Dallas, Texas

"Oh JR, it was a wonderful symphony, thank you for taking me", Sue Ellen was still gushing as she removed her jewellery and dress and changed into her nightgown, she was very much enjoying the change in JR and she wanted him to know that she appreciated his efforts. "I'm glad to hear that", he walked over and stood behind her as she looked at her appearance in the mirror, brushing her hair and tying it in a ponytail as she prepared to brush her teeth and remove her makeup. She shivered as he placed his hands on her shoulders and they made eye contact in the mirror, his touch was electric and she never grew bored of the effect he had on her, "I… did you enjoy it? I know that the arts wouldn't be your first choice activity if someone asked you what you wanted to do, but do you at least somewhat enjoy it? I would hate for you to be miserable on our dates, they're as much about your happiness as they are mine". JR was surprised as she started speaking, he hadn't expected that question at that particular moment; she went from one end of the spectrum to another, from not saying enough, to overthinking things; one thing always remained consistent though, she was always thinking about him, even when she didn't have to. "Yes darlin', I enjoyed it, just because something may not be my favourite thing, doesn't mean that I can't appreciate the talent and hard work that goes into making it; and besides, if I really didn't want to go, we wouldn't have gone. I brought you because I know you enjoy those kinds of things, and seeing you happy makes me happy", he moved closer toward her ear and whispered, "and between you and me, I may have found myself actually enjoying the music, but that'll be our little secret, I have a reputation to maintain". His hush-hush comment made her laugh and he was glad that she wasn't dwelling on the situation, he really didn't feel like having such a serious conversation after what had been a perfectly lovely evening. She was allowed to be happy about things she enjoyed if she wanted to, she didn't have to second-guess herself and worry about his feelings all the time; he was a grown man and he was perfectly capable of voicing his own likes and dislikes, she didn't have to keep asking him about his feelings before deciding her own. He wasn't lying when he answered her, if she had suggested something that he absolutely did not want to do, then he simply would have said no and it would have been the end of the conversation; there were very few things she could suggest that he would deny her though.

Sue Ellen pulled back and looked at him, switching back into a serious conversational mode, "thank you for telling me that. I love you and all I want is to be a good wife and make you happy. Sometimes I just need a little confirmation that I am doing the right thing and that you are happy, that's all", she looked him in the eyes as she spoke and JR was sure that she spoke the absolute truth, it was just who she was. "Darlin', I am happy, so just relax and enjoy yourself. I promise, if I'm ever unhappy, you'll know. But until then, stop worrying. As you just said, our marriage is about both of us being happy; that means that you're allowed to enjoy something just because you like it, you don't have to always look to me for approval, though it pleases me that you do. I love you, and I don't want you to drive yourself into unhappiness by making my happiness your only goal though. So, how about we just forget this whole thing? I'm happy, you're happy, and until further notice, there doesn't need to be a constant discussion about it". He wasn't sure whether he'd been too harsh, but he brushed the thought off, he wasn't attacking her, he was just explaining how he felt; she didn't need to be so concerned all the time, and hopefully his message had gotten through and she would finally relax. Sue Ellen's heart beat faster as he finished speaking and pulled her into a hug, his words were reassuring, he wasn't upset or angry with her, in fact he seemed to be more concerned that she was over-worrying herself and making herself unhappy. His concern was touching and she was pleased that they had had that conversation, it had cleared a few things up for her, though deep down it was still all very confusing. She truly believed that a good wife was always a follower, not a leader, and her husband's happiness should always come before her own. She asked him questions to garner his feelings about certain things and form her opinion on issues; she didn't want to appear too happy or excited about something that she knew he had no desire to talk about or do. Even though he told her to stop being so concerned about it, it wasn't that easy, she was a natural worrier and she was quite traditional, she would always put his needs before hers, that's just how it was. As he wrapped his arms around her, she got a familiar feeling in her lower abdomen, he had a way of making her want him even when he didn't particularly indicate that that was where they were heading, it was just another thing in a long list of hang-ups she had. She felt guilty for wanting her husband even when she wasn't sure that he wanted her, it made her feel promiscuous; she had always believed that she was a good girl and good girls weren't supposed to feel the way she did, and they certainly didn't act on those feelings. JR felt her tense up as he hugged her and he was confused, he had thought that their conversation would clear up any problems, but she still wasn't relaxed, "is something wrong darlin'?" he pulled back and looked her in the eye. His eye contact was almost too much for her to handle and she stuttered as she spoke, "n…no"; JR grinned as he realised what the 'problem' was, though it wasn't really a problem, they were married and there was nothing wrong with the way she felt, she just needed to believe that and loosen up a little. "Good, because there's something you can do to make me very happy, something I want you to enjoy too", he added the final part of his sentence for her benefit, he needed to reinforce his previous message. Marriage was harder work than he'd originally anticipated and it was a constant learning experience but he hoped that she would take his words to heart and relax, she didn't need to be so uptight all the time. He only gave her a second to process his words before he kissed her, giving her no doubt that her thoughts weren't wrong and he was thinking the same way. Picking her up and carrying her to their bed, he skilfully removed her nightgown and did exactly what he wanted, hoping that his actions and words had finally gotten through to her.

To be continued…