This is my first story I've ever published. I've been a long time reader on Literotica, and finally decided to try my hand at writing. A huge and special thanks to s0rethr0at, for your terrific editing! Another special thanks to mscherylterra for her ongoing inspiration that made me want to write. She is an amazing storyteller, so please check out her stories.
This story is slow in building toward sex, which is near the end. The focus is on music, romance, and love between two people of vastly different ages. Hope you enjoy!
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The green overhead sign said, 'Charlotte 25 mi.' My heart began to race, and the adrenaline flowed, reviving me from my 14-hour driving marathon. At last! I was so close to finally seeing face to face the woman I had adored from afar.
Even now, I could see her stunning beauty in my mind, and I glanced at my phone once again to see my favourite picture of her, that dazzling smile lighting up my world. Her picture is what kept me going through this thousand-mile journey from my town just east of Toronto, all the way down to North Carolina. Her wide generous mouth set in that warm grin, her sharp features framed by a corona of soft chestnut brown hair. And those eyes, oh my those eyes. Azure eyes, which were like the sky on a cloudless day, infinite in their brilliance. I previously had a long-standing preference for redheads and green eyes...not anymore. That combination of bright blue eyes and dark hair was now the stuff of my dreams. She was simply the most gorgeous woman in the world to me.
However, her looks were not the only reason I had fallen so deeply in love with her, not by half. It was her singing, her voice, THAT voice, which first drew me irresistibly to her. Low, rich, sultry and ethereal, her tone was simply unlike any other I'd heard before. I've heard other female singers with singular, outstanding tone and pitch control able to own any song - like Eva Cassidy (and who doesn't love Eva's voice?!). Beth's voice was in that same rarified stratosphere in my opinion. It was the most mesmerizing voice I'd ever heard in my life. And just like when Eva was alive, she was unknown outside her circle of friends, mostly in Facebook musical communities. I felt part of a small privileged group that were the beneficiaries of her unique talent.
When I first heard her, both my world and heart suddenly stopped. Who was this siren, for whom I would gladly dash my ship upon her rocky shores to hear one more note? This is what Tolkien must have thought of when he described the haunting, compelling music of the elves.
Being a fairly good musician and singer myself, as attested to by the positive feedback from the same musical communities, I felt she and I were meant to sing together. During my drive down south, I played and sang along with her songs on repeat to keep me company. I simply couldn't get enough of her enchanting voice. She was my belle chanteuse extraordinaire, my eternal songstress, my musical soulmate; the voice that transported me to worlds of serenity and brought joy to my soul.
As if that wasn't enough, Beth, from all evidence, seemed to be a genuinely nice person! Isn't that just so unfair? All her posts, how she handled the endless rave reviews and feedback from our communities with humble graciousness, her random posts so artistically capturing the natural beauty of nature about her in the city, her witty remarks, the kindness in her words, all spoke of a truly genuine, warm and wonderful human. So you see, this deadly combination of intelligence, wit, charm, huge talent and breathtaking beauty left me no choice but to fall helplessly and hopelessly in love with her.
The thing was, however, she didn't know any of this. We were a thousand miles, two countries and seemingly, a world apart. And aside from what I knew from our message exchanges, I knew relatively little about her. She was a very private person, unlike others on social media who share every trivial and inconsequential detail of their lives (no, I'm not interested in what you had for breakfast, lunch AND dinner!). Me, I'm somewhere in between.
Beth and I had exchanged correspondence through Messenger and Facebook. We seemed to have a great love for each other's music. We'd even done duets together online, much to the admiration of our musical groups. We now had quite a following, with comments suggesting we were combining two of the best voices in our FB groups. We had shared a few of our hopes and dreams regarding music, and she had opened up a little bit about her life, as had I. OK, I opened up a lot about my life.
The problem was, there was a vast difference in our ages. I was in my sixties, and she was in her early thirties. With part Asian blood, my friends constantly remarked I looked far below my age. I kept fit and had always been active. She knew I was a widower with grandkids. She, on the other hand, had said she didn't want any children as she had too many other ambitions to pursue. She was working part-time as a legal assistant after graduating with a law degree. I used to own a consulting business and had sold it recently. So, with no financial worries, I was searching for a new adventure. She was single and had recently ended a bad relationship. She was not anxious to pursue another at this time. The hurt for her was still too fresh.
