She slipped her arms around my waist and hugged me tightly. She was more than a foot shorter than me, so that was about as high as her arms could go around me without it being awkward for her.
"I can't believe we're finally meeting. Heck, I can't believe you stopped off here to meet some old lady you met on the internet!" She laughed as she said that. It was a good laugh, full of life and happiness. I liked the sound of it. I had only heard it once before when she and I had had a long mostly drunken conversation one night. The long distance charges were a bitch, but worth it.
We had met almost seven years ago in a chat room. She was quite a bit older than me, but that was never impedance in our friendship. It was also a common source of teasing between us.
"Jenn, you know damn well I wouldn't have come within a state of you without visiting. You're one of my best friends and you know it. You'd do the same if you were near me too." I grinned as I said it, and it was true. Despite our significant age differences, not to mention the gulf of life experience separating us, we were very close.
"Well, maybe," Jenn conceded with another small laugh.
"And don't give me any of that old lady crap. You know damn well you don't look your age, and you know just as well you're still hot! And I've proven I do too on a couple occasions," and I smirked at her at this, which caused her to blush faintly.
We might have had fifteen years between us, but she really was what I said. Jennifer was a short, curvy brunette with a soft, sweet face and pretty much everything you could hope for. She looked to be at least ten years younger than she actually was. And yes, I'd seen all of it, just like she had me. We got a little hot and bothered over each other a few times—nothing serious, you understand, just two friends needing to get off.
"Shut up, Jack!" and still blushing, she laughed and hit me in the arm. It was going to be a good trip, even though I knew nothing was going to happen between us. She'd been dating a guy for a while now and was really happy, and I was happy for her.
*****
"So," Jenn began after finishing off her class of wine after dinner. She had made me a wonderful meal. I always asked her for cooking advice, and I'm happy to report that the food stood up to the pedestal I had put her on for her culinary skills.
"So, what?" I mumbled through my last mouthful of the delicious chicken. Okay, it was rude to talk with my mouthful, but she had once told me if she ever saw me naked in person, she'd probably point out I had something in my teeth without noticing my nudity. Jenn and I were pretty comfortable with each other.
"Steve and I broke up," she said calmly, and I goggled at her. Last time we spoke hadn't been that long ago, and she hadn't said anything about this, although she has avoided telling me things that hurt a lot before so she could process them.
"You what?" I spluttered out, "But you two were so happy!"
"Well, we were, and you know he was supposed to be taking a job Stateside soon, but at the last minute a better opportunity had come up and he took it. I told him if he wanted this to work he had to be closer, but now he's even further and will rarely get to come back here, if at all, for quite a while."
I just stared at her. I really couldn't believe it. The man had proposed to her a number of times, and I knew the only thing holding her back was their proximity. Did he expect her to wait for him? I guess.
"In any case, this was about a month ago," she was still quite composed, and I had to give her credit. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you but I was a mess and I wanted to get past the worst of it before I told people."
I looked at her thoughtfully. She had strange eyes—they were a deep blue with a faint golden ring around the pupils, which I always found fascinating.
"Well," I started carefully, "you know I trust your instincts in things like this, so I won't say anything, and I know how much him being away sucked for you. I just hope this is what you really want."
Jenn gave me a sad little smile, "It's not, really, but it's for the best. I'm 38, I'm not getting any younger, and waiting around another 3 years for a man I may not see at all in that time is just not going to happen."
She was right, of course. I had been in a long distance relationship myself in college, and the time away was just too difficult—and this had been a much less mature, less involved relationship than what Jennifer had with Steve.
I got up and pulled her into a tight hug.
"I'm really sorry, Jenn, I know how much you loved him, but I understand. This is much better than an e-hug though, isn't it?"
She laughed genuinely and squeezed my waist, "Yeah, I guess it is, isn't it?"
I yawned suddenly and reached up to cover my mouth, and mumbled into it, "Oops, I guess the drive and your wonderful cooking it doing a number on me. Maybe I should turn in for the night."
Jenn flashed me a bright smile and said, "Sure, no problem, I set up the other room for you already, and left out a towel and facecloth for you in the morning."
"Thanks, I'll see you in the morning?"
She suddenly pulled me down and pressed her soft lips warmly to my slightly stubbled cheek and hugged me tightly again and whispered, "I'm glad you're here, Jack, you really couldn't have come at a better times. Sleep well."
I smiled and turned toward the spare bedroom.
*****
Sometime in the middle of the night, I woke up, startled to the feel something strange in my bed. I almost had a panic attack before I realized that the something was warm and was breathing evenly, in the way sleeping people do. I was a pretty light sleeper and was surprised I hadn't woken up when she slipped into my bed. She was laying on her side next to me, one arm draped over my bare chest and curled up into me.
My startling as I woke up must have woken her up as well, because Jenn whispered into the dark, sounding sleepy, "I'm sorry, Jack, but I knew you wouldn't mind. I just wanted to cuddle tonight and I couldn't pass up the chance when there was a warm, friendly body in the next room."
I breathed out deeply, my heart rate going back to something like normal, and smiled even if she couldn't see me, "It's okay, Jenn. You just surprised me, is all. I'm going back to sleep, though; it's the middle of the night."
"Good night again, Jack, and thanks," and I felt her shift on the bed and lean up. I guess in the dark she missed my cheek, because those lips of hers brushed the corner of my mouth instead, but neither of us said anything as Jenn moved to rest against me.
It didn't take long to fall back asleep. Something about cuddling in bed always put me to sleep easily.
*****
My eyes fluttered open the next morning in that pleasant way a good night's sleep always encourages, but my breath hitched a little and I paused before I got to my morning stretch. I suddenly remembered that Jenn had slipped into my bed last night, but now that I thought about it, we had definitely not been in this position.
We were both on our sides in a classic spoon position, and her much smaller frame was pressed tightly backwards into mine, with my arm tucked snuggly around her body, my hand perilously close to one of Jenn's breasts.
She wriggled little in her sleep and pressed back more tightly into me, her backside pushing into my crotch and I snapped my attention to the fact that I was hard. Well, of course I was, it was morning, and I had a beautiful woman in my bed with me. Not one, but two reasons for being painfully stiff.
As I thought about my predicament, I glanced at her, looking down the top half of her body that was visible above the covers. Jenn was wearing a camisole top, and it didn't look as though she had a bra on; I could see one nipple pressing through the material. From the bottom pressed against my boxer-clad crotch, I could feel she had a pair of thin shorts or panties on. She certainly wasn't wearing much, but I wasn't terribly surprised. I knew she slept in the nude most of the time, and the relative modesty on her part was simply for my benefit when she stole into the bed last night.
Despite the situation below the covers and what was running through my head, I decided that gentlemanliness was called for here, because for one, she was just looking for a friend in a stressful time and doing anything now would be tantamount to taking advantage. For another, even if I didn't feel as though this would be taking advantage, I couldn't be sure she'd even want anything I had to give.