After 18 years of marriage, I never imagined my husband would ask to swap husbands with my best friend, but when I realized they’d planned it together, I agreed to play along. By Friday night, my little surprise was ready, and neither of them knew what was coming.

I thought Sean and I were happy. After 18 years, we weren’t newlyweds, but we still shared breakfast, kissed goodnight, and talked about the future.

Then, one Tuesday over pasta, Sean said something that shattered my illusions of us.

“Our marriage needs something new. Something exciting.”

I laughed. “What, skydiving?”

I THOUGHT SEAN AND I WERE HAPPY.

He didn’t smile.

“What if we swapped partners for a week? With Nancy and Alex.”

My laugh died in my throat.

Nancy was my best friend of twenty years. Her husband, Alex, was the quiet man who always brought extra napkins to our barbecues.

“You’re serious.”

“WHAT IF WE SWAPPED PARTNERS FOR A WEEK?”

“It’s an experiment,” Sean said, leaning closer. “A little fun. They’re our friends and it’s just one week.”

“You’ve lost your mind.”

***

I called Nancy the next morning, fully expecting her to scream with me.

Instead, the line went quiet.

“I mean,” she finally said, “maybe it could be fun.”