"Why did I even think it, it was so stupid of me, I still cannot understand why I blurted it out, 'I love you,' like a silly schoolgirl"
Maria and Susan were enjoying an afternoon coffee on Susan's terrace, and Maria had enlisted her in the role of agony aunt.
"Possibly," suggested Susan tentatively, "Just possibly there may be just a tiny element of truth in what you said."
"Tiny," laughed Maria, "That's the problem, I started out with the intention of bedding a young man, any man would do, Harry was the perfect candidate, smart, fit, fairly easy to seduce and best of all, he would be gone within a few months, so no residual issues. Now I find I'm organising my day around him, I spend hours thinking about him, what we are going to do, I've even gone domestic, cooking up special meals for him for God's sake, I'm behaving like a lovesick teenager, it's no good, no good at all."
"Look Maria, stop beating yourself up over it, it's only natural, you can't commit yourself so decisively physically, without some emotional impact."
"Well I thought I could, and I suppose," Maria added ruefully as she helped herself to a slice of Susan's home made cake, "I suppose, that I've been caught out, I was only supposed to be in it for the sex."
"You're not complaining about that are you?"
"Definitely not, that has been just phenomenal; it's just that I've grown so damn fond of him."
"At least you can be pretty sure that Harry hasn't fallen for you in the same way."
"Yes, he likes me, a lot I think, but essentially, I'm pretty sure it's the sex that is the priority for Harry."
"That makes sense." agreed Susan, "From what I have observed, guys of Harry's age don't fall in love, they fall in lust. It's easy to forget that because he has done so much, but he is still only nineteen, he won't be twenty until January. A nineteen year old is too immature to follow much more than his hormones."
"Hmmm,' I don't know whether I would go that far, I hope you are right."
"Look at it like this, just the fact that you recognise that you are in a spot and could make a fool of yourself, means you are on the right track, you have good judgement, you will sort it out... and until then you should enjoy yourself."
"I know you're right," Maria acknowledged, "But knowing doesn't make it any easier, now," she changed tack decisively; "I don't want to talk about me anymore, tell me what have you been up to?"
"Not a great deal, though this morning I had an email from Alice, she has told me all about her dinner date with Joe and it is so infuriating."
"Why?"
"Because it's quite obvious he has recruited her as his ally, it's ridiculous, the blasted man has only ever met me once but he's unrelenting."
"It is flattering though."
"Maybe, maybe not, I could just do with a bit of space to do my own thing for a while."
"Anyway," said Maria "What did Alice have to tell you?"
"Apparently Joe took them to a really classy French restaurant called 'Tallgrass,' it's about twenty five miles out of Chicago at Lockport, not too far from where Alice's cousins live. He called to pick them up, Alice had asked her cousin Sarah to go with her, as she was a bit shy of going alone. Alice says Sarah was drooling from the moment she met him, and said she'll have him like a shot if I don't want him."
"Well," observed Maria "I suppose Sarah is young and impressionable like Alice."
"No she is not, she is the elder of two sisters, she is twenty six a young lawyer, she ought to know better, normally she is a really cool and classy young woman."
"Oh, I don't detect just a smidgeon of jealousy do I?"
"No you do not, so don't think that I'll rise to your bait. Anyway, one thing Alice said did surprise me, she described Joe as attractive but as she puts it, 'sort of crumpled' and then she added that he was graceful, an odd way to describe a man, but you know, that was exactly what I thought when I first met him. Sarah apparently was more direct; she said she thought he was smouldering hot."
"I think they're both right," interjected Maria.
"Well, whatever, they had a lovely meal and Joe obviously laid on a charm offensive, Alice tells me that he got both of the girls to talk about themselves and what they were doing rather than him.
"Sounds as though he earned himself a pile of brownie points."
"He certainly did," confirmed Susan with mock grimness "And it didn't end there, after a fantastic evening; Alice's description, he took them home. Alice says she gave him a kiss on the cheek and said thank you; then he took Sarah's hand kissed it, looked her as Alice puts it, 'devilishly in the eye' and said, 'If only I hadn't already met Susan,"
Maria hooted, "What a ham."
"My thoughts exactly, but of course, the two girls think he is wonderful."
"Well you must admit, he was very kind and carried it off very well."
"He must have, because I have also had an email from Sarah's mother congratulating me on 'finding such a nice young man,' and another from Sarah which was rather more 'uhhm, explicit. But it is a bit annoying."
"Why so?"
"Because now, if I say anything even faintly critical, his new and self appointed cheerleaders are going to be on his case."
"I don't think you should worry too much about it anyway," said Maria rising from her chair, "But I will have to be going now, I have one or two errands."
Susan walked the few yards with Maria to her car, "There was one thing I did not ask you."
