Her heart beat for the first time in nearly a decade. The feel of his hand in her’s was familiar. The skin in his palm had changed over the last thirty years. It was older and soft. She could feel the damage. She could feel the pain. His heart had been through more pain than her’s and she was aware of that now. It was evident in his touch. His body yearned to be loved. All these years, Christina had assumed that she was alone. She was mistaken. John was always there. This was love.
He moved in closer to her. Their arms brushed against each other’s. She could smell the faint scent of tobacco and Pinot Noir on his breath. She could see the glow of the fireplace in his eyes. He looked so peaceful and calm. It was as if he was finally at ease. There was nothing to worry or panic about. His best friend was here and she was available. They looked into each other’s eyes. A tear formed in the corner of Christina’s eye. He used his free hand to wipe it away and smiled at her. The lines around his eyes were new to her. Crows feet were sexy on John and time had been generous to his features. There were still some remnants of that six year old boy that she met so many years before.
Since her divorce from Peter, Christina hadn’t enjoyed or even entertained the romantic company of another. Being close to another man was frightening to her. She hadn’t wanted to share her time or her body with any of the set up dates that her manager had planned for her to “get back out there” and “play the field”. But not John. John knew her better than anyone. Better than her former husband whom she shared four children with and had spent the last twenty years trying to please. John knew her soul.
John had also experienced a divorce from his high school sweetheart, Diane. His having been seven years prior, but nonetheless. There were three children and four homes across the country that they shared. Not to mention vehicles, artwork, and other expensive material items that meant nothing to John. Post divorce wasn’t all parties and sex as Diane had assumed he wanted. He dated here and there but nothing serious came out of it. Just the usual women interested in the lifestyle of a rock star. There was positively no depth and he had questioned if his divorce was a terrible mistake. However, Christina gave him hope for love. This was his chance for redemption.
“You are so beautiful, Christina DeMarco,” he started. “You don’t have to worry. I’m not going to hurt you. I never could. I’m sorry for the pain that you’ve been through. I love you, you know?”
“Why me?” She asked, tears now filling her eyes uncontrollably. John wiped her cheeks with his fingertips. “After all this time. After all these years. It could have been anyone. And let's be honest, you’ve done the leg work. So, why me?”
“It’s simple, Kitten,” he smiled, giving her hand a tight squeeze. “Because you have always been there for me. You’re my oldest friend and we’ve been through so much together. My life hasn’t been filled with the glamourous moments that everyone assumes and I could always rely on you. YOU saw me when I was invisible.”
She leaned in and pressed her lips against his. Just as soft as she had remembered that time in the studio when they were fifteen years old. When they shared their first sexual experience together. He held her face in his hands and kissed her back, slightly firm as if he had been holding it in for years and was just waiting for his chance to taste her mouth, because he had. There was nothing sweeter than the taste of her tongue on his. Christina didn’t realize until that moment that for thirty years she had missed John’s touch. The tears were a sign of regret. She had known that she was supposed to be with John her entire life.
They made love that night to the crackling signs of the fire. Like two virgins.
No comments:
Post a Comment