A Blast from the Past

A BLAST FROM THE PAST

I exchanged a final few words with the clerk as I pushed my cart out of the checkout line at the grocery store. Eager to get home and away from the mass of shoppers stocking up on supplies for their weekend watching football, I wasn't paying much attention to individual faces. But nearing the automatic doors leading out to the parking lot, a woman approaching the exit from a self-checkout station drew my attention. Hers was a face I would never forget. I stopped in my tracks. There was no way she could avoid seeing me. This was a meeting I had been hoping for, and dreading, for a decade.

When she realized it was me a flash of apprehension swept over her face. She still turned my head; the years that had passed were evident but had done nothing to lessen her natural beauty. We faced each other for several moments, I suppose trying to figure out how to continue with this somewhat uncomfortable encounter.

**********

She had loved me once. I loved her. Still did. Finally, I gathered up the nerve to ask, "How have you been Marnie?" That seemed so inadequate after all this time, but I couldn't be sure she even cared if I was alive considering the way I had ended things.

Despite our love for each other I had walked away rather abruptly, and ungracefully, from our relationship. There was one obstacle just too big and prolonged to overcome: her husband. For reasons unexplained to me, and maybe not fully known to her, she would not end her marriage. So, after many years of waiting for that and eventually realizing it wouldn't happen, I freed her from the dilemma of being torn between two men. That's how I thought of it to ease my mind. How Marnie thought about it I can only hope was with some understanding through the hurt I undoubtedly caused.

**********

We were both on our guards. "For the most part I've been okay," she answered quietly. It was good to hear her sweet voice. Until that instant I hadn't understood how attractive it was. Her looks, her scent, the feel of her--these all seemed more tangible though there is no way I should have forgotten the sound of her voice. When we were "together" there were long stretches when I was far away on a job and our only contact was over the phone when we'd talk for hours.

After another several second pause, with each of us glancing away, afraid to hold eye contact for too long, I asked, "Would you be willing to go somewhere so we could talk?" I could see she was having an inner dialogue. When our eyes met again she said, "I don't have anything that needs to get into the fridge or freezer right away so I can do that."

"I have some ice cream that does need taking care of," I said. "My place isn't far. Could we go there? I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"I think that'll be all right."

She followed me to my apartment, a place she'd never been before as I'd moved since we'd last been in touch.

"How long have you been living her?" she questioned as I began putting my groceries away.

"A few years now."

"Why'd you move from the other place?" she wondered though she certainly must have known. I had been living in my childhood home taking care of my aging mom. When she passed my old home was sold. Those memories still were painful, and I was glad Marnie couldn't see me getting emotional.

"Show yourself around as I finish up in the kitchen."

"Are you sure? I don't want to invade on your private spaces."

"There's nothing here that I'd be embarrassed for you to see."

The place is not large, so it didn't take long for her to check it out. When she stepped into the kitchen she had tears in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" I asked concernedly.

"I saw something that brought back memories."

"Obviously bad."

"Bittersweet." She crooked her finger beckoning me to follow and we headed down the short hallway toward my bedroom. She stopped in front of a couple of posters she had gifted me long ago when we were just getting started on our friendship.

"Why do you still have these?" she asked without looking at me.

"Because you gave them to me, Marnie." I answered in a tone that made it seem like that was evident. I didn't add that every time I looked at them I thought of her. I wondered if any of the things I had given her were still in her possession or if she'd thrown them out trying to erase me from her mind. We stood silently for another few seconds before turning from those reminders of the past.

"Look Marnie, I don't want to dredge up anything hurtful, though I imagine it will be anyway, so if you want to go that's okay. I hoped we could catch up. There's a lot I'd like to tell you, but I suppose you aren't my confidante anymore. And that's on me. Plus, I don't want you to have to explain to Bob why your trip to the store took so long." At those words her tears began to flow in earnest.

"What did I say this time to make you cry?" Lord knows I'd done that too many times previously.

"Bob's gone."

"Gone where?" My mind wasn't comprehending those words.

"He died," she got out between sobs.

I'd known him, might even say we were on friendly term. But he was my competition and I'm not proud to say I had thought about his passing many times so I could have the life I hoped for with her.

Without thinking I pulled her into my embrace, hoping to provide some comfort, not knowing if she would accept it. Her body was tense initially but relaxed when my hand cradled her head to my shoulder.

"I am so sorry Marnie," I whispered into her ear. She put her arms around me and we stood, both crying, for long minutes.

