Getting There Ch. 05

"You mean to say there are really that many choices when it comes to painting a nursery?" Ryan asked, sceptically. He and Gemma were having dinner at a little Italian restaurant in Primrose Hill, one that they had frequented only on special occasions growing up.

"You'd be surprised! Especially when you're expecting boy-girl twins!" Gemma laughed. The waiter topped up her wine glass and she smiled appreciatively. Ryan was shaking his head. "I'm telling you! There's always the magnolias, the creams, or you know, white. But that's so boring. Then there are the gender neutral ones; pale yellows, greens, that sort of thing. But then, then there's the option of pink and blue pinstripes! Not to mention the matter of patterned wallpaper. And I've been noticing a trend of murals and themed rooms."

"Murals? It's not the bloody Sistine Chapel!" Ryan mocked.

"You know, like an under-the-sea theme, with blue walls and then one wall with little fish, seahorses, coral reef..." Gemma's voice trailed off. She could see the glint in Ryan's eye and she knew he was just teasing her. "I suppose it is a little extravagant." She conceded.

"A little extravagant? Try borderline ridiculous." He leaned back in the chair and grinned.

"Anyway, who are you to give me a hard time? At least I have a real job." Ryan began to protest, but Gemma just held her hand up to silence him. "No, Ryan. 'Managing your money' is not a real job, and you're far too young to be speaking at seminars for the rest of your life."

Ryan was in a daze as Gemma began suggesting he exercise his creativity in a productive manner. He didn't hear a word of what she was saying, instead his eyes focussed on her mouth. It was like he had tunnel vision and the only thing he could see was her cupid's bow, her pouty lips, the way her white teeth shone when she smiled. He was transfixed.

"You're not even listening to me!" She complained with an easy, gentle smile. That was one of the things Ryan loved about Gemma. She wasn't a nag, she cared about him and she pushed him to better himself, but her flirtatious and affectionate manner meant that she had a way of making him feel like all her ideas were actually his.

"You're right." Ryan said, flatly.

"I know I'm right! You need to find a new project!"

"No, I meant you're right. I wasn't listening to you." Ryan said dryly. He picked up his glass of whisky and winked at her. Gemma bit her lip as if to stifle a giggle. Ryan couldn't resist when she did that. His attention returned to her lips and he longed to kiss her, to taste her.

"It's last orders, Sir. Would you like dessert?" The waiter asked. Gemma looked around and realised the restaurant was more or less empty. They'd spent a good three hours over dinner. She remembered how with her ex-boyfriend, James, they never had time to just enjoy each other's company. Then she looked at the man across the table from her, and she realised how much she took for granted how he always had time for her.

"Gem? Anything?" Ryan asked. Gemma declined and he asked for the bill. She swirled the last of her wine in the glass and savoured the taste as the crimson liquid slid down her throat.

She watched the man sitting opposite her. How did they get here? Where would they go from here?

...

"Thanks for dinner, Ryan. It was lovely." Gemma said as Ryan held the door open for her.

"Anytime."

A gust of wind interrupted what was an otherwise still, balmy summer evening. A rarity in London. Ryan let Gemma stroll ahead of him by a couple of paces, so he could admire the way she looked in the silver satin babydoll dress she was wearing. She could sense his eyes caressing her body, so she swivelled around on her heels to catch him.

By the time Ryan's eyes reached hers he knew he'd been caught in the act. She raised an eyebrow at him and he ran his fingers through his hair. "I...You..." Ryan tried to offer an explanation.

"Yes?" Gemma teased, cocking her head to the side.

"You know you look good." Ryan laughed. Gemma grinned back at him and he put his arm around her waist as they walked to his place.

...

"Don't tell me you still haven't picked something." Gemma had taken out some grapes from the fridge and was sitting on the sofa with the bowl between her crossed legs.

Ryan was huddled over his iPod, trying to decide what music to put on. He had a playlist for everything, including one that he normally used in situations like this. Situations where he'd brought a girl back after dinner and wanted to set the mood. He cringed when he realised how rehearsed his technique had become.

"Hurry up, it's just music!" Although she didn't admit it, Gemma could sense that Ryan was nervous. There was a tangible shift in the way they were acting around each other, and frankly she wasn't sure whether or not she should do something about it. In fact, she was enjoying watching him on edge!

Ryan closed his eyes as he pressed play. Michael Buble's silky tones filled the room. Gemma threw a grape at Ryan's back.

"What was that for?!"

Gemma grabbed a handful of grapes and through them all at him.

