Contract And Marriage

Maximus

“Hey man, I couldn’t believe you didn’t get married!” said my friend Luke, grinning and eyeing my wife. Something I didn’t like because I knew how much of a ladies’ man he was. Compared to me, he was worse because he was willing to go as far as betraying a friend. Although his relationships with women weren’t serious, it still wasn’t right for him to pursue someone if he knew a friend was involved with her.

“Yes, she’s my wife, so behave yourself.” I looked at him threateningly, hoping he got my point. Because I would never allow him to lust after the only woman I love. I can easily forget who he is when it comes to my wife, and I will not hesitate to drag him to hell if necessary to make him see my point.

“Hey, hey, enough of that. Luke knows his limits, right, buddy?” Allan chimed in before looking at me and Sarina. I just nodded and squeezed my wife’s hand to make sure she didn’t feel awkward. I might have made a mistake in what I had her wear because her curve was still evident even though she was flat-chested. So I quickly took off my coat to put it on her.

“You’re so protective, man,” Luke noticed.

“That’s just how it is, buddy,” said Andrei, and I knew Luke would listen to him because he was well-respected among us and everywhere. “When you get married, you’ll understand why Max is acting like that,” he added.

“Are you okay, my wife?” I whispered to Sarina.

“Of course,” she replied, smiling. I knew Luke wouldn’t stand a chance with my wife because she wasn’t the type of woman to allow herself to be disrespected like that. So my friend had to behave if he didn’t want trouble.

After a few moments, nothing awkward happened, and we continued our conversation happily. And, of course, my friends didn’t miss a chance to tease me, even Luke.

“So, Max, make sure to keep your eyes on your wife because once she realizes how good she is for you, she’ll definitely leave you,” said Andrei.

“Seeing how he guards his wife, I don’t think he’ll let her go,” added Luke, and everyone agreed. Thank goodness, it seemed like he got the hint.

“Why don’t we play?” Allan suggested.

“Sure, why not?” And we all stood up to head to the casino near the restaurant where we ate.

“Are you going to gamble?” Sarina asked, noticing we were heading to the casino.

“Yeah, why?”

“I don’t like gambling.”

“Don’t worry, it’s just us friends playing. So even if we lose to each other, it’s okay. Plus, we know our limits when it comes to gambling. None of us were addicted to it.”

“Okay then, it’s up to you,” she responded. I smiled at her while gently squeezing her hand and continued walking until we reached the casino.

We had a good time, and every time I looked at Sarina, I could see she was enjoying herself, even if she was just watching us. After a while, some women arrived, who I was sure were contacted by my friends. I was the only one with a partner, so they probably got jealous.

“Hi, darling,” one of the women greeted me with a grin. When I looked at my wife, I smiled despite her furrowed eyebrows.

“What are you doing here, Shirley?” Luke asked angrily. He’s really a friend. I guess knowing we’re married made the difference. Anyway, he’s not really fond of that woman, either.

“Why? I always come here whenever you’re together,” she replied, smirking before looking back at me and then at Sarina. I always got nervous whenever a woman arrived, and my wife was with me. It felt like any moment could be the reason for our breakup because I knew how much she hated womanizers.

Maximus

“We already told you that you’re no longer needed here,” Allan, who had his hand on the woman beside him, chimed in.

“Hey, Max is not the only man here,” said the woman, and I could see Sarina roll her eyes. It was clear to everyone that we all had our partners but she keeps on insisting herself.

“Then go to someone with no one to accompany him,” Andrei added.

“Hey bitch, get out of here,” said Shirley to the woman beside Luke.

“What?” the woman asked in surprise.

“Shut the fuck up, Shirley!” my friend shouted. The last thing he wanted was anyone messing with things or people he considered his possession.

“What, you’re choosing her over me?” the woman replied flirtatiously. Is she thinking that Luke would want her over the woman beside him? If there’s one thing I like about this guy, it is the fact that he never abandons a woman over a newcomer. He would stick to whomever he was with unless she was acting like a bitch, which is exactly what Shirley is doing now.

“I will never choose you, bitch,” Luke answered. Honestly, my friend’s words were never kind. He would say whatever he wanted to whoever he was talking to, regardless of gender and age.

“Staring at the bitch?” my wife asked me softly. “You want her to sit with you?” She was raising a brow accusingly.

“What? No!” I quickly replied, making her raise her other brow.

“Defensive,”Nôvel(D)rama.Org's content.

“Stop it, my wife. No matter what happens, no other woman will ever arouse me except you,” I said with a wink, but she rolled her eyes at me, and I knew I won.

“Leave now, Shirley. No one wants you here,” Andrei said. Sarina and I both looked at him, seeing the annoyance in his eyes, which left the woman with no choice but to leave. We continued our game while the women chatted. I was happy to see my wife no longer feeling awkward and freely joining the conversation.

My friends are the type of men who repeatedly return to the same woman wherever we go. Yes, women wait for us wherever we land unless they have a boyfriend or are married. Among us, I’m the one who changes women frequently, so they think I’m the biggest womanizer.

But the real reason is I don’t want these women to have false hopes that we could ever be something more. For me, they are just a pastime. It’s better that way than for them to fall in love and get hurt when I can’t reciprocate their feelings, right?

“I’m just going to the restroom,” Sarina said, making me turn to her.

“Okay, I’ll come with you,” I said, but she quickly shook her head.

“I can manage. I’m not a child anymore. Besides, the restroom is just there,” she said, pointing to where the restroom sign was visible. I didn’t want her out of sight even for a moment, so I planned to accompany her wherever she went. I flipped my cards before standing up, but she stopped me, “I’ll be really quick, Maximus. Come on, they’re waiting for you.”

I had no choice but to agree. My friends were grinning like dogs, teasing me, but I didn’t care as long as Sarina was with me. “Just be quick, or I’ll come in after you, okay?”

My wife nodded, and I adjusted the coat I had put on her to cover her curves, especially since she wasn’t wearing panties before she walked toward the restroom.

“Take it easy, Max. You don’t have to worry since you know who the owner of this Casino is,” Andrei noted, making them laugh. I shook my head because they clearly didn’t understand my feelings for Sarina.

“Just let him be; he’ll go crazy if his wife ever leaves him. That’s how much he loves Sarina,” Allan commented, making everyone laugh, including their women. I shook my head and took my cards.

“Oh, I don’t want to fall in love,” Luke said, shaking his head before turning to the woman beside him and kissing her deeply.

We continued playing, but I kept glancing towards the direction Sarina went. “What’s taking her so long?” I couldn’t help but say.

“You know how women are, Max. Maybe she was only retouching her make-up,” Andrei said. I looked at my wristwatch and stood up because she had been gone for 20 minutes, and it only took less than 5 minutes to walk to the restroom. My wife never retouched her make-up, confident as she was.

“I’ll go and look,” I said, then walked to find Sarina despite my friends’ attempts to stop me. My wife is the only thing that matters to me, and thankfully, I only felt this at this time and not when I was young and still looking for fun. I might not have valued her if she had come to me at the wrong time.

I continued walking and turned down the hallway toward the women’s restroom. Then I saw Sarina pulling her hand away from a man’s grasp. I’m possessive and jealous when it comes to my wife, something I know and accept about myself. I didn’t like what I saw, especially when I recognized the man she held hands with, making my blood boil.