chapter 1

A couple of glasses of wine in and it was the right time to ask Sharon the question. Lisa had undergone several rounds of 'would you rather?' including one particularly nasty round where she had to say whether she would rather lick a cat's butt or eat one hundred fish eyes. She chose the cat, much to Sharon's hysterics.

'So, moral dilemma now, what would you do if you found out your best friend's boyfriend or girlfriend was cheating on them? Would you tell them?' asked Lisa carefully, scanning Sharon's every facial expression.

'Hmmm' wondered a tipsy Sharon. 'It's a tough one that. I mean you don't want to interfere in another person's relationship, do you? It just makes things awkward'.

'No, exactly', Lisa said, scratching her head.

'I would have to say no. Definitely not' decided Sharon.

'Not? How come?' asked Lisa, not sure whether to be relieved or disappointed.

'It's just not my place to say. I know I would resent it if my friend came to tell me if Gareth was having an affair', nodded Sharon, seeming more decided than ever.

'Oh right. I see', Lisa mumbled.

'Now, would you rather, live in the north pole during winter, or a hot desert where it never gets dark?' asked a chirpy Sharon, ready to move on.

Not long afterwards, Lisa made her excuses and went up to bed. She was pleased she had an answer, but now she had to live with what she knew. Gareth was cheating on Sharon. And not just cheating either. A quick glance at his phone left on the coffee table that morning showed that he had several girls on the go. That was always the problem when you dated a super-hot guy. Other people always wanted a bit of the action.

Gareth really was super-hot as well. He was tall and broad with a perfectly handsome face. His six pack was more defined than Lisa had seen on anyone in her life, he had big powerfully toned arms and shoulders and, although Lisa hated to admit it, he was a bit out of Sharon's league. She had been going out with him for the last year, and three months ago the three of them took a lease on an apartment. Lisa had been concerned that it would be awkward, being the best friend living in a love nest with Sharon and Gareth, but it turned out that Gareth was rarely here. He was either working, or at the gym; or, as Lisa had recently discovered, screwing other girls behind Sharon's back.

Lisa had never really liked Gareth all that much, despite being keen to live with him. There were bound to be many occasions when Gareth would strut about the house half naked after all. But he was chronically arrogant and obsessed with his appearance, taking longer to get ready than even Sharon, who always took an age to get ready for a night out.

'I know you're cheating on Sharon', announced Lisa the next morning, getting up early to catch Gareth before he went to the gym. 'I want you to tell her', said an angry Lisa. She'd thought about it all night and had barely slept.

'Well shit' said Gareth, looking impressed at Lisa. He was strutting about shirtless, getting his protein shakes for the day. The sight was mildly distracting. He rounded on Lisa, bringing his bulk closer and closer. 'How did you find out?' he asked, with a smug smile.

'Your phone. You left it unlocked yesterday', admitted Lisa, feeling more uncomfortable.

'What a fucking sneak!' said Gareth in a soft manner that hid the aggression that was laced underneath. 'I'm not telling Sharon anything. And neither are you. You got that?'

'What's to stop me?' asked Lisa, sounding braver than she felt.

'Sharon told me all about your little game last night. We both know your friendship would be ruined if you were the one to tell her.' Then he laughed, mockingly. 'And I'm sure as hell not going to tell her!' Then he retreated and smiled casually as Sharon came down the stairs. 'So what are you guys doing today while I'm at the gym?' he asked, returning to a friendly manner as Sharon came into the kitchen.

Lisa thought of multiple ways to get back at Gareth. She'd stopped being at all polite to him now around the house and Sharon could see that the two of them were not really getting along, but Lisa and Gareth just put it down to cabin fever. Whenever Lisa and Gareth were alone together, Gareth would start to boast about the hot girls he had fucked that week and show her pictures of the women trying to chat him up on his phone. They only liked him because he was hot.

That's when the idea occurred to Lisa, fully formed and ready to go as Gareth sat there shirtless on the couch supping his third protein shake of the day. What if the protein shake was replaced by something more fattening? Losing his abs would soon wipe that maddening grin off his face.