I noticed she was starting to ask casual questions about my dating life. But in that way, women do when they're fishing for information without wanting to seem like they're fishing. "How's the app thing going?" she'd ask while doing dishes. "Meeting anyone interesting?" Then she'd always follow it up with something about how she was sure I'd find someone appropriate for my level.
Bruno had the perfect response when I told him about this. "Oh, she's fishing all right, but instead of catching information, she's about to catch these hands when she realizes you're not sitting around crying into your toolbox."
I also noticed her watching me more carefully. She'd make comments about me going to the gym, like, "I guess you're trying to impress someone now." Ask why I was working so much overtime with this accusatory tone, like I was stealing from her, and even seemed annoyed when I'd spend entire weekends in the garage instead of hanging around the house waiting for her to come back from her dates.
Now, here's what happened before everything went nuclear. One evening, while I was scrolling my phone, I matched with Valyria. I recognized her immediately. Valyria had been Amanda's roommate junior year and was in a bunch of their group pictures. She was the one Amanda always made passive-aggressive comments about, usually something about how Valyria always got all the attention or how guys would hit on Valyriia when they were out together.
Valyria was objectively gorgeous, like movie star gorgeous, with dark hair, green eyes, and the kind of smile that makes you forget what you were saying. When we matched, I wasn't even sure if I should mention that I knew who she was, but Valyria brought it up first, saying she remembered me and asking if we were still together. I explained the open marriage situation, and she seemed genuinely surprised, but not judgmental.
"Amanda always did like to shake things up," she said with this little smile that told me there was history there.
Our first coffee date lasted 4 hours. Valyria was everything Amanda used to be before we got comfortable. Intelligent, funny, actually interested in what I had to say. She asked about my work, my Impala restoration project, my thoughts on everything from movies to current events. She listened to my answers, and asked follow-up questions instead of just waiting for her turn to talk.
Valyria and I started seeing each other twice a week. The chemistry was immediate and intense, but more than that, being with her felt easy in a way I'd forgotten was possible.
One evening when she came over, I was working on the Impala's transmission, and she actually seemed interested in watching me work. She asked questions about what I was doing, complimented my tools, and even handed me parts when I needed them. It was amazing having someone who appreciated the craftsmanship and skill that went into restoring a classic car instead of complaining about the time I spent on it or calling it a stupid hobby.