Love Around the World 24: Xanthi

A/N - Though this is primarily a mature-themed story, I was contemplating making this a story that would have to be submitted in the anal category. However, as it won't just be about that, it's more about a mature romance, there will be some anal sex towards the end of this story. Just a warning for those who don't like butt stuff between a man and a woman.

Previous stories in this series:

Love Around the World - Andorra (Mature)

Love Around the World - Bangkok, Thailand (Interracial)

Love Around the World - Colombia (Transgender)

Love Around the World - Dresden, Germany (Romance)

Love Around the World - Estonia (Group Sex)

Love Around the World - France (Anal)

Love Around the World - Guangzhou, China (Interracial)

Love Around the World - Hungary (Incest)

Love Around the World - India (Interracial)

Love Around the World - Japan (Mature)

Love Around the World - København, Denmark (Transgender)

Love Around the World - London, England (Transgender)

Love Around the World - Montenegro (Mature)

Love Around the World - Nepal (Romance)

Love Around the World - Oviedo, Spain (Incest)

Love Around the World - Phnom Penh, Cambodia (Incest)

Love Around the World - Quezon City, Philippines (Transgender)

Love Around the World - Reykjavik, Iceland (Incest)

Love Around the World - Sri Lanka (Interracial)

Love Around the World - Tromsø, Norway (Mature)

Love Around the World - Uruguay (Transgender)

Love Around the World - Vietnam (Interracial)

Love Around the World - Wroclaw, Poland (Incest)

Australian / British standard English. There is a good chance of reading the following: lots of profanity, characters drinking, typos, and bad grammar at times.

Proofreading and editing suggestions provided by OhDave1. Any mistakes are still mine.

Comments are appreciated as always.

Feedback by email is always welcome. Enjoy chatting with anyone who likes my work.

*****

A man reunites with his best friend's mother.

*****

I met Mike during our first day in high school. I was attending a high school where I knew I'd know very few students as during the summer my mother and father had split up, my mother chose to leave the house as it was only a rental, finding a nice place for herself, my older and younger sister, and then me. It was a few suburbs away from where we'd spent our lives growing up, so I knew I'd probably lose contact with most of the friends I'd made, even in the current day and age of the internet and smartphones.

Mike wasn't in quite the same boat. He actually ended up living only four streets away from the place I called home, but he had attended an entirely different primary school to nearly everyone else in the area. I guess it was only natural that two kids feeling rather alone on their first day at a new school would gravitate towards each other. It was rather nice that we quickly ended up the best of friends.

We didn't share completely the same interests though that would always prove to a be good thing. Regarding sport, I was a rugby league man through and through. Mike was of Greek heritage, his grandparents on both the paternal and maternal sides having immigrated to Australia, so his interest was soccer. At least we shared a love of cricket during the summer. Though his love was soccer, he ended up joining the same junior rugby league team I played for within a couple of months of our friendship starting, and as we developed during our teenage years, he did grow to love playing the game, at least.

He was a regular visitor to my home, often enough that Mum called him her second son. But Mum adored Mike as she knew we were already as close as brothers. As for his mother...

Her name was Daphne. She'd been a young mother having been knocked up by her now husband while she was still at high school. He... wasn't... She had that wonderful olive skin seen across the Mediterranean. She was a rather petite woman, barely around five-two at best, and by the time of my major growth spurt at seventeen, she was nearly a foot shorter than me. Gorgeous brunette hair that she kept long. The surprise was a pair of blue eyes that positively sparkled with mischief as she loved teasing her son and his best friend. There was no missing the tight little body on display, always wearing tight t-shirts and blouses, and if she wore a dress or a skirt, it was always short enough to show off her lovely legs.

I'm sure she knew I nursed a massive crush on her though it was never inappropriate growing up. Whenever I was a visitor, she was constantly asking if I was hungry or thirsty. Whenever I would leave, she would give me a hug and it was something I genuinely looked forward to. She was always smiling, at least when her son and I were around.

