It had been nearly 30 years since I last saw Beth, that's a lie to be honest, I did see her once, whilst out shopping, she was in the company of a very much older looking man. I knew that she wanted to pursue a career in nursing, so I assumed that he must have been a patient. That one quick glance of her brought back memories, mostly good, but reminded me of the nightmare ending of our relationship.
We first met when she had just turned 18, the only child of a rugby playing, lay preacher and her equally formidable mother. I don't know why? But they took an instant dislike to me. I think it was because, I was a non believer, I had no interest in religion of any kind. Don't get me wrong, I respect other peoples beliefs, but it's not for me. Our relationship began as plutonic, going to the cinema, taking walks along the beach, then it progressed to holding hands, from there to cuddling, whilst watching the film and eventually our first kiss. That moment is etched in my memory for eternity, played out everyday in my mind, in slow motion. She sat next to me, huddled close, my arm resting gently around her, on the screen, the actress whispered,
"Kiss me."
Beth looked at me, I looked at her, she raised her head, I lowered mine, her eyes started to close, her lips began to open, our heads edged closer, I could feel her breath, saw the tip of her tongue jut out slightly between her teeth, then the magic happened, my lips met hers, gently at first, barely touching, electricity flowed, months of passion unleashed, her tongue danced with mine, mine with hers. In the darkness of the cinema, our mouths melted together. A fusion of desire, both hungry, both desperate for release, saliva mixed as we continued the mutual assault on each other, She grabbed my head, I ran my fingers through her hair. For many minutes we continued the duel of our tongues, me sucking hers, hers stabbing mine.
The dynamics of our relationship had changed immensely, I moved my hand to her breast, but she pushed it away,
"No. Stop." She said.
I was so close, yet so far away, I wanted more, but I knew I had to let her take the lead.
Week after week went by, our kisses and cuddles became more intense, but still she resisted any attempt I made to touch her. She allowed me to put my hand on her knee, but no further, anything else was truly off limits. I was beginning to doubt there was any future in this relationship.
Then out of the blue, Beth whispered in my ear, one evening in the cinema
"Make love to me."
I looked at her in a state of shock, did I just hear her correctly,
"Say that again?" I asked.
As if to emphasise the point, she undid two buttons of her blouse and placed my hand inside, on top of her cotton covered breast,
"Make love to me." She repeated
She moaned slightly, as I traced the outline of her nipple with my finger tip.
"When?" I asked.
"Come to my house next Saturday, my parents are away." She answered.
The week dragged by, I found it hard to concentrate in work and even considered taking some sick leave, sleep on Friday night was impossible, I tossed and turned, looking at the clock, watching the minutes tick by. I finally rose, showered and headed over to Beth's, stopping at the chemists to purchase some condoms.
I scanned the area, the driveway was empty, so I knocked gently upon her door. A bleary eyed Beth answered it,
"Trouble sleeping?" I asked.
She just nodded,
"Me Too." I informed her.