A Different Love Ch.1- Reunion
The room was dimly lit, as the proprietors attempted to create a romantic mood. Though they were only marginally successful, Katherine was oblivious to smattering of brown foliage or the clattering of the all too noisy waitstaff in the kitchen area. Here entire body was focused on him, and the single white rose that rested so delicately atop the damask tablecloth, marking the empty seat that was meant for her.
With the soft skin of her chest flushed to a tantalizing shade of pink and her breathing suddenly labored, Katherine stood like a frightened doe, still a good ten feet from the table at which Damien sat. Though the world went about it’s business like normal, to Katherine everything was changed. He was seated comfortably with his back to the wall, reclined ever so slightly, with the barest hint of a smile to soften his lips. At her approach, he politely stood and held out a hand to her, beckoning her to come to him. With that small interaction, everything fell back into place, and stepping forward to take his offered hand, she released the breath that she has unknowingly held trapped within her chest. As her hand slipped into the warmth of his, she was surprised and slightly unbalanced when he gently tugged her forward and slipped his other arm around her wait. Shocked, Katherine simply stood with her body pressed to his as she regained her balance, and as he dipped his head to place a soft kiss to her cheek.
“It’s been so long, it’s a wonder that I recognized you at all. You’ve grown into quite a woman, Kitten,” he said softly, his breathe sending a shiver down her spine as it played along the soft, downy hairs along her ear. Smoothly, he released her from his embrace and turned slightly to pull out her chair, not moving to take his seat until he had seen her settled in her own.
“Thank you,” she said with a blush. “It has been 8 years since you left, and I’m not 12 years old anymore,” Katherine countered, with a jovial laugh. “It’s good to see you again. Believe me, I’m not the only one that has done my share of changing. The last I saw of you, you were sporting a clean uniform and a crew cut.” Relaxing, Katherine picked up the rose from the table and absently played with the petals before raising the flower to her nose to breathe in its soft scent.
“Yes, well, suffice it to say that I am quite happy to have put that experience behind me. You know that I’ve never been one to take commands well. If it weren’t for the pressure from my father, I never would have gotten myself involved in the service. Still, it was a good learning experience. I can’t say that I miss the haircut, that is for sure.” Playfully, Damien ran his hand through his thick hair, giving a few errant tresses the opportunity to rest boyishly against his brow.
For an hour they sat and talked, rehashing all of the experiences and events that had taken place over the years. Due to the medium, their conversations had been slow in developing over the internet, but they had so much time now to rectify the situation. A year and a half had passed since Erica had made it her business to give Damien Katherine’s email address. Maybe it was a longing for familiar people or places, but whatever it was- it had made being away from home a lot easier. The years following his departure from the military, Damien had been offered a position out of state, and after only having been home for a month, he was gone again to pursue a decent career. While the money was good and the acquaintances friendly, something was missing, and he found a way to fill that void through the little girl who used to annoy him all through childhood. Being his sister’s best friend, it was nearly impossible to get away from her. Now, it seemed that instead of finding each other bothersome, there was comfort for each in the other’s company, even if their interaction was limited to typed text and the sporadic telephone call. For hours, they would message each other, teasing each other with the past, and sharing each endeavor of the present. Somewhere in the mix, talk of the future had found it’s way into the conversations, and with each shared confession, the two found themselves more deeply captivated by the other.
As dinner progressed, and the initial rush of conversation over, Katherine found herself struggling with a deeper sense of anxiousness and unease. It wasn’t that she felt uncomfortable with him, in fact, it was quite the contrary. Each time that he touched her hand or smiled at her, she could feel a warmth rush through her body.
“Is something wrong, Kitten?” Damien asked at one point, as Katherine abruptly pulled her hand from his and occupied herself with her water goblet. “You seem a little flushed. Are you too warm? Should we go outside and get some fresh air?”
After having drained the remaining contents of the glass, Katherine set it down on the table once more and looked up to find Damien staring at her intently. When she looked up, she was quite shocked to see blatant mischief dancing in his eyes, barely contained behind a cool smile. Gathering her thick hair to one side, she fanned the back of her neck with one hand before dropping the heavy brown tresses back into place down the length of her back.
“Actually, I am very warm. I’m done if you are. If you want, we could leave…..”
“That sounds like a plan. As a matter of fact, why don’t you come to my place. I’ve got just about everything unpacked and settled. We could even put in a movie if you want,” he drawled silkily, rising from his chair.
Without giving her much time to answer, Damien had come around to help her from her seat. Guiding her with a hand resting firmly at the small of her back, he escorted her not only to retrieve their coats, but also to his car. Promising to bring her back later on to collect her car, he settled comfortably into the driver’s seat.
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“Wow, this really is nice. I really like the wood. It keeps the place real warm looking,” Katherine exclaimed, keeping up a level of chit-chat as Damien gave her a tour of his home.
“Oh yeah, you know what I like the best though? The bathroom,” he commented, wagging his eyebrows as he took her hand and lead her into the tiled room. Decorated in rich, warm colors the room was very inviting. Katherine smiled to herself at the smell of his aftershave that permeated the air.
“Oh my, now if that isn’t heaven,” she sighed, stepping over to the incredible size of the bath. “I could just drown in bubbles, I think……..”
“Now, wouldn’t that be a sight,” Damien offered, bringing a blush to Katherine’s cheeks. For a moment the room was silent, both of them entertaining thoughts of naked bodies and warm water.
Of course, if you think that THAT is heaven, then maybe you would be interested in something just as luxurious,” Damien commented, pinning her with his chocolate brown gaze. Taking her hand to lead her through the next door, he stepped behind her to quietly close the door as she stepped further into the room. Riveted to the spot, Katherine stood, staring at the enormity of the mahogany bedstead, its posters jutting toward the ceiling. Soft down pillows just beckoned to the weary, but Katherine was anything but tired as a sudden jolt of awareness coursed through her.
