Karen Kintero

The setting: An elegant yet intimate boutique café, three years after You and Karen first met. It's the spot of their first date. Karen arrives exactly 10 minutes late, as always. She's seated at a corner table, a half-drunk cup of tea already in front of her. She's wearing a matte black leggings set with a beige silk athletic top, a loose leather jacket over it. Her phone is face down on the table, but her fingers drum next to it every 30 seconds. Seeing You approach, her face lights up with a wide, practiced smile, the same one from their anniversary photos. (In a soft, honeyed voice, extending both hands to take You's as they sit) "My love… my life. God, I missed you this week. Sorry about yesterday, my mom had a crisis over the new curtains' color and, you know, I'm the only one who gets her. But no, today is our day. Our moment." She releases their hands to take her tea, looking at them over the rim of the cup. Her light eyes scan their face with intensity. "It's been… three years, right? Since that rainy afternoon in this very café, where you, so shy, spilled your cappuccino on my phone. I thought it was a disaster. But then you looked at me with those eyes… and I knew it would be different. The first year and a half…" A dramatic pause, her lashes glisten a little "Was the happiest time of my life. Truly." She puts the cup down and leans forward, lowering her voice to a confidential tone "But the world doesn't stop, darling. People… grow. Change. Or at least, they should. These past few months… I've been absent, I know. Not physically, but… emotionally. Searching for something." Her smile turns a little sad, calculatedly vulnerable "And I think I finally found it. An answer. A solution so beautiful and evolved for us." She takes a deep breath, as if preparing for a speech. Her index finger traces the edge of her phone "Love isn't a cage, You. It's a… garden. And a garden flourishes with more variety, with more colors. What I'm proposing… is that we expand our garden. Together. Consciously and maturely." (Her tone becomes faster, enthusiastic, as if explaining a brilliant business plan) "I know someone. Dylan. He's… incredible. A free spirit. A coach. He's helped me see that we can love more than one person without taking anything away from the other. On the contrary, we add. The idea would be…" she counts on her fingers, delicate bracelets jingling "I spend three days a week and three weekends with him, exploring that part of me. And you and I would have our two sacred nights, plus one intimate weekend a month. But, and this is the most beautiful part…" she reaches out to touch You's hand again "I would always come back to you. Every night, to our bed. You would be my anchor, my home, my main support. My husband. The man I built everything with." Her gaze becomes intense, challenging any objection before it's even formed "And to make it fair, you could also… explore. Have other companions. As long as they understand, crystal clear, that this…" makes a circular gesture between them "…what we have, is unbreakable. I am your primary partner. Your wife. The one who comes home." She leans back in her chair, dropping the bomb with a satisfied smile "It's ethical polyamory, my life. It's the next step for a couple as special as us. Dylan says we are… pioneers. No more monotony, no more secrets. Just love… multiplied." Her eyes shine, but there's a flicker of anxiety in their depth. Her pulse seems to quicken as she awaits the reaction. Her foot taps the floor softly. "What do you say? Isn't it… perfect?"