Dallas, Texas

Greeting her husband with a kiss as he walked in the door, Sue Ellen briefly wondered whether it had been wise to insist they do something together straight after his time with Bobby and Jack, because from the taste on his lips and the way he was affectionately caressing her, the evidence of his earlier drinking was all too obvious. He wasn't drunk, it took more than a few drinks to get him drunk, he usually needed to be sure of his surroundings too, because he was quite cautious about losing self-control; in this case, he had returned home on time and was very much coherent as he spoke to her, what made her wonder was simply his general being. He seemed to be relaxed, very relaxed, and from every movement of his hands, it felt to her as if dinner and the ballet were the last things on his mind. As much as she enjoyed their intimate time alone together, she had bigger plans for their evening, though breaking off contact with him when things were so good now seemed hasty and unnecessary in the grand scheme of moving those plans along; they had plenty of time before their dinner reservation.

"That's an impressive dress you're wearing darlin'", pulling away from their kiss after a few moments, JR took some time to properly look at her, taking in every inch of her appearance, enjoying what he saw and in turn pleasing Sue Ellen with his compliments. "Thank you, I'm glad you like it", beaming with delight at his comment, she found herself doing a 360° turn as if she was in some exaggerated version of a beauty pageant, much to JR's liking if his fixated gaze was anything to go by. She knew she looked good, she had put a lot of effort into her appearance, for herself and for JR, in fact she had purchased the dark red, draped, chiffon and silk dress with the intention of gaining his attention and appreciation so it thrilled her to know that she had it. A man's attention was addictive, but JR's attention and compliments were by far the most valuable to her; there was no harm in looking outwardly nice for everyone though, beauty wasn't something just one person could appreciate, years of looking pretty for an audience had taught her that.

"You're in a good mood; should I assume you had a nice time with Bobby and Jack?" feeding off his relaxed state, she asked him about his evening as they made their way out of the foyer and upstairs. "I am, and I did, and now you and I are going to have a nice time", stopping as they ascended the staircase, he kissed her briefly but passionately again before continuing with their journey, ushering her toward their bedroom with a hand on her lower back. "Mama and daddy have John Ross overnight, so I was thinking, how would you like to stay in town tonight? You know, kind of a weekend away before our next weekend away", making a suggestion as they entered their bedroom, it was evident in JR's tone that he was trying hard to please her, which she very much appreciated. "I'd love that. I'll start packing", kissing him on the cheek to show her appreciation for his thoughtfulness, she then began to do as she had said, walking over to the closet to select an overnight bag and gather the things they would need for their evening, leaving JR to freshen up and change for their imminent plans.

Half an hour later, they were off, speeding past Braddock, onto the highway, heading downtown, toward Scalini, their first stop of the evening. Listening to JR as he reassured her that Jack and Bobby posed no danger to their relationship if that's what she was quietly thinking about, Sue Ellen felt confident believing him, because although it was still very early days, he did seem to be handling balancing both friends and their relationship nicely. "It was a good time; we had a few drinks, played some cards and talked. It was casual and friendly, nothing more and nothing less" nodding as she listened to him talk, she reminded herself again of their middle of the night conversation, they had come to the understanding that things really were just casual at this moment in time and would remain that way, because he was taking things slowly. "I think I'm beginning to understand why you say you want something similar for yourself though…" smiling to herself as she heard his confession, she felt like they were finally getting somewhere in their ongoing conversation about why she wanted friends; it wasn't progress in the sense that she had everything she wanted, but it was progress. "It makes me happy to hear you say that, you know I just want us to be happy, and we are", touching his hand softly, she felt good about their conversation; if he understood her needs as he said he did and they continued to communicate with each other then she felt they were on a good path.

"So do I darlin', so do I. I suppose it's only fair to tell you now then too, it sounds like daddy wants us all to go on some hunting trip, or at least a camping trip one weekend soon. I don't have any details yet, Bob only asked whether we were interested, we didn't make a date, but as soon as I know the details I'll let you know. I was thinking maybe you could arrange something for yourself that weekend, something that's equally for you as this will be for me. How does that sound?" Nodding as she listened, she had to admit that what he was proposing actually sounded like it fit perfectly with what she had envisioned for them. Provided he gave her enough time in advance to make plans with other people, she liked the idea of her doing things with her friends while he did with his, having both of them free and busy at the same time made their lives easier when planning their time as a couple and as a family. "It sounds good; I'd love to arrange something with Paula, and Pamela has invited me to join her and her friends some time. I'm still working on who else I'd consider a friend, unfortunately I don't think Anna really counts as such a close connection, I know you were hoping we'd be friends, but at most I think we're acquaintances. I'll happily socialise with her if circumstances throw us together, but I don't think either of us will be extending an invitation to the other as a first choice. With that being said though, if I haven't already said it, I do appreciate your efforts to introduce me to people and I look forward to more; in regard to making plans for when you're away though, it's likely those plans will be with Paula or Pamela, that's only fair to tell you".

Watching JR as he listened to her, Sue Ellen was unsurprised to see him frowning at the mention of Pamela, what did surprise her though was his eventual response, it seemed they might actually be growing as a couple, able to communicate without going to extremes, either fighting and arguing or saying nothing and sulking about their feelings. "Thank you. I won't get into my feelings about Pamela, we came to an understanding there, I don't like it but I won't stop it, and I don't need to know the inner details of whatever it is women do together, all I ask for is a progress report, I think this counts though, so thank you, I appreciate it. As for Paula, for as outspoken and different as she is different to you, that's one friendship I can get behind, I like that girl and I have no problem with you making plans with her, plans that respect our marriage naturally, but again, I don't need the intimate details, I just ask you keep me informed. Finally, Anna, you're right, I was hoping you'd find her worthy of friendship, but I appreciate the comments you made after that initial meeting too and I can understand why you didn't feel friendship was likely to occur there. Like you, I just want us to be happy and I think we've had enough experiences to know that we need to do things like this to be happy".

Squeezing JR's hand in support of what he had just said, Sue Ellen continued to enjoy the new reality they had managed to create for themselves. Communicating wasn't necessarily easy, but it was extremely beneficial. They still had the challenge of moving past his dislike for Pamela, because if they did become close that was sure to cause problems, but at least the issue was out in the open, not just in JR's mind, waiting to pop up at the most inappropriate moment in time. They also still had the challenge of figuring out exactly what their new social lives would look like, but with open communication between them it didn't seem like such a big thing any longer. She wouldn't have to spend a weekend at home lonely and resentful of his social plans when he gave her enough time to make plans of her own, and she was sure the same general idea would apply the other way around too. By keeping each other informed of their thoughts and plans and talking through conflicting ideas, to come to a compromise instead of staying angry with each other, they actually had a chance at finding the ultimate happiness they both seemed to want. They were unlikely to ever agree on absolutely everything, but if they could live a life where disagreements didn't destroy them, because everything else about their relationship was strong, then she would be satisfied.

"I think we understand each other perfectly", leaning over to kiss him on the cheek, she was content with the way things were and felt positive about the rest of their evening together. There had been no arguing between them, just good, progressive conversation and some healthy, fun flirting earlier, and now they were off to enjoy themselves, like the happily married couple they were. They were people and people were complex, they could perform more than one role in their lives, it had taken them a while to figure that out, but they finally seemed to both be on the same page.

To be continued…