As he approached the quaint old beachfront cottage, he saw the soft glow of candles through the parlor window. He smiled, knowing she was probably lying on the big overstuffed sofa, reading or napping while listening to her favorite music.
He quietly opened the front door and walked in, locking the door behind him. As he expected, in the glow of the candlelight he could see her lying on the big sofa. He slipped off his shoes and walked quietly to her side. As she lay there in his old extra large tee shirt and the red “Virgin Atlantic” shorts he had brought her from London, it was hard to image the passion she possessed.
He quietly sat down on the floor beside the sofa. She had the music down so low that he could still hear her soft breathing and the muffled sound of the distant waves crashing to the shore. He would never forget the first time they met. She was a bright, cocky young college grad out to conquer the world, her way. He was an older, married man, with whom she seemed intrigued. In the beginning the relationship was purely platonic. They were friends, nothing more, nothing less. Over time, both realized there was an unexplainable chemistry between them. He told her there was no future with him. He was married. Yes, there could be friendship, but she had so much life to live... and such a future before her. He wanted her to attack life...to give it her all...to make a difference, without apology to anyone.
In time the relationship had become intimate. He tried to rationalize it as “another step” in a wonderful friendship...a giving of themselves...a caring. Jokingly, she had rationalized it as an experiment to see if his body gave her as much pleasure as his mind. He knew that by society’s standards it was wrong, but the evening they crossed the line, society’s standards were not at the top of their list of priorities. Now, as he sat on the floor watching her sleep, he thought he could simply sit and watch her for hours. To him she was a very special person, and if the physical part of the relationship ended tomorrow, she would still be Jennifer...the wonderful younger woman with so much future before her.
She slowly opened her eyes, adjusting to the warm glow. At first she seemed disoriented, and then she looked at him and smiled. “How long have you been here?’ she whispered.
“Oh, just a few minutes.” he spoke softly as he reached out and started lightly tracing the features of her angelic face with his fingers.
“Mmm, that feels so good. I think I dreamed about you.” She whispered.
He smiled, “Really? Hope it was a good one.”
She giggled, “I don’t think I’d better tell you about it.”
“Oh, let me guess.” He thought for a moment, and then whispered, “Mmm, you dreamed you had stretched out on the sofa and drifted off to sleep while reading. Then you dreamed that you woke up and I was sitting on the floor beside the sofa, tracing the outline of your face with my fingers.”
