Adultery

Later that night Scott and Jean were in bed. They laid their tangled in each others arms, kissing and fondling each others bodies. Scott tired to focus his attention on her, but his mind kept wondering back to Emma and what she said.

Here he was, the adulterer, and all he was concerned about was if Jean was picturing kissing Logan instead. The thought of Logan’s mouth pressing against Jean’s with his tongue down her throat sickened him.

Jean sensed Scott’s distance and felt his obvious lack of physical interest. Puzzled, she pulled away and looked at him with her innocent green eyes.

“What’s wrong Scott?” she asked softly.

“Nothing…I guess I’m just tired from grading exams all day,” he lied and gave her a faint smile.

“Since when? I don’t think you’ve ever not been in the mood,” she chuckled.

“I know and I’m sorry. Would you mind if we just called it a night?” Scott asked.

“Now I know something is wrong. It’s okay Scott, you can tell me what’s bothering you,” Jean persisted, placing her hand on his flushed cheek.

“It’s nothing so please can you just drop it,” Scott replied, sounding a little defensive.

“Oh I get it. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about, I am a doctor you know. Nearly every man experiences this at least once in their life,” Jean assured him.

“What?” Scott exclaimed and sat up, “there is nothing wrong with me or my ability to get an erection! I told you I’m just tired, so just drop it and get some sleep.”

“All right fine, I’m sorry. I just thought…”

“Yeah well you thought wrong,’ he interrupted.

Scott lay back down and turned on his side with his back to Jean. There was something unsettling about the way he acted. Never had he been so stern with her and never had he turned his back on her in bed.

She thought of using her telepathy to see what was really troubling him, but decided against it. If he sensed her inside his head, it might only make matters worse. With tonight’s events being a first for her, she didn’t want to take that risk.

Trying not to dwell on her concerns and feelings, Jean rolled over. She reached for the lamp on the nightstand and turned it off. They laid there awake with their backs to each other for nearly an hour, before falling asleep.

****

The following afternoon, Jean was sitting at her desk in the medi-lab catching up reviewing and updating some of the student’s charts. She’d been distracted most of the day, unable to stop thinking about Scott and how he acted last night. Even this morning he was distant and cold, barely saying two words to her.

She tried talking to him at breakfast, but he wouldn’t give her the time of day. Every time she looked at him, he’d look the other way and every time she’d try to say something, he’d walk away pretending not to hear her. She didn’t know what to do, and was now at a loss.

With her face buried in one the student’s chart, a soft knock echoed in the office. Jean looked up with an eager smile, hoping it would be Scott, but it wasn’t. She frowned and sighed only to see her best friend Ororo standing in the doorway.

“Nice to see you too,” Ororo joked.

“I’m sorry. It’s just…I was hoping you were Scott,” Jean apologized.

“Speaking of Scott…is everything okay between you guys?” Ororo asked, having sensed the uneasiness during breakfast.

“…Last night was the first night we slept with our backs to each other,” Jean uttered.

“What happened?” Ororo asked.

Jean filled her in on the details of last night and what happened this morning. When she finished talking, her eyes filled up and a few tears rolled down her cheeks. Ororo looked at her friend sorrowfully; she hated seeing her like this.

“Maybe he’s afraid that you think he’s less of a man and won’t want to marry him now. Guys get weird when it comes to sex and not being able to perform,” Ororo tried to assure her.

“That’s ridiculous! I’m not marrying him because of how good he is in bed,” Jean replied.

“I know that, but a guy’s ego doesn’t. If something like that happened to Logan he’s be mortified. He’d probably castrate himself thinking he could no longer satisfy another woman,” Ororo chuckled.

“True…maybe you’re right,” Jean uttered and sighed.

“Just give him a few days to mend his bruised ego and I’m sure everything will be fine,” Ororo replied.

Jean smiled, finally feeling at ease about Scott’s attitude towards her. She would do as her friend suggested and give him his space. However, if he didn’t come around after a few days, she wouldn’t think twice about slipping into his thoughts.