So now you're probably thinking, hang on, there are such huge differences between you two. You're old enough to be her father. In any other book, you're just a dirty old man. Are you certifiable, or just all kinds of stupid? Yeah, well, who said love was logical, or even fucking reasonable? The heart goes where it will, and mine was pulling me down south.
I felt we had become good friends and I had a sense that we were becoming more than that. She and I had dropped subtle hints about how much we liked each other. I could sense her moods in the way she phrased her words. She reciprocated that sense with an uncanny intuition. Still, we kept things strictly at a platonic level, constantly supporting each other in all that we did, yet skirting the edge of going any further.
Knowing her reticence to start any relationship, especially with a much older man, I in no way wanted to ruin things by telling her how I truly felt. I was scared to death that any overtures hinting of my love might send her running for the hills. That'd be too catastrophic for me to handle.
So, why was I doing this potentially incredibly foolish thing by driving down to see Beth? Lately, I had sensed a mood change in her, with her seeming to become more sombre, perhaps even a bit sad, which was a stark departure from her normally sunny disposition. She wouldn't disclose what was bothering her, despite my probing, so I decided to drive down and surprise her and perhaps turn her mood around.
Besides, I now had all the time in the world to pursue foolish passions. I had my guitar with me. I had thought we could play at some open mics...music might bring her around, as it had before. Naturally, I had my selfish reasons -- this could be my excuse to finally meet the woman of my dreams in person and at least solidify our friendship. With such noble intent in mind, what could go wrong?
Well, I may be all kinds of stupid, but I ain't naive. I had put some thought into this venture and tried to prepare myself for the worse. What if she wasn't the person she projected to be online? What if she was just flirting with me, knowing she'd be safe with the border and distance between us? Did she like me as much as I wanted to think, or was it pure ego on my part? Did she just regard me as a father figure, and the concept of romantic love would be repulsive to her? How would she react to my sudden, unannounced appearance? Yeah, I knew I was taking a huge chance with so many unknowns, but I figured no game, no victory.
So that's why my heart was pounding so hard when I saw that sign that I was almost at my destination. I was excited as hell and nervous as fuck. And it seemed to ratchet up the closer I got to Charlotte. Shit, were they going to find me in a ditch somewhere, dead of a massive coronary? Pull it together Joel, don't let that be your ignominious end!
Slowly, inexorably, Google Maps led me through Charlotte city traffic to where I knew she lived and worked. Close by was the outdoor courtyard cafe where she'd usually liked to meet up with a friend or two for lunch. I was hedging my bets that she was meeting her best friend April to talk about whatever was bothering her.
That's why I had driven almost non-stop since 9:00 the night before: I wanted to time it perfectly. I pulled into a small parking lot near the courtyard. I hauled my guitar out and throwing my gig bag around my shoulders I strolled into the courtyard looking every bit like a street musician about to do some busking. I began looking around for Beth, moving toward the cafe's outdoor entrance to their patio. Still looking about me, I was somewhat taken aback when the cafe hostess--"Mandy" said the name tag, "Pleased to seat you!"-- said to me politely:
"I'm sorry, sir, but you need to be scheduled and have a permit to play, and I'm afraid I've never seen you before."
Laughing, I assured her that I was just meeting a friend and had no intention of playing. I was about to make a witty remark about coming down from Canada to seek my fame and fortune in the US when I looked over Mandy's shoulder and my snappy retort died on my lips. There she was, my Beth, the woman I adored; the unaware keeper of my heart, in animated conversation. She was looking somewhat sad, yet far more devastatingly lovely than her pictures or music videos ever showed. Mandy turned around and said to me:
"Ah, I see you found your friend...is it Beth, or April, or both?"
"Uh...Beth." I managed to mumble.
Seeing that glazed and now somewhat terrified look in my eyes, Mandy asked softly: "Would you like me to take you to their table?" while subtly grabbing a menu.
I managed to mumble equally intelligibly, "Uh...sure, that is um, er...yes please."
With a knowing smile --how do women always manage to know these things?-- she led the way. I hid behind her; my resolve to appear confident now evaporated like a drop of water in the sun.
Mandy stopped at their table and said brightly:
"Hi Beth, there's someone here looking for you."
I stepped out from behind Mandy and managed to blurt out the greeting I had rehearsed endlessly in my mind:
"Hi, I'm looking for a Ms H.t. South? (H.t. South was her FB handle). I believe she needs some cheering up, so I thought I'd bring some music to her."
Beth's blue eyes flew open in shock as recognition sank in:
"Joel? Is that you? Oh my God, what are you doing here? How? Why?"