When we regained control of our emotions we parted slightly and looked into each other's eyes. For me it was like nothing had changed at all, though I knew better. It felt so right to be with her. Marnie's eyes searched mine, looking for some answer or clue that might direct her next move.

"So, what does this mean?" I probed, not knowing exactly if I was addressing her loss, our immediate closeness, or something else. She smiled, more with her eyes than mouth, and pulled us together again.

"I don't know, other than right now I feel better than I have in a long time." Who was I to argue? - I hadn't known such a sense of completeness for years. Before long I was snuffling her hair and rubbing her back. Not purposely in a sexual way, but to let her know that I was there for her. She responded by burrowing closer to me. She was still a good fit. Despite myself, I began to get aroused. She had to notice. Here I was in the arms of my former lover, someone that I had thought about every day since parting ways and still loved deeply. I was getting too carried away, so I disengaged. Again, Marnie's eyes sought an answer in mine.

"My thoughts are racing to places that I know they shouldn't," I offered.

"Like what?"

"Like whether I could be a part of your life. I don't have any right to expect you to forgive and forget. Even if you did, I think we'd need to take it slow, get to know each other again. Let me try to explain what happened. I don't regret much about our past, but if you were willing to give me, us, another chance I would like it to be less complicated."

"Obviously it would be without..." She stifled a sob when remembering her husband.

For the third time this evening we stood wordlessly contemplating ourselves and each other. My heart was racing, and not just from close physical contact with Marnie. She seemed to have hinted that there might be a path toward an "us."

Out of the blue she said, "You're not the only one turned on from our hugs." Did I hear that right? She looked down to the floor as she continued. "It's been such a long time since I've known true intimacy. Even with Bob. You know I believed you were 'the one.'" She raised her face to mine. It would be so easy for me to fall into those gray-green eyes and lose myself completely. I took a deep breath to collect myself before responding.

"You probably don't believe me, but I've never stopped being in love with you. We have a lot to discuss ahead of us." She nodded. "That won't be tonight, though I really don't want this to end. But I think we should call it a night. Do you still have the same phone number Marnie?"

"The landline at the house? No, we went strictly cell phones quite some time ago. What about you?" she asked.

"I just recently upgraded to a smart phone from my trusty flip. I'm kind of a techno-phobe. The number is still the same as before."

At the door I said, "I'm sure glad we went shopping at the same time."

"Me, too." She stepped outside and looked up at the night sky before saying, "Good night." She took a couple of steps, paused, turned around and asked, "What will you do about that after I leave?" giving a quick nod at my crotch.

I always felt free to speak my mind with her and said, "The same as I've done hundreds and hundreds of times while envisioning you. Head to the bedroom and masturbate."

A sly, knowing grin appeared on her face, as if that was the answer she hoped for or expected. She rushed me and pressed her lips to mine. Without breaking the kiss, we stumbled back inside. Before long our tongues were tangoing and our groins were grinding. As much as I wanted to take this to its logical conclusion, I knew we really should put more thought into how we might move forward. Very reluctantly, I pulled away from her sweet mouth.

"I was serious about proceeding with caution. This is not that," I said breathlessly.

"I need you to make love with me."

It's hard (oh, so hard) to turn down an offer like that. But I stayed firm (oh, so firm) about slowing our relationship renewal.

"I think we really need to put the brakes on right now before we do something we might regret."

"You think too much!" Marnie teased in an exasperated tone.

"That may be true. I just don't want to hurt you any more or feel like I'm taking advantage of you. And there're some things between us that need to be said."

"I suppose you're right," she conceded. "But what am I going to do about this itch that needs scratching?"

"The same as I told you I'll be doing," I suggested.

"Okay." And with that she moved to my upholstered easy chair, plopped into it, dropped her right hand to her crotch, and began a slow up and down stroke.

"Here! Now?!" I was totally taken off guard.

"I won't be able to drive home unless I relieve some pressure," she said in a sultry tone.

Was this the same woman from my past? She was by no means a prude or overly inhibited, but I'd never seen such a wanton act from her before in all our years. Even after picking my jaw off the floor, I stood in stunned silence for the next few minutes as she continued. My eyes were locked on her hand. My reverie was broken by her words.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer." I nodded dumbly and looked for my camera. "I didn't mean that literally, silly. Why don't you make yourself comfortable by sitting down?" I quickly pulled a chair into position opposite her. I leaned forward with my elbows on my knees and chin in my hands; I didn't want to miss anything. "Would you mind if I got a bit more comfy?" I swiveled my head side to side. She kicked her shoes off, stood, unbuttoned her pants, and pulled them down and off. She showed me the dark patch of moisture on her sensible panties. "See what you do to me." I smiled. She sat back down and resumed working on herself. "Oh, this feels so much better without that denim in the way." I sat mutely watching that wet spot expand, not remembering any time she'd been so lathered up.