As for her husband, I learned very early on that he was a massive dickhead. Thought he was God's gift to women and the human race. I heard Daphne almost crying more than once to friends and family, Mike muttering that he knew his father was likely having affairs, and left wondering why his mother didn't just leave. But given his mother was a housewife, he figured she was just stuck.

When I hit eighteen and graduated high school, Daphne was as proud of me as she was of her own son. My mother was now firm friends with Daphne, and the two mothers doted on their sons something fierce. Even my sisters adopted Mike as a surrogate brother. I knew my younger sister nursed her own little crush on him, something I would jokingly threaten him over.

Being eighteen and now an adult, six-two, rather broad and strong from playing sports continuously and a regular gym goer, I also thought I had a good heart. And over the years, I'd seen Daphne wilting before my eyes. I know Mike saw it too, but he was afraid of his father. Mike didn't have my size or strength, being a few inches shorter and lacking the muscle mass I'd managed to develop. His father was a big guy. Not through height or strength, he was just big. And he used his size to intimidate both his mother and her son.

Walking into Mike's house one afternoon, I didn't even knock as Daphne had long told me that I could come and go as I pleased. I had a key to his home; he had a key to my home. Hell, I often joked that Mum would probably like him to come and visit when I wasn't there. When he asked if I was serious, I said my mother was lonely, and though it was weird, I knew my mother loved him like a son.

Hearing Daphne crying broke my heart. It was a sound I'd heard once too often. I found her in her bedroom, a sanctuary I'd never ventured into before. Knocking on the door, I heard her sniffling before calling me in, probably thinking it was Mike. When she saw it was me, she fell apart completely.

"Oh Mark!" she wailed as I immediately sat her up so I could hold her to my chest, "Why does he do this to me?" she sobbed.

I could have asked what he'd done but there was no point. Everyone knew what he was doing behind her back by now. "What happened?" I asked softly, caressing the back of her head, feeling her snuggle into me.

"One of his lovers turned up on my doorstep and told me she was pregnant with his child!"

I knew that would be the reason to break her heart into pieces. She'd desperately wanted another child, particularly a daughter, but he'd always denied her. She was on the pill, but from the little I knew about their love life, he never made love without a condom. I'd heard more than one drunken conversation with my mother about how Daphne hated it. Then again, I think by this time it was clear she had no love left for her husband anyway.

"I'm sorry, Daphne," I whispered, moving my hand to caress her cheek, her blue eyes usually so full of life and love showing a shattered soul instead, "Does Mike know?"

"No-one knows yet. It only happened an hour ago. At least she was apologetic. She had no idea he was married until he told her. She found our address and wanted to do the right thing."

"What's she going to do?"

"Keep it and then go after the bastard for child support."

"And what will you do?"

"I can't live like this anymore, Mark. I don't think he's ever loved me. He knocked me up when I was still at high school, and only married me because he's ten years older than I am and knew he'd be up shit creek with a lot of people if he didn't. But he's never treated me kindly..."

"You could come live with us?"

Thankfully, that made her chuckle as she leaned back, lifting a hand to wipe her cheeks dry of her tears. "I think you'd like having me around all the time," she teased.

"Well, I didn't exactly suggest where you'd sleep..."

"I love living here, Mark, but I'm going home..."

"What do you mean?"

"Because my father was born in Greece before he came here as an infant with his parents, I can easily get a Greek passport. I'm going back to Greece."

"Why? And what about Mike?"

"Mike's his own man nowadays. He doesn't need his mother. Anyway, he has your mother." She gave me a look as I'm sure I looked confused. "Not like that, Mark. I just mean that I've always treated you like one of my own, and she's always done that with my son."

"Are you sure, Daphne?"

"I'm pretty certain that I've just had enough. I've been in an unhappy marriage for half of my life. I want to make a new start somewhere, and I think I can do that in Greece."

Taking her soft hands in mine, she smiled at me as I whispered, "I don't want you to go."

She surprised me by leaning up and leaving a soft kiss on my lips. She'd never done that before. Lots of kisses on the cheek and an endless number of cuddles. Never a kiss on the lips. Even my mother had stopped doing that. "I know you have a little crush on me, Mark..."

