**This story was written for my fiancΓ© for his birthday while I'm in the Peace Corps in West Africa and he's in the states all alone and horny **
The first thing she notices is that his hair is longer than it had been when she'd said good-bye in the airport all those months ago. Half a year has brought his dark curls nearly to his shoulders and he has regained that sexy push back gesture she remembers from high school. She kisses him there softly in the Cotonou airport, wishes him a happy birthday and welcomes him to Africa with an almost chaste embrace, conscious that the modesty of Benin and her racing heart do not make good company. He pulls back with that sexy half smile, thinking she is just being shy and she lets him have that thought, not bothering to try to explain it now in the insane noise and smog of the inefficient airport. There will be plenty of time to discuss the cultural inappropriateness of public displays of affection; she is sure she'll have to remind him many times during his two week stay in her little Peace Corps issued house in the North of the country.
The long bus ride is an exquisite torture; his hand rests discretely just above her knee, possessive in a way that makes her dizzy with desire in the barely air conditioned bus. The other passengers pretend not to see the way she licks her lips and watches him as he slowly caresses her thigh through her long skirt. She shoots him a warning glance when his fingers move too far up for polite company and he rolls his eyes with a smile and moves his hand away from her. A small sound of protest escapes from her lips, but he doesn't hear over the sound of the wind rushing by through the African countryside.
It is only the mid afternoon, but he is jet-lagged and exhausted, so when they arrive at her house she has him shower and take a nap before dinner. He makes a big deal out of it, but she can tell he is grateful. When she looks in on him a little while later, he is sprawled out on her double bed, naked under the mosquito net. She tucks in the net quietly and turns on the fan. He murmurs something and rolls over and she smiles, a burst of unbridled happiness surging through her. It has been too long.
She is standing over the stovetop, the tofu and vegetables warming and is contemplating the various oils on the shelf when she feels him slide up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his face against her neck. He kisses her softly and she makes a tiny sound of pleasure. She can feel that he is still naked from the waist up, but that he's pulled on a pair of clean slacks from his suitcase.
"Did you sleep well?" She asks, selecting the peanut oil.
"Mmmmhmmm," His lips graze over her shoulder blade and she finds it difficult to concentrate on the stir-fry in front of her. There is only a little bit of peanut oil left; she will need to buy more in order to cook next time. She empties the bottle into the pan and the sizzling brings his attention to her work.
"Nice work, my sexy woman," he says with a smile, and then reaches up and pulls down a different bottle of oil from the shelf.
"What is this?"
"That is palm oil," She answers, taking the bottle from him and putting it back next to the empty bottle of peanut oil. "It has way too much saturated fat to use."
"Why do you have it then?" He asks, taking the spatula from her and giving the tofu a stir in the crackling oil.
"Well, it tastes good and I always said that when I was thin enough I might use it to make some traditional Beninese foods."
"How thin would be thin enough? You've already lost some weight since the last time I saw you."
Her face flushes with pleasure, glad he has noticed, but embarrassed for some reason about the palm oil. She doesn't know why she keeps it around; she bought it on a weak impulse, wanted something dangerously decadent but has never had the guts to actually use it with anything.
"Maybe before you leave, we can try it out." She says, meaning that there was no possible way they'll be having something so bad. She takes back the spatula and continues frying the vegetables. She adds some soy sauce and more tofu and checks on the boiling rice. He leans against the counter and watches her cook.
"You look so domestic."