Lost and Found
Chapter 20 - The Other Woman
As she stood on the train station platform, Candy glanced up at the digital display hanging from the roof to check the time. There were an assortment of other people waiting, some with suitcases and bags preparing to make their own journeys and others waiting for an arrival much like Candy was. The train was running on time and should arrive within the next couple of minutes and despite it being irrational, Candy was nervous with butterflies in her stomach as she shifted her weight from foot to foot to try and expel some of her anxious energy. She pulled out her phone to try and distract herself, there weren't any notifications to check, so she pulled up her social media and found Daniel's profile, scrolling through the numerous pictures he had posted during his trip to Japan. He'd been there for four days now and it looked like he was having the time of his life which made her smile softly. She looked through the snaps from the top of the Tokyo Sky Tree, the sumo wrestling from the Nippon Budokan and various delicious meals he had enjoyed during his time in this foreign land. One of the pictures included a steaming bowl of ramen, a bottle of local beer and the hand of a black lady, clinking glasses with her son. To many it would be an innocuous detail, but she knew the context behind it, that the woman in the picture was Shantelle and that after they had gone out for food and drinks, they'd returned to her hotel room and fucked until the early hours of the morning.
She had felt a slight pang of jealousy when her son had told her about his seduction of Luna and then his sexual antics with Shantelle, but not because of him sleeping with other women. She had encouraged him to do so, it was more the fact that right now she couldn't connect with him physically, but she knew that it was only temporary and by the sounds of it, he would return to her a more experienced man, which was ultimately what she wanted for her baby boy. It was a turn on knowing that Daniel had gone out into the world and spread his seed and she couldn't wait to see what he had learnt upon his return. Looking back up at the clock, there was only a minute left until the train's arrival and as she looked along the platform she could see its lights getting closer through the dark tunnel leading into the station as her heart pounded in her chest. The locomotive slowly came to a halt, several carriages lining the platform as Candy looked up and down as an electronic ringing rang out to indicate that the doors were opening. Candy craned her neck, trying to spot her visitor for the next few days as she put her phone back in her handbag and bounced slightly on her heels.
Finally, she laid eyes on her guest, walking over to her quickly until she was finally within arms reach. "Hi Louise," she said warmly as the young woman zipped up the front compartment of her suitcase, turning around and beaming at her best friend's mum before lunging forwards to wrap her arms around her in a big hug. Candy was a little surprised, but returned her embrace, the two women holding each other close as they sighed happily, finally getting to meet in person after so long only being able to communicate at a distance.
"Hi Candy," Louise whispered softly, "it's so good to finally meet you."
The two had stayed in touch ever since their first slightly awkward conversation, Daniel actively encouraging them to get to know one another better. "You are two of the most important women in my life, I want you guys to get on and you have a lot in common with each other" he had explained, although he could never have predicted how strong of a bond they would form. It started with the exchange of text messages before progressing to phone calls and eventually video calls where they really got to know one another. Their mutual love of books gave them something to talk about, when they weren't talking about Daniel of course, and they loved spending their time comparing notes on mutual stories they had read and giving each other recommendations. After a few weeks they had formed their own little book club, choosing a story to read and then discussing it together. It had quickly become a highlight of each of their weeks, making one of their favorite pastimes even more enjoyable now they had someone to share it with. Once Daniel's plan to travel the world had been solidified, they had come up with their own little scheme. They had decided that Louise would come to visit for a couple of weeks so that she could meet Candy and also surprise Daniel once he returned home. They'd planned it all in secret, keeping Daniel in the dark and now the big day had finally arrived.
"It's so good to meet you too sweetie," Candy replied as they loosened their embrace, holding each other's arms as they let the strange feeling of being together in person sink in. "How was your trip?" Candy asked as they turned to walk towards the ticket barriers so they could make their way outside.
"Not too bad, there was a screaming kid for most of the way here, but thankfully I managed to drown them out with my headphones," she explained, gesturing to them where they sat, wrapped around her neck. "I would kill for a coffee though!"
"Well there's a nice little cafe down the road, we could stop in there and get a drink and some cake if you want?" Candy suggested. Louise immediately agreed to the suggestion before navigating her way through the electronic ticket barriers and walking out into the sunshine, taking in her surroundings for the first time. Whenever Candy visited the station she was reminded of that day when Steve had showed up at her house, her phone call to Daniel and how he had come running to save her. The images of him pummeling her abusive ex with his fists flooded back into her mind and for a moment a look of mournful, reflective sadness flashed across her face, which was noticed by Louise.