"It's not little, Daphne... I know many people would write it off as some boyhood..."

"I know it isn't. But I'm a married woman, still a married woman, and you are a young man who hasn't lived his life yet." She then poked my chest. "Don't be stupid and knock up a girl at your age."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good boy," she said with a smile before she got to her feet and cuddled me, "I'm not leaving just yet, Mark. But I'm certain it's the right thing for me to do."

Mike wasn't all that surprised to hear about the fact another woman was pregnant with his father's child, that his mother had enough and was thinking about moving to Greece. He'd been there once with his parents and knew his mother had fallen in love with the place. When asking where she might go, he seemed to have a good idea.

"Her entire side of the family comes from a place called Xanthi. She might move there for a while, but I remember she absolutely fell in love with the islands. She might start rebuilding her life in Xanthi before moving to live on one of the islands. I know she'd love to own a little café or something, catering to both locals and tourists. She won't live on one of the big, busy islands if she chooses to pursue that dream."

Within a week, I had Mike calling me to come and help. Arriving at his front door, I heard shouting from inside, walking in to find his father yelling as Daphne cowered on the couch nearby, Mike bravely standing between them though I could see the fear in his face, his fists clenched at his side. The only reason I didn't walk over and put my first through his father's face was that I didn't want to face the assault charge that would likely follow. He did shut up when seeing my glare in his direction and wisely backed up when I walked towards him.

Offering my hand, I felt Daphne's shaking as she stood up and moved behind me.

"Next time, I will knock you the fuck out," I warned him, "Don't care where. Don't care when. You ever threaten her again, raise your hands, raise your voice, do anything to scare her, so help me God, I will happily do the jail term after I put you in the fucking ground. You understand me?"

It amused me that a man nearly three decades my senior almost cowered in fear. "Mark?" Mike asked.

"Take your mother to her bedroom, get her to pack a bag of things for a few nights. She can come stay with us for a while to sort things out."

"Okay. Mum?"

"Are you sure, Mark?" Daphne asked.

I didn't avert my eyes from her husband. "I'm sure, Daphne. Mum wouldn't hear of you remaining here after this."

"Come on, Mum. Let's get this sorted out. Dad... I will stay here for the time being, but you'd better sort your fucking shit out. You got another fucking woman pregnant, for fuck sakes!"

I walked forward until his father's legs hit the front of his armchair and he fell onto it. Looming over him, he knew if it came to blows, I'd beat the absolute shit out of him. "Come near her again before she makes first contact, and I'll be back. You understand me?"

"You're not so tough."

I leaned down and slapped him. The shock on his face nearly made me laugh. "Consider that a sign of my respect. You're not worthy of a fist. Only cowards abuse women in such a manner. She's your wife. I would suggest you treat her like a woman you love, but I think it's obvious you don't love her."

He looked ready to say more than one thing on his mind but wisely kept his mouth shut. Daphne returned with Mike a couple of minutes later, taking her gently by the hand as Mike walked towards his father. "I've got a handle on this now, Mark. You take Mum back to yours."

Turning up with Daphne by my side didn't surprise my mother at all. The two women shared a long hug before Mum hugged me for helping her out. "She can go in my room, Mum," I said, "I'll sleep on the couch."

"No, I can't," Daphne started to say.

"You can because you should get a good night's sleep. Then I think you need to make a few phone calls in the morning. Talk to your parents. Talk to a lawyer about getting a divorce. And if you were serious about your plans, it might be time to start taking steps to it happening."

I was getting ready to sleep on the couch later that evening when Daphne appeared wearing a little vest top and what I'd call girl shorts that left little to the imagination. Without a word, she walked towards me and took my hand, leading me back to my bedroom. Closing the door behind us, she led me towards the bed and had me sit down on the edge, perching herself next to me.

"I'm not having you sleeping uncomfortably for the next few nights," she said softly, her hand still holding mine, "We're adults and we can share a bed."

"You are married..."

