The Icebreaker

As he looks deep into her eyes his fingertips move across her cheekbone then down the side of her face to her jaw. He moves his hand along her jaw, across her ear and then runs his fingertips through her thick auburn hair. Her head is spinning, reeling with emotion and excitement. As she struggles to quiet her mind she suddenly feels tears forming on the inside corners of her eyes. She bows her head in an attempt to hide her emotions from him, she doesn’t want him to see her crying. But he knows her all to well, he doesn’t have to see the tears to know exactly what is happening, her silence and body tells him all he needs to know. “Oh baby, I’m so sorry if I’ve upset you by telling you I love you but I couldn’t hold it in. Even after all these years the moment I saw you standing in the doorway all I could think of was how beautiful you are and how much I love you.” As he holds her face between his hands he gently kisses her forehead. She lifts her head and looks into the beautiful brown eyes smiling at her, he uses his thumbs to gently remove the tears slowly sliding down her face and then leans over and kisses away the new tears beginning to form. Again, her mind is screaming, “I love you too, I always have,” but she just can’t seem to find the courage to tell him. “I’m sorry, I don’t know why I’m crying, nervousness I guess,” she tells him as she tries her best to get her emotions back under control, ”I’m so glad you’re here, for a minute there I thought maybe you changed your mind and decided not to come.” As she sits next to him she tries to discreetly review him, she suddenly feels quite shy as if they were again young teenagers getting to know each other.  ”I was thinking the same thing as I sat here waiting but I’m so glad that we’re here together, finally,” he replies. They sit quietly for a moment looking each other over, the reality of the moment finally sinking in for both of them. “I hope you didn’t mind the change of plans, I know we had discussed meeting at your house but I thought it might be safer for both of us if we met somewhere in public. I must admit that even though we’ve spent a great deal of time talking over the past few months I’m still not quite sure what we’re doing or where we’re headed,” she explains. “We both know,” he replies, “that we couldn’t be sure exactly how we feel about each other, or our situation, until we were able to see each other and talk face to face. But I must admit that as soon as I saw you, as soon as you smiled at me and I was finally able to be close to you and touch you all of the doubt and uneasiness and fear disappeared, I have always loved you and I always will. If you don’t mind let’s continue this at that quiet little table over there in the corner where we can have some privacy.” As they gather up their belongings and order two more drinks the bartender asks, “so how long have you two been married?” “We’re not married, in fact this is the first time we’ve seen each other in over 25 years,” Jim explains. “Oh, I assumed by the electricity in the air and the way you two have been acting that you were either newlyweds or a couple that have been in love for a very long time,” the bartender responded. “Not newlyweds but yes we have been in love with each other for a very long time,” Jim responds.

As she steps down from the barstool he can’t help but watch as her thigh once again parts the hem of her dress revealing the beautiful legs that had been a cherished memory over the years. He follows her as they make their way from the bar to a small table in a dark and secluded corner. His mind is racing as he watches the beautiful green silk dress that clings to her body. He smiles as he remembers the look and feel of the body seductively moving in front of him. As he pulls her chair out from the table his free hand instinctively moves to the small of her back and he moves close enough to lean over and smell her hair. The feel of his strong hand against her back sends a tingle throughout her body, the hair on her arms suddenly raising with excitement and anticipation. As they sit together he takes both of her hands into his and gently massages her hands just as he had done when they were kids. Her mind couldn’t focus on what he was saying, she was lost in the feeling of his strong hands and how much comfort and safety and pleasure they had given her. “Oh baby, Lori, are you okay sweetheart?” “Oh, uh yes I’m fine I was just lost in thought for a second there, I’m sorry, “ Lori replied. As they sat together in the privacy of the corner neither of them were able to take their eyes off of the other nor could they help but smile as they looked deeply into each other eyes. “I’ve been such a nervous wreck over the past few days. I just can’t believe that we’re here together. I know we’ve been talking about this for a while now but I thought this day would never come, and to think that just a couple of months ago I just happened to open my e-mail and found a note that I’ve been waiting for and dreaming of for years, hello my name is Jim if you remember me please write back.” Neither of them could help but laugh at the thought that either of them could ever forget what they had shared and how much they had loved each other. “I regretted the wording as soon as I hit the send button but by then it was too late. You have to realize though that I had no idea what your situation was or where you were or how you would feel about hearing from me after all these years,” Jim explained, “the last time we talked we were both married and I had a brand new son but that was seventeen years ago.” “Well, I’m just glad you took the time to track me down or we wouldn’t be sitting here right now. So, after all the conversations we’ve had over the past few months I know we’ve agreed that we’d like to consider trying it again but there was one last obstacle to overcome, do we still find each other attractive, is the chemistry between us still there?” “Oh baby, I meant it when I told you how beautiful you are and I also meant it when I told you that I love you,” he replies. “But it’s been so long and we’re both older and softer and I’m so afraid that I can’t compete with the picture you have of me in your head. I need to know that you still find me attractive, that I still excite you, that you can’t wait to touch me and feel me against your body,” she explains. As she looks at him she searches for an answer. “You are the most beautiful creature I have ever known. The moment I saw you when we were just kids I fell in love with you. That was 33 years ago and I have never stopped loving you and I have never met another woman that took my breath away the way you do. You were the object of my dreams when I was just a teenage boy and you still are. I know you want me to tell you that I still see you as the beautiful young girl that I fell in love with but I can’t do that, I won’t do that.” She suddenly feels the blood rush to her cheeks and her legs begin to tremble as she tries to understand what she has just been told. Should she cry, should she respond in anger, or should she just get out of the room and away from him as quickly as her legs can carry her?

She takes a sip from the drink that suddenly doesn’t seem stronger enough to sooth her nerves. As her hand moves the glass to her lips he realizes that she is trembling, he notices the redness of her cheeks, the shallowness of her breaths. “Oh baby, to tell you that you look like the girl I found completely irresistable would be a lie and we promised to be completely honest with each other. To tell you that you haven’t changed over the past 25 years would be to ignore or overlook the way you’ve changed with time and maturity and as a result of the life you’ve lived and the lessons you’ve learned. But I will be completely honest with you and tell you that you are more beautiful at this very moment than you have ever been or ever were and I wouldn’t want to change one single thing about you. Your beauty isn’t just the way you look to me physically it’s also your intelligence, your wit, your sense of humor, your kind and generous nature. That’s what I see, all of you. That’s what makes you beautiful to me. I will admit though that when I watched you walking through the room towards me I was undressing you with my eyes and I’m not sure how I’ve managed to keep my hands to myself.” As he leans over to kiss her she whispers, “maybe we should finish our drinks and go to our rooms, it’s been a very long, emotional day for both of us.” “Rooms?” he asks. “I was hoping it would turn out this way,” she replies grinning wickedly “that’s why I got a suite, it shouldn’t be all that hard to open the sliding doors between our rooms. Why don’t I go up and get ready while you talk to room service about some nice refreshments and snacks, I have a feeling we’re going to be very hungry and very thirsty before the night is over.”  ”Okay, but promise you won’t remove one shoe, or one stocking, or one piece of clothing, I don’t want to miss a single thing. I want to remember every moment and every detail of tonight.”