Summary: Their marriage is nothing short of perfection, so why does Wendy feel it all tearing at the seams?

Reading: https://archiveofourown.org/works/31966297

Comment: "This is such an interesting piece, because it shows just how some relationships are. On the outside and even on the inside, it look like eveything's fine, perfect even.

Wendy and Irene still laugh and flirt with and tease each other, and they don't stop being comfortable and familiar with each other to have prolonged touches and interlaced fingers. And Wendy's thoughts are always about how beautiful her wife is, regardless of how much time has passed or in whatever scenario they're in. Their comfort and familiarity is so strong as to be unconscious, but as I'm typing this now, there is still something missing, and (imo) what's missing is love.

Robert Sternberg's theory of love posits that there are three aspects to love: passion, intimacy, and commitment. The commitment is definitely there with our couple, but passion and intimacy are severely lacking. Everything about their relationship feels routine, from the cafe dates to the sex to the teasing. It's comfortable and familiar, just like their house, but it's lacking. There's no more passion in their lovemaking, it's "quiet and soft", and there's no more intimacy, all they do is talk about surface level things and steadfastly ignore the warning signs. And even if we only see things from Wendy's perspective, Irene likely has the same thoughts as Wendy, just falling into her own routine of skinship and snuggling since that's what Irene does in their relationship.

I made myself more sad because now I know why this is such a sad piece lol. Heartbreakingly devoid of the happiness of a marriage. Empty love is what Sternberg calls a relationship with only commitment left."