My coworker kept inviting me to his house until I understood why

The first time Ly came to our nail salon after work, she brought food for her husband.

The second time, she brought food for both of us.

By the fourth visit, she walked past her husband without even looking at him and placed my drink directly beside my station.

That was when I realized something was not right.

My name is Tony. I am 37 years old, Vietnamese, single, and I work as a nail tech in Wichita, Kansas.

My coworker Quang is also Vietnamese. He is 39 and has worked beside me for a few years.

Quang is married to Ly. They are the same age.

Ly does not work in the nail business. She has a regular office job and usually gets off work before our salon closes.

Before all this happened, I had only met her a few times.

Quang talked about her all the time, but mostly to complain.

He complained that she spent too much money. He complained that she wanted him home earlier. He complained that she kept asking him to exercise.

Quang is very skinny. He can eat all day and still look like he skipped every meal.

I am the opposite.

I am a big guy with broad shoulders. I have been lifting weights for years, so I look stronger than most of the men working around me.

I am not rich. I do not think I am especially handsome either.

I am just bigger and more muscular than Quang.

One Saturday, Quang invited me to his house to drink after work.

I almost said no because I was tired, but he kept asking.

He said Ly had cooked too much food and they needed somebody to help eat it.

When I arrived, Ly opened the door.

She looked surprised when she saw me.

I could tell Quang had not told her I was coming until the last minute.

She welcomed me inside and started bringing food to the table.

At first, everything felt normal.

We ate, drank beer, and talked about work.

Quang became loud after a few drinks. He kept telling embarrassing stories about customers and showing me old pictures on his phone.

Ly sat across from me most of the night.

I noticed her looking at my arms a few times, but I told myself I was imagining it.

Then Quang started making jokes about my body.

He told Ly that I went to the gym almost every day.

He said I could probably carry both of them at the same time.

Ly laughed and asked whether I had always been that big.

I told her I used to be skinny when I was younger.

She said the gym had been very good to me.

Quang laughed, but his face changed a little.

He quickly changed the subject.

Later that night, Quang became sleepy and stretched out on the couch.

Ly and I were still sitting at the dining table.

She asked why I was single.

I gave her the usual answer. I said I had not met the right person yet and worked too much.

She asked what kind of woman I liked.

Before I could answer, Quang suddenly sat up and told her she was asking too many personal questions.

She looked at him and said she was only being friendly.

The room became awkward.

I finished my beer and left soon afterward.

I did not think much about it until Ly started visiting the salon more often.

Before that night, she might come in once every few months.

After that night, she started coming once or twice a week.

She usually arrived after leaving work.

Sometimes she brought Quang dinner.

Sometimes she said she was only stopping by to say hello.

But she always found a reason to stand near my station.

She asked whether I had eaten.

She noticed when I got a haircut.

She remembered which coffee I liked.

One evening, she brought two drinks.

She handed one to Quang and gave the other one to me.

Mine was exactly what I normally ordered.

Quang looked at the cup and asked how she knew what I liked.

Ly said I had mentioned it before.

I honestly could not remember telling her.

After she left, Quang became quiet.

A few minutes later, he asked whether Ly had ever messaged me privately.

I told him no.

That was the truth.

He looked relieved, but things between us started feeling different after that.

He watched whenever Ly talked to me.

He stopped inviting me to his house.

He also started making comments about how single men should stay away from married women.

He never said my name, but I knew who he was talking about.

I tried to keep my distance from Ly.

When she came to the salon, I stayed busy.

If she brought food, I thanked her and went back to work.

I did not want trouble with Quang.

He was my friend before I ever met his wife.

But Ly did not stop coming.

One evening, the salon was almost empty.

Quang had gone to the supply store, and I was finishing my last customer.

Ly walked in and sat near the front.

After my customer left, she came over to my station.

She asked why I had been avoiding her.

I told her I was not avoiding anyone.

She said I used to talk to her, but now I acted nervous every time she came near me.

I did not know what to say.

Then she asked whether Quang had told me not to speak to her.

I said no, but I think she could see the truth on my face.

She became quiet.

After a few seconds, she said things between her and Quang had not been good for a long time.

She said they barely touched each other anymore.

She said Quang cared more about the salon, his friends, and his phone than he cared about her.

I told her she needed to discuss that with her husband.

She looked directly at me and said she had tried.

Then she said something I had been afraid to hear.

She told me that since the night I came to their house, she had been thinking about me.

My whole body became hot.

I liked the attention. I will be honest about that.

Ly is an attractive woman, and I had noticed her too.

But hearing my friend’s wife admit she was thinking about me did not feel exciting the way I thought it might.

It felt heavy.

I told her nothing could happen between us while she was married.

She asked whether that meant something could happen if she were single.

Before I could answer, the front door opened.

Quang had returned.

He stood there holding a bag of supplies and looking at both of us.

Nobody spoke.

Ly walked past him and left the salon.

Quang put the bag on the counter.

Then he asked what his wife had said to me.

I could have lied.

Instead, I told him the truth.

I expected him to become angry or try to fight me.

He did neither.

He sat in one of the pedicure chairs and covered his face with both hands.

Then he said he already knew.

That was the twist I never expected.

Quang told me he had noticed Ly looking at me during dinner that first night.

He had also seen how much more effort she made with her appearance before coming to the salon.

He said he kept inviting me around in the beginning because he thought seeing another man might make Ly appreciate him more.

Instead, it did the opposite.

I asked why he would do something like that.

He said he did not know.

He thought Ly would compare us and remember that he was her husband.

But every time she saw me, she seemed less interested in him.

I felt terrible hearing that.

Quang looked small sitting in that large pedicure chair.

For the first time, he did not seem like my funny coworker who complained about everything.

He looked like a man who knew his marriage was slipping away and had no idea how to stop it.

He asked whether I liked her.

I told him I had noticed her, but I had never touched her or messaged her.

He asked the question again.

This time, I understood what he really wanted to know.

I admitted that part of me did like her.

Quang nodded slowly.

Then he told me that if I were a real friend, I would stay away from her.

The next morning, he did not come to work.

Ly did.

She said she and Quang had argued all night.

She told me she was thinking about leaving him.

Then she asked whether I would wait for her.

I told her I could not promise anything.

She looked hurt, but I did not know what else to say.

I did not want to be the reason their marriage ended.

At the same time, I knew their problems had started long before I entered their house.

Quang returned to work two days later.

We still work beside each other, but we barely talk now.

Ly has stopped visiting the salon.

Last week, she sent me a message for the first time.

She said she had moved out of the house and was staying with her sister.

She also said she wanted to meet me when I was ready.

I have not answered yet.

Every day, I sit a few feet away from Quang while that message remains on my phone.

He does not know she contacted me.

At least, I do not think he knows.

Part of me wants to delete the message and forget the whole thing.

Another part keeps wondering whether Ly and I met at the wrong time, or whether there is never a right time to fall for your friend’s wife.