"Are you okay Candy?" she asked in a concerned voice as she reached out to squeeze her arm soothingly. Candy quickly recovered from the negative thoughts that had flooded her mind, smiling back at the young woman by her side, grateful her son had such an empathetic friend.
"Yeah, I'm fine, just some painful memories tied to this place, you know?" she explained.
"Yeah, I do...," Louise replied before trailing off. She knew exactly what Candy was thinking about as she had heard the story from both Daniel and Candy over the past couple of months. She hated knowing that someone as kind and thoughtful and Candy had been treated so badly, but also incredibly grateful that Daniel had been able to intervene. She had always admired him as a friend, roommate and lover, she knew how good his heart was and it hadn't surprised her one bit to hear about how he had thrown himself into the midst of the problem and ultimately come out on top. "So you said this cafe has cake?" she asked as she over exaggerated licking her lips with hunger while rubbing her tummy, making Candy laugh as they set off on the short walk down the street to their destination, any negative feelings quickly dissipating into the warm summer air. As they walked, Louise interlinked her arm with Candy's and the two of them chatted away happily until they reached the cafe and made their way inside. It was a popular local spot and so there was quite a queue already snaking its way from the counter and towards the door. After a few minutes' wait they placed their orders before finding a free table and sitting down with their cups of coffee and generously sized slices of cake. Louise took a sip of her cappuccino before picking up a fork to enjoy her first bite of carrot cake, taking in the interior before speaking. "It reminds me a little of Cafe Rouge in here," she mused as she studied the decor and listened to the bustle of clinking china, steaming milk and the chatter of their fellow patrons.
"Is that a place back home?" Candy asked curiously as she held her cup in her hands, steam billowing upwards, the warmth of the drink radiating out through her palms and along her fingertips as she blew on it to help cool it down before drinking.
"Not at home no, at University," Louise explained, "me and Daniel used to go in there to revise sometimes when we needed a change of scenery. They have the best muffins in the world, I swear!"
"It sounds really nice," Candy replied before reaching out to take Louise's hand. "I'm so glad you're here," she admitted, "it's like having a little piece of Daniel here with me."
"That's so sweet!" Louise responded, "I feel the same way, like he's here with us!"
"Well, just us girls for now, so we don't have to mince our words around him at least!" Candy joked as they both giggled together. "So how did your job interview go?" Candy asked as she took her first cautious sip of java. Louise had recently applied for a role at a company in her hometown that she was really hoping that she would get. It was a pretty prestigious position with a large, long running institution, but it would come with a lot of competition and she'd told Candy how nervous she was about it during one of their regular phone calls.
"I think it went pretty well," she explained, "the guy interviewing me seemed to like me, although I'm not sure if that was because of my CV or the fact I was showing off a lot of cleavage!"
Candy laughed out loud, nearly choking on her coffee as she took a swig. "All men are the same aren't they?" she replied, "all obsessed with breasts."
"Daniel certainly is!" Louise replied cheekily, leaning forward to speak in a hushed tone, "sometimes when we were at home, he'd just lay next to me and hold them or suck on them, I think it was a bit of a fixation for him."
Candy blushed before replying, debating whether to tell her what was on her mind."He actually nursed from me once," she confessed, "it was really intimate and sweet, but very arousing too," she admitted to her far younger companion. As their relationship had grown the more they had talked, Candy and Louise had become increasingly open with each other, partially due to their shared sexual relationship with Daniel. Candy had found it a little strange at first but she couldn't deny that it was nice to have someone to confide in about their relationship, free of judgment or danger. She could hardly tell her friends she was sleeping with her son, but Louise was someone she could confide in and it was such a freeing feeling to be so open and honest after having to keep it as a secret for so long.
"That doesn't surprise me, maybe we can let him take turns some time," Louise replied, giving her right breast a squeeze and flashing Candy a cheeky wink which made her turn a deep shade of red at the very idea.
"You think he'd like that?" she replied shyly, unsure how she would feel about actually sharing her son with another person in an intimate setting.
"Who wouldn't, two gorgeous women like us?" Louise answered before noticing how flustered Candy looked. "It's okay Candy, I'm only teasing you, no need to get all embarrassed" she explained with a giggle as she took another bite of cake. The conversation moved onwards, although the thought of sharing her son with Louise continued to niggle away at the back of Candy's mind as they ate their food and finished their drinks. After leaving the cafe they enjoyed a leisurely stroll around the quiet streets of the town, stopping off at the local park to take a seat and enjoy the warm summer's day as it turned from morning into the early afternoon. "It's beautiful here," Louise commented, "so nice and peaceful, a perfect spot for reading at this time of year."
