About Michael: Part 7

Not much later Michael got his internet connection back at home and we chatted more than we had before. At some point he dug out his old web cam and hooked it back up. It was weird, at first, watching him as we chatted. But I quickly got used to it and missed seeing his expressions when it broke. I loved making him laugh, and seeing his face helped me realize I wasn't imagining that he was actually flirting with me.

One night he had had a bit to drink and told me all about his ex-wife and how she had cheated on him. He admitted to liking me, but said that he knew what it felt like for his wife to run off with another man from the internet, and he didn't want to interfere with my marriage. I, in turn, told him about the problems with our sex life. I wanted him to care, though I wasn't sure why.

I started making allusions to finding a web cam of my own. When I couldn't find an affordable one in town, he offered to look in his city for me. I finally accepted his offer and my own shiny web cam appeared in the mail not long after.

There were some nights that we chatted into the wee hours of the morning. Most weekends were that way, actually. We chatted about anything and everything. The more we chatted the more we grew to like each other. He was funny and smart and interesting. And maybe more importantly, he thought me to be the same. He would interrupt what else he had been doing to spend that time with me. He paid attention to me, attention I felt I wasn't getting from my husband. My husband knew that I was chatting this much with Michael, and he even knew that we both watched each other on web cam, but he didn't seem suspicious or the least bit worried.