m sure he was bench pressing over 300lbs the last time I saw him.”

Martin swallowed. This was a thought that occurred to him very regularly. “Don’t worry about it,” he smiled, trying to act cool. “I know what I’m doing!”

But despite Martin’s bravado, he really did worry. The holidays passed achingly slowly and somehow, this distance from Jenny was making him contemplate things a lot more. He had tried not to ask questions about Vincent. He didn’t want to know; he didn’t want to think about the hurt that would come about if their affair was uncovered. However, on top of all of this, Martin knew that he was in love with Jenny. Maybe he always had been. And, even worse, maybe he could never stop.

“Are you seeing someone in New York?” asked Martin’s mother as she eyed him suspiciously one evening after New Year.

“No!” Martin shot back defensively. He hated how his mother seemed to have a sixth sense about these things.

“Are you sure?” she asked, not believing him. “Because you’re just like your brother; you always start packing on a few pounds whenever you’re dating someone.”

“I haven’t put on weight!” Martin retorted defensively, looking down at himself.

“You have!” his mother shot back in defiance. “I can see it in your face, in your tummy…” she pointed. “If you’re not dating someone, then you need to get yourself to a gym when you get back to New York.”