now what?

The sex had been great at the beginning, but it had faded, and for several years there had been none. He wasn't exactly okay with it, but he focused on the parts of their relationship that worked:

They loved their house. They had many friends in common. They traveled to many far-away places. They were so comfortable together. They were best friends.

Then she came into their lives. She became a good friend of the wife and she socialized with both of them. She was younger than they and beautiful. He found himself lusting after her. Not unusual, even in the best of circumstances. Men often lust after women other than their wives, especially their wives' friends.

But in their moments alone without his wife he learned she also lusted after him. When the wife was away, they made love and he rediscovered much more than sex. He remembered his deep need for a sensuous life. It was something he had let himself forget about through this marriage and the one before.

He and the other woman had several wonderful encounters. They felt horrendously guilty. They knew this couldn’t continue. They both loved the wife and didn’t want her hurt. They knew they had no future together. He reminded himself of all the aspects of his marriage he appreciated. So they vowed to stop the affair.

But now what? Nothing had changed in his marriage. There still was no sex, no sensuality. He didn’t know why.