The doorbell rang. Excusing herself from her guest, Julie rose to answer the door. She was a little perplexed. She rarely got unannounced visitors, and now she had two. It was a cold and rainy night, and Julie couldn't imagine who would be knocking on her door. When she opened it, she got a shock.
"Hello." The man before her said.
"Tom!" Julie exclaimed as she wrapped my arms around him. "Come in!"
She led Tom into the living room, where her first guest, Paul, sat on the couch.
"Tom, this is Paul. Paul, this is Tom. Paul and I were about ready to have a drink. Would you care to join us?"
"Of course," Tom replied, "I'll have whatever you're having."
As she went into the kitchen to make the drinks, Julie heard the two talking.
"So where do you know Julie?" Tom asked.
"She was a teacher of mine in high school. I graduated six years ago and we've kept in touch. I'm finishing up grad school and wondering what to do next, so I thought I'd stop by and ask her opinion."
"She has a few of those," Tom quipped.
"She certainly does. What about you?"
"Julie and I know each other from high school."
"And?"
"And what?"
"Well, something in her demeanor changed when she saw you at the door. You two must have some sort of past."
"We dated. On and off through high school and college. How we kept up as friends, I don't know. But we've been good friends for a long time now."
Before Paul could probe further, Julie reappeared, drinks in hand. The three exchanged pleasantries before the subject of dinner came up. Julie volunteered to make something and disappeared once more into the kitchen. The alcohol had loosened tongues a bit, and Paul wanted to know more about the relationship between Julie and Tom.
"So define good friends."
"What?" Tom asked, completely off guard.
"You said you and Julie are good friends. What does that mean?"
"We've known each other a long time. We dated... there is some shared intimacy when you date someone, regardless of how long ago."
"What intimacy?"
"Why all the questions?"
"I just want to know."
A curious epiphany occurred to Tom.
"You like Julie."
Paul blushed and stammered a little bit.
"I've had a crush on that woman since I first met her." The words escaped Paul's mouth in a rush before he could stop it. "She's beautiful."
"Is pasta all right with everyone?" Julie interrupted the conversation.
Seeing nods of assent, Julie continued.
"Since I wasn't exactly expecting company, I would like to freshen up a bit. If you guys don't mind making sure the house doesn't burn down..."
"Go ahead," Tom said, "We'll keep an eye on the food."
Tom watched as Paul's eyes didn't leave Julie's body until she had disappeared from view.
"You have no idea how beautiful she can be." Tom said.
"I just want her. I've never wanted anyone like this. Every time I see her, she takes my breath away. I don't get it."
"No matter what relationship I'm in, she does the same thing to me." Tom voice was sympathetic, "I never stopped loving her."
It was Tom's turn to be amazed at what had come out of his mouth. He took a quick gulp of his drink and the two sat in silence.
Julie, for her part, had been eavesdropping as best she could. She turned the shower on and waited for steam to develop. As she took her clothes off, Julie's mind mulled over what she had been hearing. She was incredibly aroused by the conversation. Secretly, she had been ecstatic when Paul had shown up. His interest in her was not unrequited. Julie had always found him attractive, and now that he was an appropriate distance from high school age, she had begun fantasizing about him. Tonight had been an opportunity. Then Tom had shown up. Julie stepped into the hot stream of water as her thoughts mulled over Tom. They had had an interesting relationship over the years. They had lost their virginity together and since then, had sought each other out when they needed familiar company. Just a casual touch from him would melt any defenses she had. Alone with him, she stood a chance at an amazing night of passion. Julie felt a familiar tingling sensation spreading throughout her body. Of course, with Paul here, it would be difficult to give into Tom.
"What the hell," she thought. "I'll just have a little too much to drink and see what happens."
Upon hearing the water, Paul's mind immediately tried to picture Julie, naked, with steaming water running down her body. He let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and tried to calm himself down. She had been his fantasy in high school... while not drop dead gorgeous; she had a girl-next-door quality to her. And she was incredibly smart. Paul loved talking to her. And looking at her. A casual hug was enough to send chills down his spine. He wanted to run his hands through her hair, to kiss her. His breathing quickened as the thoughts ran, unchecked in his mind. That had been his plan, to come here and try. Then Tom had shown up.
After Julie disappeared from view, Tom went into the kitchen to check on the food. It was a poor excuse, even in his head, since boiling water wasn't exactly a mind bender. His thoughts were racing as quickly as anyone's. What he had said was true. He did love Julie. He always had. Tom was here to find comfort in her presence, to take her into his arms and lose himself in her. Paul was an unexpected snag. Paul was obviously infatuated with Julie. Tom kept thinking about all the options. He so rarely got to see Julie, much less to spend time with her. He might have to enjoy this night with Julie with an audience.
..................
The alcohol flowed as the night wore on. Dinner sat, half eaten, on the table. The three reminisced about earlier times, Tom and Paul swapping stories they knew about Julie. It was Paul who brought up playing a game.
"What shall we play?" Julie asked.
"Poker?" Paul suggested.
"I'm no good at poker," Julie said.
"Strip poker it is." Tom said.
"No!!" Julie protested.
"Since we've been talking about high school and fun times, let's play Truth or dare." Tom said.
"Sure," Julie purred as she poured another round of drinks and curled up on the floor, her back against Tom's legs. "Who goes first?"
"Paul, truth or dare?" Tom asked.
"Truth."
"Who is your ultimate fantasy?"
Paul gave Tom a look. Paul had a feeling what Tom might be driving at.
"The fairy godmother from Shrek 2." Julie piped up, "He thinks she has beautiful breasts. To this day I can't watch that movie without thinking about his perverted self."
They all lapsed into giggles.
"So seriously, who is it?" Julie asked.
"You my dear," Tom said, gently shaking her shoulders.
"Hey!" Paul said, "That's not true!"