Friend's husband, is he cheating or crushing?

[vintagecat]

I'm getting a weird feeling about my good friend's husband reference another woman that has kind of shown up in their lives.

 

Here are the details: They have been married many years, pretty much cooled down relationship wise from what I have observed, both have pretty much "let themselves go" over the years. They spend a lot of time apart. Wife, husband have different interests that have diverged even more over the years. A younger attractive woman (an acquaintance and e-forum buddy of the husband) from another city comes onto the scene after a breakup of a long term relationship. She is pretty much out of husband's league but love can be blind and very hopeful. They apparently have been corresponding about the LTR breakup according to the husband, she spent some time recently with my friend's husband presumably in regard to their common interest (in the company of other people) and she has plans to return. Husband drops this woman's name and talks about her enough to catch my notice and get my radar going. Now this part really got my attention: Husband who has subsisted for years on donuts, chips and colas in spite of pleas from his family is now eating well, getting fit and is dressing better, plus he and the younger woman are co-hosting an event in relation to their common interest in the future. My friend is pretty much fully engaged in other family matters, her friends, work and a few fairly pressing health problems and I don't see any signs that she recognizes that there might be an issue or that she is concerned at all.

 

I definitely plan to keep my mouth shut unless I have good info and might even keep it to myself in that case as my husband's advice is to let it ride. Am I off base or is there something not quite up to snuff here? It could be a crush and that would be the most likely explanation IMO given everything.

 

Thanks in advance for your insights and this really is a friend, not the hypothetical "friend" in messages meant to cover one's own troubles. I just want to be prepared to be supportive to my friend if this growing friendship turns out to be bad news for her. I try to encourage her to be part of her husband's world more than she is but she is an unapologetic girly girl that loves shopping, gossip, lunches out and that kind of thing. She is just not interested in the stuff that he does anymore and I think that might come home to roost.

[Ladyblue]

It sounds to me like he is a crush looking for a chance to take action. It could be an emotional affair, one sided, or both might be interested. Love IS blind. Whatever, he is going to some trouble to make difficult lifestyle changes. I would not take that lightly.