James and Jiahui, decides to explore wife swapping to spice up their sex life.
James sat at the kopitiam table, staring at his half-finished kopi-o kosong like it held the answer to his marriage.
It didn’t. It only held the reflection of his own tired face.
Across from him, Jiahui was happily dunking her kaya toast into her soft-boiled eggs, blissfully unconcerned with his existential crisis. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun, she was wearing an oversized T-shirt that said ‘Always Grumpy in the morning’. The top was long enough to cover the cotton shorts, giving an impression that she was not wearing anything aside from the t-shirt.
With her legs crossed, the sun hitting her at the right angle, she looked absolutely gorgeous in the coffee shop.
The fact that the attention of the other uncles at the coffee shop had their attention split between Jiahui and their coffee was not lost on James.
His wife is a prized catch and he knows it.
James cleared his throat a little too loudly, causing some uncles to look away in embarassment.
James: Babe… can I ask you something… personal?
Jiahui: We’re married. Everything’s personal.
James: Ya, but this one… a bit more sensitive.
Jiahui: You already have PS 1 to PS 4 nailed to the wall like some altar in a temple? You are not getting PS 5, that’s not happening.
James: No lah! This is about us. Our… sex life.
That got her attention. She set down her spoon and leaned back.
Jiahui: Okay. Go on. I honestly don’t know if I’m supposed to be offended or excited right now.
James took a deep breath and chose his words carefully.
James: I think we need to… spice things up.
There was a pause long enough for the kopi auntie to come by and clear their plates.
Jiahui: Spice things up… how? Is it not spicy enough? You bloody hell put Mala enoki mushrooms on my stomach. Made my nipples burn for the whole afternoon.
James : Not that kind la…
Jiahui : Only chocolates and whip cream next time. no more Mala.
James: It’s not that la…listen…
Jiahui : then?
James: …What if we tried wife swapping?
The silence that followed was louder than a construction site at 5 am
Jiahui stared at James as she tried to register what she just heard.
Jiahui: …Wife. Swapping.
James: Ya. It’s very common, you know. People do it all the time. Very modern. Open-minded.
Jiahui: Open-minded, or open everything? like my legs…
James: Babe, don’t make it sound like I want to… donate you.
Jiahui: You literally just suggested lending me out like I’m your Powerbank.
James: Not lend… share. With consent lah. I read online, got whole communities for this. Very safe. Very… liberating.
Jiahui: oh really? And where did you read this? Some wholesome website like MOH? Families for life website? Our pastor’s latest instagram post?
James: …sammyboy…
Jiahui laughed so hard the uncle at the next table turned around.
Jiahui: James Tan Yong wei, i will…bloody hell slap your head off i tell you… After all these years of marriage, this is your big idea? Swinging? What’s next? Apply for Temptation island pulau ubin edition is it?
James pouted and sipped his kopi-o.
Silence returned to the table.
While it may seemed all was lost on the surface, it was not.
Here’s the thing about Jiahui. She had a mischievous streak. And once the initial shock wore off, the idea didn’t horrify her as much as James feared. In fact, it sparked something. Not desire exactly, but curiosity.
Jiahui: Okay. Let’s say, hypothetically, we try this…we should always ermmm…plan for the worse… What’s the worst that could happen?
James: Nothing bad will happen. We just meet other couples, have some fun, and…
Jiahui: And then bump into your secondary school teacher, my ex-colleague, or your boss’ cousin…my old classmates?
James: well… there’s a possibility it might happen…but please la. Singaporeans are a conversative bunch. i think quite unlikely to bump into anyone we know.
Jiahui took a slow sip of her tea and glanced around the kopitiam. Three uncles suddenly became fascinated with their newspapers, another developed an intense interest in stirring his already-dissolved sugar, and one elderly man nearly gave himself whiplash turning to examine a perfectly ordinary ceiling fan.
Jiahui felt a hot little coal of embarrassment ignite somewhere in her chest, and it took her a second to realize it was not embarrassment at all, but something much closer to pleasure,a strange, treacherous pleasure, the kind she used to get from flouting the dress code in JC just to see who would notice.
She secretly liked the idea of being desired, of being watched, of being the object of someone’s covetous gaze. In secondary school, she’d pretended to hate the rumors about her and a rival netball captain, but the attention had always made her walk a little taller, swing her ponytail a little higher.
Now, with the other kopi uncles pretending not to stare and James,her own husband,floating the idea of “sharing” her like she was a rare whisky in their collection, that old thrill came back. It was ridiculous, of course, and she’d never admit it out loud.
But here in the kopitiam, surrounded by fumes of wok hei and the smell of margarine and burnt coffee, she let herself imagine it for half a second: the possibility that someone else could want her, could be as hungry for her as James once was.
Of course, she knew how to bury the thrill under layers of irony and mockery,protection from her own excitement as much as from James’ nervous anticipation. That was the point, wasn’t it?
To protect her pride, even as she probed the edges of this new possibility.
She watched James watching her, the way he was already rehearsing his arguments, ready with his bullet points and internet citations from sammyboy forum.
She wondered how long he’d been thinking about this. Probably since that stupid party at Darren’s condo, with it’s sleazy jokes and the way that one banker’s wife kept touching James’ arm during poker.
Jiahui remembered the way she’d felt then, a twinge of jealousy mixed with something more dangerous,a desire to show off, to prove she could still turn heads, even with half a decade of marriage under her belt.
James: you ok?
Jiahui : yes i am…
James thought she was upset and he did not try to broach the subject again.
Jiahui however, began thinking in depth. She could see the logic: Singapore was a small place, life was routine, excitement had to be manufactured from scratch. But the reality of it,meeting strangers, negotiating boundaries, pretending not to care who slept with whom,was something else entirely.
The idea had been planted, and it was growing in the soil of her curiosity. She wondered what it would be like, to walk into a room full of open secrets, to let herself be both hunter and prey.
Jiahui : well…
James: mmmh?
Jiahui : I’m not saying yes…but if we’re really going to talk about this, you need to do better than ‘I read it on sammyboy.’ If you want me to consider letting anyone else touch me, you better be ready to put your own money where your mouth is.
James blinked, surprised. For a moment, he looked like he might try to backpedal. But then he grinned, half sheepish, half victorious, and Jiahui knew the conversation had changed shape. The idea was out in the open now, and neither of them could pretend otherwise.
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