"It's okay," he said easily. Then, since it hadn't been a very satisfying answer, he added, "I don't think of this as...cheating. That's probably my own fucked up way of rationalizing, but when I'm here, with you, I don't feel like...I feel like our past, our relationship is separate. It's this whole life that Amanda knows nothing about, a life separate from her. Regular rules don't apply right here, right now. If they did, I wouldn't be here."
"Men are better compartmentalizers than women. I read that somewhere once, I don't remember where. Have you ever cheated on Amanda before?"
"No."
"Ever thought about it?"
"Once," he answered honestly. "Marriage isn't easy all the time. It's a lot of work. It wears on you after a while."
"You don't have to make excuses, I just wondered."
"I don't have to make excuses, I didn't act on it, I was just explaining. You're young, you haven't been in any relationship long enough for it to become difficult, burdened by the stressful situations that everyday life can throw at you. You haven’t been with someone long enough for the romance to become stale, stagnant to the point that you don’t even feel like lovers anymore, on any level."
"I didn't say I had,” she replied easily.
He realized he was being defensive so he stopped. "Have you ever cheated on a boyfriend?"
"No. If I don't want to be with him anymore, I leave."
Ethan smiled slightly. "Smart."
“Yep,” she replied, nodding her head. “I’m not like a lot of other girls; I have an odd way about me when it comes to relationships—I did even before all of this happened, and I doubt this is going to make things any easier.”
“Knowing when to get out isn’t a bad thing. It’s far more common for young women to tolerate a lot of shit they shouldn’t until they’re in over their heads.”
Grinning, Willow looked at up him. “Don’t say young women, it makes you sound old.”
“Wait until you hear me telling all the kids to get off my lawn.”
“Mm, sexy,” she teased.
He let the moment pass, then he said, “I’m a little surprised you’re putting up with this, considering.”
“You haven’t surpassed my bullshit tolerance level. Plus… I like you. I like the way you’re honest, I like how you make me feel most of the time. I like that you know you’re not a good guy and you’re not a bad guy, because that’s how most people are, they just don’t have the guts to admit it. I like your flaws.”
“I would say I like your flaws, too, but honestly I’ve seen very few.”
Smiling and biting her lip, she asked, “Which ones have you noticed?”
“Aw, no, you can’t ask that when we’re in bed together. I do have manners. For tonight, you’re perfect.”
Willow wrinkled up her nose. “No, that would be fake. Nobody’s perfect. I would hate it if you thought I was.”
He tugged her a little closer. “You’re pretty great though, you know that, right?”
“Of course,” she said playfully. “Just ask my army of boyfriends.”
He squeezed her and she laughed. “I get jealous occasionally,” he admitted.
“I know,” she replied, sounding amused.
“I have no right to.”
“I know that, too. I don’t mind though. It’s cute.”
“Cute?” he asked, laughing lightly.
She merely nodded, wrapping her arms around him more snugly. “In moderation, it’s cute. I do too, once in a great while. That’s new for me. I don’t usually get jealous. Then again, my usual companions aren’t married, and if they were, I doubt they would tell me about date nights with their wives.”