"Do you like what you see?"

"Absolutely, greatest show on earth," I nodded enthusiastically.

"How are you doing? I notice you're fidgeting a bit." I had been so engrossed watching her that my own physical state had somehow been ignored. Now that Marnie mentioned it, my rock-hard dick needed attention, too.

"I'll be back in a second," I exclaimed over my shoulder as I hurriedly left the room.

When I returned, she had removed her panties and was sitting with one leg splayed over the arm of the chair, languidly sliding two fingers up and down her saturated slit. The view was heavenly. Her pussy glistened and the aroma she gave off made my mouth water. No way could I describe the scene before me as obscene, though it was obscenely sexy.

"What was that all about?" she managed as her pace quickened, referring to my quick exit.              

"I need a little help when I do that," I indicated by holding up a bottle of baby oil.

"Glad you're going to join in. I could use some visual stimulation." As she spoke I got my pants and underwear down.

"I'd almost forgotten how beautiful your cock is. And so hard!"

"It hasn't been this stiff in a long time," I said looking her straight in the eyes, "all because of you." I poured a generous amount of oil into my left hand. "I'm afraid this might not take long."

"Your self-control is probably as good as ever." She had more confidence than me considering the show she was putting on was insanely erotic.

As soon as I started stroking, she dipped two fingers into her super-saturated snatch and we synchronized our movements, eyes riveted to each other's genitals. Occasionally our eyes would meet, and we shared a smoldering smile.

"I love watching you do that," she mentioned between ragged breaths.

"Likewise." At that moment she removed her fingers from her box. A silken strand of her cream clung to her digits, unbroken even as she brought her hand up to show me. For an instant I imagined she was going to suck her fingers clean, but no such luck. I would have lost my load had Marnie done that. She returned them to her pussy, this time on her clit. She closed her eyes to focus on the pleasure she was giving herself.

I paused jacking off to marvel at the woman across from me. It amazed me that this was taking place. It amazed me that she cared about me after what I'd undoubtedly put her through. It all seemed so implausible and surreal.

"Why have you stopped?" Her words brought me back to the moment.

"Just trying to make it last."

"I'm getting close. I want you to cum with me." I nodded and resumed beating my meat.

"Ooh, yeah," she enthused while watching me stroke my dick.

To heighten her excitement, she jammed two fingers into her well-primed box while continuing to work her nerve center. The two-handed coordination on display proved she was well practiced. I couldn't help but wonder if I had ever been the object of her previous sessions. I could tell she was extra-aroused by her sexy moans and the squelching down below. I could not look away. The first inklings of my orgasm registered as I watched her face begin to take on that familiar look; one I hadn't seen in a long time.

"I'm almost there!"

"Me, too," I blurted.

"I want to see you cum!"

My cock spasmed four times and cum spilled out, coating my fist. A mere instant later she groaned, her hands went still, and her eyes fluttered closed.

Maybe a minute passed with neither of us moving. We both took time to enjoy and recover from our shared experience. Me, also, to comprehend that this had really taken place. We'd been able to achieve simultaneous orgasms when we first started our physical relationship, but those were a long time ago. Finally, I stirred, heading to the bathroom.

"Where do you think you're going this time?"

"To get something to clean up with."

"No you don't." She rose from the chair and dropped to her knees in front of me, a hand on each of my knees, then lowered her mouth to my spunk-covered hand. With a wickedly erogenous smile she slurped up my jizz like she was inhaling spaghetti noodles. I could hardly believe what I had just seen; my head was reeling. This woman was so nasty!

"Yummy," she said, swirling her tongue around her lips after cleaning me off.

"My turn." I lifted each of her hands to my lips and sucked her fingers clear of all traces of her honeydew. Her eyes twinkled as I pulled the last out with a small pop.

Marnie said, "You have a very talented mouth."

"You ain't seen nothing yet."

"I'm holding you to that."

As we stood at the door yet again, we couldn't suppress our giddiness.

"We did admirably in taking it slow. We didn't even touch each other really," she stated with a sense of mild pride.

"You're something else Marnie." I playfully bopped her nose with my thumb. "I hope you're in better shape to drive home now that you've relieved that pressure."

We kissed like contented lovers. As she walked to her car I wondered what the future might hold.