"Okay I'll switch it off you crazy woman."

"You don't get to do that."

"Do what?"

Gemma put the bowl down on the sofa and walked over to him, she slid her hands up his chest and then looked in his eyes and whispered, "You're not allowed to treat me like all the other girls you bring home."

Ryan's heart raced and he was sure Gemma could feel it. She looked up at him through her eyelashes and it was almost his undoing. His hands moved to her hips and he sighed as the silky satin slipped past his fingers.

"I know." He whispered breathlessly. His lips pressed against her forehead as he wrapped his arms around her. She closed her eyes and relished the feeling of being so close to him. She inhaled his heady, masculine aroma and let out a deep sigh of contentment.

...

Ryan and Gemma were sat out on the patio, curled up next to each other on the daybed.

"Remember when you wanted this to be a playboy-style grotto?" Gemma teased.

"Remember when you wanted to put flowers everywhere?"

"It's a garden! Of course I wanted to put flowers everywhere!" Gemma and Ryan had seen eye to eye on every aspect of his house during the renovation. Except this.

"Yeah, MY garden, not the bloody Garden of Eden." Gemma giggled and Ryan pulled her legs towards him. "Come here, Gem."

"I am here."

"Come closer."

She sat facing him. He reached for her hips and pulled her onto his lap. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and placed her hands on his shoulders. An entire lifetime flashed before their eyes.

Suddenly, she was 15 years old again. Walking in to the common room after the Christmas holidays. He was always the first person she wanted to see. She knew exactly where to find him. And time after time she'd know he was present by the sound of his laughter. Then, he was 19 and brokenhearted. She was the one he called. She didn't know what to say but her silence on the other end of the phone was reassurance enough. Then, they were twenty-somethings, falling in love with the only person who knew them better than they knew themselves.

Then, they were kissing. Their lips came together passionately. His hand caressed the back of her head as her lips quivered against his. His tongue searched her mouth and hers pushed back against his, matching his passion with hers. She pulled away to catch his tongue between her lips and she sucked on it teasingly. His hands slid under her dress and she moaned as she felt his hand groping her ass. She rolled onto her back and pulled Ryan on top of her by his collar. He moved his thigh between her legs and she rubbed herself against it, the rough material of his jeans pressing her thong, wet with arousal, against her. She unbuttoned his shirt while their lips remained attached, dragging her nails down his chest before he threw it behind him. Her hands gripped the back of his arms and she could feel all his hard work at the gym. He pulled away from her and looked into her eyes. That intense, hungry look was back. His blue eyes seemed stormy and powerful and she longed to be at his mercy.

Then her dress was on the grass. She lay there on the daybed with nothing but a pearly grey thong. Ryan licked his lips and unclasped his belt, kicking his jeans off him. His boxers couldn't conceal his excitement so he decided there was little point keeping them on. Gemma's eyes wandered down his body and she saw him for the first time in all his glory. She threw her legs up in the air and Ryan peeled her underwear off her. He spread her legs apart and kissed his way up her calves. When he reached the apex of her thighs his lips brushed over the smooth, bare skin of her most intimate area. And he continued his path of kisses down her inner thigh, over her knee and down, down to her other ankle. Gemma was losing patience with Ryan's nibbling kisses. He ran his lips over the arch of her foot and kissed it delicately. She smiled. He remembered.

...

"On your marks. Get set. GO!" Rachel called from the other end of the beach. Gemma stood on top of the rocks so she could get a clear view of any cheating that might occur during the race. Chris darted in front of Ryan and Sam, leaping over the sandcastles they'd built in place of hurdles, grabbed the red bucket of sand and carried it five metres where he'd tipped out the contents and run back to the start. Sam and Ryan reached their buckets at the same time but due to a great deal of misfortune, the handle on Sam's bucket broke. Ryan rushed ahead of him. Rachel was squealing with laughter as Sam grabbed Ryan's ankles and pulled him to the floor. Chris crossed the finish line and threw his hands up in the air while Rachel cheered him on.

It was the summer after A-Levels. They'd decided to take an island-hopping trip around Greece for a few weeks together, celebrating their freedom from school before further education sunk its teeth into them.

Everyone was laughing hysterically, including Gemma. She lost her footing on the rocks and slipped. The salt water stung when she landed in the sea and the boys rushed over to help her. She had cut the sole of her foot so badly she'd needed stitches at a Greek hospital. She'd had a scar ever since.

...

