Long Lost Love

Joy didn’t know what made her come along to her high-school reunion. There was only one person she wanted to see from high-school, and he’d always said reunions were a waste of time.

Why spends hours reminiscing about years you hated, with people who’d never cared enough to even pretend to be nice to you?

And yet she’d come, and she’d made small talk, and every time the door opened she’d hoped it was him, and every time it wasn’t the stab of disappointment had grown deeper.

By ten o’clock she knew it was too late, and she’d slipped out while everyone was dancing, not wanting to say goodbye to people she still didn’t have anything in common with.

But as she closed the door behind her something moved in the shadows, and she jerked back, heart pounding.

“Hey.” Julian’s voice was soft. He had crows feet, and a furrow in his brow and grey in the bristles around his beard. But she’d recognise those eyes anywhere, the palest of blue, and a gaze kinder than any other she’d seen.

“You came.”

He nodded. “I wanted to see you.”

“Why didn’t you come inside?”

“I didn’t want to see them.” He gave her that lopsided grin that had stolen her heart all those years ago.

“We could’ve left, done something more interesting with our night.”

He shrugged. “We could still do something interesting with our night.” His gaze dropped to the ground and back to her face, and he wiped his hands on his jeans. “I was scared I’d be rejected, and I didn’t want them to see that.”

“After all these years?”

“Tell me they’re not still jerks.”

She thought about the conversations she’d had, all self-centered nonsense, and laughed. “No. They’re still jerks.”

“I’m gobsmacked,” he said with mock horror. He held out his hand. “Walk with me?”

“It’s cold.” She shook her head. “Why not drive with me? I’ll take you back to my place. We can have a coffee and catch up.”

He raised a brow. “Are you sure? What if I’ve changed? I could be a mass-murderer or something.”

She looked him up and down. “I’ll risk it.”

She drove him to their house, and they had coffee, and cake, and regaled each other over the happenings of the years since they’d last spoken.

“I loved you.” Julian reached out and covered Joy’s hand with his. “I’m sorry I left.”

She shrugged. “We were both young. We needed to go out separate ways, explore the world for ourselves. I just wish it hadn’t taken so long to get back together.”

His gaze held hers and they leaned in close, their lips meeting in the middle. The bristle covering his jaw tickled her cheeks, but she liked it, and the mucky scent of his aftershave, and the feel of his tongue on hers.

She led him to her bedroom, where she removed his shirt and jeans, and he removed her dress, and he scooped her up and set her gently in the middle of the bed, laying down next to her to kiss her some more as their hands explored the changes in their bodies since last they’d lain like this.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered, caressing her breasts.

“So are you.” She kissed his chest, his abdomen, taking his erection in her mouth, and teasing him until he begged her to stop.

He returned the favour, his fingers and mouth gentle on her body, and yet so much more electrifying because of the fact.

When he returned to kiss her mouth she spread her legs, his thrusts waking every nerve in her body.

She clung to him, her legs curled around his, her fingers digging into his shoulders and they both cried out as they came.

After, Joy pulled the blanket up to their shoulders and they held each other.

“Will you stay?” she asked.

“If you’ll have me.”

“Always.”

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