Daniel sat on the plane, unable to concentrate on his book or the in-flight magazine the airline supplied. He was just far too excited β or was it nervous - to think about anything but the fact that he was finally going to meet Melissa in person.
He and Melissa had met through the internet, and had been e-mail buddies for three years. They had exchanged hundreds of mails and pics over that time, and knew each other as well as any of them knew their best friends at home who they saw daily. They also knew things about each other that not even the closest of their respective close friends at home knew about them.
Daniel had always liked writing, and one day while searching the internet for new websites related to writing, he had found a site dedicated to erotic fiction. Through that website, by submitting stories to its archives and chatting to other authors and readers, he had made a few friends and contacts. None of them had had as significant an impact on his life as Melissa.
He and Melissa had just clicked when they started communicating; they had an understanding of each other that neither of them could find with anyone else, they had much in common, and they both shared their innermost thoughts, worries and fantasies with the other. In Melissa, Daniel had a friend he could turn to whenever he wanted to talk about something, anything, and be safe in the knowledge that he would get understanding and intelligent feedback. He felt that he provided the same sort of friend to Melissa.
Because erotic fiction was the theme of the website they had met through, sex, desire and fantasy took up a lot of their conversation. They shared their most secret and basic fantasies of sexual pleasure with each other, and they discussed what they liked and disliked about sexual matters. Daniel understood more about Melissa's sexual preferences and wishes, and she about his, than any of them had ever done with a real, physical, partner. None of them had ever been able to commit to a long term relationship, because none of them could find the security or satisfaction that they desired sexually. And when one of them needed to talk about a problem or worry sexually, or just share a fantasy or describe a desire or new experience that they had enjoyed, the other was always there.
Daniel and Melissa had a special bond, unlike any other two people.
Eventually, the question that they had both wanted to ask, but were afraid to, had come up in conversation. Why didn't one of them fly across the Atlantic and meet the other in person? They both saw it as a risk; each of them had trouble bonding with another person in a relationship, and both of them had someone they could talk to about anything, but by meeting and taking their friendship to a more personal level, they might risk loosing what they had through their internet relationship.
They had finally decided it was worth the risk, and Daniel had booked his flight over to America.
The whole flight had been one of nerve wracking anticipation and anxiety. Finally, he was going to meet the one girl on the planet who he had managed to get close to, trusted and felt comfortable talking to about anything.
The plane descended towards the runway, and Daniel looked down at the airport terminal building, knowing that somewhere in there, Melissa was waiting for him.
***
Melissa paced up and down in the arrivals lounge. Daniel's flight had been delayed by an hour, and in that time she had sat here getting more and more worked up about meeting him.
She was a natural worrier, and she was nervous about the potential hazards of actually meeting Daniel. What if they completely destroyed the relationship they had? But she had decided the risk was worth it, and in the deepest caverns of her imagination she wanted him to be her perfect man. She had tried to stop herself from getting too hopeful or expecting too much, but she knew herself that she had already fallen into the fantasy that Daniel was going to arrive and solve all the problems in her life, as far as finding a partner was concerned.
An hour of worry and apprehension finally ended when the doors opened and the stream of arrivals started pouring through. In the crowd she picked him out without difficulty; he had sent enough pictures of himself through the internet that she recognised him easily, and he was so tall β 6'4" β that he stood above most of the crowd anyway. He was dressed in black jeans and a grey t-shirt, and had a large bag in each hand. She knew he had saw and recognised her also; his grey eyes were fixed on her as he strode towards her, a look of mixed happiness and nervousness on his face; exactly how she was feeling inside herself. She noted happily that he was as handsome in person as he looked in digital picture.
She stood waiting for him, her arms hanging loosely at her sides. She fought down an urge to run forward and throw herself at him, greet him like a husband or boyfriend returning home, but she resisted the urge. She wasn't sure yet how things were going to go, or even how she wanted them to go.
He stopped in front of her, looked down into her eyes as they made their first close physical contact.
"Hi Melissa."
She had often tried to imagine how his voice would sound, usually as she was living through a sexual fantasy in her mind in which he featured, but it was softer, more gentle and even than she had imagined. His voice was out of balance with his appearance; he looked like a huge, powerfully built monster of a man, but he spoke with the voice of an intelligent and thoughtful man.
She restrained herself for only a heartbeat before she moved forward, closing the final two feet of distance between them, stepped close, raised her arms around his neck, and pulled herself to him. She felt his hands on her back as his arms closed round her.
"Hi Daniel," she said. "It's nice to see you at last."
"Not half as nice as it is to see you," he whispered into her ear as they stood holding each other in their first physical embrace.
His body felt as strong and solid as she had imagined it to be. Not too bulky, just tough and manly. She didn't ever want to let him go; in these arms felt like the safest and warmest place in the world.
***