That made her snort. "Please. We've been married in name only for years now. He's been cheating on me from the very beginning. He thinks I never knew but I had friends who kept me in the loop. As long as I had Mike, and then you came along later, I was okay to keep on chugging along. Now that Mike is an adult and very much his own man..." She took a deep breath. "I'm definitely getting a divorce. My parents have been kept in the loop for ages. They thought I should have left a long time ago. They're going to give me enough money to fly over to Greece and restart my life."

"When are you looking to fly out?"

"I'll go see a travel agent next week and look at my options." She leaned over and kissed my cheek. "I might stay here until I fly out. What you did for me tonight, Mark..."

"I've never really liked him."

"I don't particularly like him either. I certainly don't love him anymore."

Sliding into bed together would be something I would have thought of as a fantasy coming true, but I was wise enough to understand the situation as it was. But when she snuggled into me after I switched off the bedside lamp, and I heard her sniffling more than once, I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her into my chest, stroking her back as I felt her slowly calm down.

"I'm sorry, Daphne. I really am," I whispered.

"The only things I will be sorry about is leaving my son behind, and leaving you behind," she whispered back, "I've watched you grow into one hell of a handsome young man, Mark."

"Thanks. If I may be so bold, you're still an absolutely beautiful woman, Daphne."

She sniffed again, feeling her snuggle tighter against my chest. "Thank you, Mark."

Daphne stayed with us for three weeks. Mum knew that I was sleeping with her every night. I thought she would have warned me off. Instead, she stopped me one morning before she left for work, gave me a hug, and said I was doing something wonderful for a woman clearly feeling very alone in the world. My older sister was also supportive. Mike spent more and more time at my place. I don't think he knew about the sleeping arrangements, and I think even if he did, he wouldn't have said a word. He knew I wouldn't take advantage of the situation.

Three weeks after she arrived at my home on my arm, I was at the airport with Mike and my mother as she was boarding a flight to Greece via Dubai. After hugging my mother tightly, both women cried as Daphne thanked her for her friendship, she hugged her son tightly, stating a few things in Greek that neither me nor my mother understood. To my surprise, she then took my hand and led me a few paces away.

"I need to ask a couple of things of you, Mark. First, please keep looking after Mike. He's an adult now, but you're his big brother. I know how much you love each other. Look after him for me."

"Of course."

"Second... Are you still planning on travelling to Europe when you finish university?"

"Yeah, I hope so."

"If you do, please look me up if you come to Greece. I'd love to see you again."

"Daphne, now that I know you're there, I'm definitely coming to Greece."

Resting a hand on my chest, she leaned up and kissed me softly, and when I kissed her back, she couldn't help smiling at me. "I'm going to miss you so much... I'll do my best to keep in touch with you and your family. Your mother will always be welcome to come and visit too."

"You'll be okay?"

"I'm going to be just fine. I'm going to do exactly what I want to do once I'm settled." She took a deep breath and kissed me again, and I think we were both blushing when she lowered herself down. "I hope to see you again in a couple of years, Mark."

It was the last time I would see Daphne for three years.

*****

A few years later...

Mike travelled to Greece once a year to visit his mother. To my surprise, his father would buy him a return ticket to Athens and give him more than enough spending money for him to get to Xanthi. I think he did end up feeling guilty about what happened though I knew Mike constantly reminded him about what he did.

From what he told me, Daphne only spent six months in Xanthi before moving to one of the smaller and quieter Greek Islands. An island called Naxos. Enough tourists to keep her little café chugging along, but it wasn't ridiculously busy, so prices remained reasonable, and she ended up in one of those gorgeous white houses on the hillside that you see on postcards.

Graduating from university, I had always intended on going travelling before I started to work. My grandparents had given my older sister a lump sum of cash when she'd graduated from university. There was no restriction on what we could use the money for. University was 'free' in Australia as we would pay it off through taxes once we started full-time employment.

Our grandparents had been putting the money away since the day we'd been born. On the night I graduated, my grandfather pulled out his phone and showed me the total that I had waiting for me. Six figures. Feeling my jaw drop, my grandmother hugged me tightly, kissed me on the cheek, and said they were aware of my ambitions to go travelling, so if I spent every single cent travelling, at least it was used to do something I loved.