Gemma's fingers were entwined in Ryan's hair as she urged him to stop teasing her. He eventually relented and she felt his tongue begin its exploration of her. Every flicker of Ryan's agile tongue elicited a groan of approval, and when he gently sucked her clit she writhed around beneath him. Ryan revelled the taste of her, enjoying the exquisite creature that lay before him. Every sound that escaped Gemma's beautiful lips sent a shiver down his spine and to his engorged member. He immersed himself entirely in pleasuring her, memorising what she enjoyed most, looking to take her over the edge with him. It was then that Gemma's whole body started shuddering with delight as she let out a guttural moan. The rush of wetness that accompanied her orgasm found its way to Ryan's chin and when he pulled Gemma on to him she could taste herself on his lips.

Gemma felt reenergised as soon as she felt Ryan's hardness pressed against her thigh. She slid down his body, dragging her nipples down his chest in a tantalising tease until she reached his cock. She looked up into his eyes and she could see a mixture of quiet disbelief and anticipation in them. She lazily licked the shaft, the tip of her tongue tracing the veins that wrapped around it. Then, she took his balls in her mouth and sucking on them slowly. His cock twitched. The look in his eyes had now become a hungry, almost desperate, plea for more.

Gemma smiled as her delicate hand took a firm grip on his shaft, and, without breaking eye contact, she wrapped her soft lips around the head of Ryan's cock. His eyes shut. The image of her taking him in his mouth was one he'd thought about frequently. He opened his eyes, blinking to ensure he was seeing things clearly. Gemma was now bobbing her head up and down as she took Ryan deeper into her mouth. He felt his balls slapping against her chin as he realised just how deep she had taken him. Before long he was shooting spurt after spurt of his hot cum into her mouth and she was swallowing it without complaint.

Gemma nestled against Ryan as he caught his breath. They lay there, on the patio for half an hour. They didn't exchange a word. They didn't need to. Ryan's hand stroking the small of her back, Gemma's lips kissing his chest. That was all they needed.

Gemma's fingertips traced shapes onto Ryan's stomach.

...

They were sitting in assembly, cramped into the tight space of the school theatre. The usual announcements were made: a reminder that the school uniform was not open to interpretation, a request that the library remain a silent study area. Then, the day's assembly began.

Ryan felt Gemma's hand on his thigh. "Did you do the French homework?"

He turned to her and shook his head, returning in a hushed whisper, "Can I copy yours?"

"Yeah fine, but get at least three of them wrong this time."

"Thanks."

Gemma winked back.

After the assembly, Gemma and Ryan walked into the library together and sat in their usual seats beside each other. The librarian patrolled the desks where they were sitting, hushing the students, disturbing the idle chatter. Gemma placed her French homework on Ryan's desk. He asked her if she wanted to go to McDonald's after school. The librarian stood behind them and cleared her throat, reminding them to be quiet. As she walked away, Gemma grabbed Ryan's forearm and used her fingertip to draw a shape. Ryan looked confused.

When the bell rang Ryan asked her what she'd meant. She took his wrist, turned his hand palm side up and drew the shape again. "Eleven?" he asked.

"You're so SLOW" she laughed as she dashed to her next class.

Over the last few months of school Ryan was dying to know what it meant and Gemma enjoyed taunting him by not telling him. Eventually, it had been forgotten.

...

"Hey, remember this?" Gemma said, breaking the silence.

She sat up on the daybed and leaned over Ryan. She used her index finger to write on his stomach. Ryan took a while to realise what she meant, but when he did he found himself trying to guess what it was once more.

She repeatedly drew the shape on to him.

Still nothing.

"That's not fair, your hair is tickling me..." Ryan whined.

...

They retreated inside as the night turned colder, and in the warmth of Ryan's bedroom, the two friends made love for the first time.

It started off slowly, almost nervously. It was a wonderfully foreign feeling to them both, to feel so comfortable with someone, yet in the most intimate sense, still be strangers. It was an indescribable sensation. Ryan's lips danced over Gemma's nipples, sucking on them, pulling them with his teeth. He kissed his way across her collarbone. When he kissed her lips Gemma wrapped her legs around Ryan and he pushed himself inside her. Gemma moaned into Ryan's mouth and the sense of completion was overwhelming for both of them. Ryan stopped to relish the moment. He looked down at Gemma, her hair framing her face on the pillow. As he leaned down to kiss her again, a devious grin flashed across her face. He felt her legs tighten around him and in one swift, expert motion, Gemma had him on his back.

That served as a not-so-gentle reminder that they weren't a pair of awkward teenagers making love for the first time. And so the night continued.