Single Again Ch. 11

As I pull onto the highway towards home I try to call Summer. I'm a bit surprised I haven't heard from her since she left but figure she's just busy with her family. I begin thinking of what our reunion is going to be like next week. I can imagine her tight body against mine, the taste of her lips, the feel of her small breasts. I start to get a bit aroused thinking about kissing my way down her body, between her legs and tasting her sweet juices as they leak out of her tight pussy. I can almost hear her moans as my tongue touches her sensitive clit and can't wait to hear her beg for me to penetrate her tight pussy.

I shake my head to refocus on my driving, but smile to myself as I continue to think about Summer. I'm glad I gave her a second. Although I hadn't anticipated going that far on our first date, she proved that she was worth it, even before the sex. I'm still amazed by how things went at her house and I begin to wonder if this is just something that she'll do now or if it is the way she always is. I will have to be more careful that I don't hurt her though. I'm not sure her small body can take anything more rough.

As I start to relax I begin to focus on my family. It's been a long time since I've been home. I pretty much avoided everyone while I was going through the separation and divorce. I didn't think I could put up with the pity. That's not to say I didn't keep in touch with everyone. I speak to my sister, Stephanie, every week and my other two sisters, Terry and Carrie, at least every other week. Steph and I were very close growing up. We are not even a year apart. Terry and Carrie are almost five years apart. I'm pretty sure they were a shock, made even more so that they are twins. Steph and I, even though almost a year older than her, was in the same grade because my birthday was so late, my parents decided to hold me back a year.

We grew up in a small town. My father owns his own construction company along with his brother. They took over the business from their dad and have made it one of the biggest construction companies in the entire area. I'm sure my dad had expected me to take over the business from him at some point, but things worked out differently. I worked for him for several years while I was in high school and college, but that was as far as it went.

The reason for the change was that I played football and was good enough to get a scholarship to college. Actually, several scholarship offers. I played linebacker in high school and I still hold several state records for sacks and interceptions. My junior and senior years we allowed only four touchdowns and won the state championship both years. College was a different story for me, but I still played all four years.

Growing up there was a group of six of us that spent all of our free time together. My two best friends Andy and Brian, Steph, my cousin Pam and Tiffany. We knew each other since the second grade and were pretty much inseparable till me and Tiffany left for college. There were several other people that we hung out with, but the six of us were the core of the group. Towards the end of summer before our junior year, Tiffany and I started hanging out more and more and eventually wound up dating. We were together through our junior and senior years and broke up when we each left for college.

Steph is now married to Andy and Pam to Brian. Everyone had assumed that Tiffany and I would be together. Tiffany had set her sights on going to college at Stanford and when she was accepted with a full ride, we knew that it wouldn't work. I was staying on the east coast while she went to school out west. That last summer together after graduation from high school was brutal. We spent every waking moment together.

Before that though, things were great. Things were so easy back then. But the day that I left for school is probably the saddest day of my life, including my divorce. I remember holding Tiffany for a long time before my father had to pull us apart. We kept in touch for a long time, but eventually, that ended as well.

My phone rings and breaks me out of the trance. "Hello."

"Hey, it's me. How much longer till you get here?" my sister Steph asks.

"I'm making pretty good time." I look around to get my bearings. "Probably another half hour or so. Why the rush?"

"I'm sitting here waiting for you and I'm wondering how much longer."

"Well, it's good to know that I'm missed."

"Shut it. I've been telling you to come home for over a year now."

"You have a car."

"Yeah, yeah. Just hurry the hell up."

"Bye."

Steph chuckles and says good-bye before hanging up.

It has been too long. Maybe this is exactly what I need. Life has been extremely crazy the last few years and a few days at home with family could be good for me. Between the divorce and all the craziness since then has been too much. A few days of mom's home cooking will do me right.

I start to get excited as I pass familiar landmarks. When I see my old high school I start to squirm in my seat. Pup senses my excitement and sits up to look out the window. "This is where I grew up Pup. What do you think?" He starts to squirm some more, probably sensing my excitement.

I turn onto the road where my parents live and can barely contain myself. When I see the familiar mailbox it's all I can do not to keep my foot from pressing the gas even harder. I drive down the long driveway and see my sister jump off the porch and run to my car. I barely have the car in park before I'm out the door and Steph jumps into my arms giving me a huge hug.

"It's good to see you big bro," she whispers in my ear, not letting go as if I'm going to suddenly leave.

I hear the front door slam and I'm suddenly engulfed by two more sets of arms as my other sisters tackle me. By this point Pup has squirmed out through the front door.

"Oh, you brought Pup," Terry squeals.

I finally extract myself from Steph's grip and take a good look at her. She's extremely tall for a girl at almost six feet. In high school I got into a lot of fights keeping other guys from her. She has long black hair and dark brown, almond-shaped eyes. She was captain of the basketball and soccer teams and has a very athletic build. Even now, after two kids, she still looks incredible. Terry and Carrie are built more like my mom, but are still quite tall. They are probably just about five eight, but are more solidly built then Steph.

The girls have already opened the trunk and are getting my things out. I grab my suitcase and Pup's things, then we go to the house.

"Where are mom and dad?"

"Dad is at work, but should be home soon. Mom is probably in the kitchen cooking. She has a big meal for you for tonight. It's just going to be us. But you have a drinking date with Andy and Brian tonight," Steph reports.

"Cool," is all I say.

We walk into the house and my mom comes out of the kitchen, Pup following close behind.

"How did he get in here?"

My mom gives me a big hug before answering. "He came to the back door. I can't believe how big he is."

"Yeah, he's quite the dog. It's good to see you mom."

She finally steps back and takes a good long look at me. "I see you've gotten back into shape. I hope you're eating right and not doing some stupid diet."

"Nope, the gym, running, and eating right."

"Good. Go put your stuff in the attic room. You'll stay there this week. Your dad finished it finally, so don't give me that look."

The last time I was home, the attic room was more storage than room. It didn't even have it's own bathroom. I was not looking forward to staying up there. Steph helps me with my stuff and smiles when I open the door to the attic. The first thing I notice is the carpet on the steps. When I reach the top floor I am pleasantly surprised to see the room is completely finished.

"Mom pressed dad to get it done. You even have your own bathroom now." I look to where she is pointing. "You'll be pretty comfortable up here. It's got it's own heat and everything. Besides, I'm going to be here with the kids, so you'll probably be much happier."

"This looks great." I begin to unpack and Steph sits on the couch. As I unpack we get caught up on things. I tell her all about Summer and she catches me up on what is happening in her life. We go on till Carrie comes to get us for dinner.

As I enter the kitchen my dad grabs me in a huge bear hug. "Welcome home son."

"Thanks dad," I say as I return the hug. My dad is a huge bear of a man, which is where I get my size from. He pats me on the back and hands me a beer from the fridge. "The attic looks great."

"Thanks. Your mom finally got me to finish it."

"Well, it has been a few years."

"Ok, everyone sit. Dinner is ready."

There is enough food to feed an army. I catch everyone up on my life and then everyone else takes a turn catching me up on theirs. By the time dinner is finished, I feel relaxed and at ease. My tummy is full and I have my whole family with me. I start to get up to help clean by my sisters tell me to sit. I half-heartedly protest, but they just laugh at me.

"So, what time are you heading out tonight?"

"I don't know. Steph, what time are Andy and Brian coming by?"

She looks at the clock. "Any minute now. You better get ready."

"Are you coming?"

"I'll meet you later. I told mom I'd help with some stuff for tomorrow."

"What about Pam? Is she coming?"

"I'll pick her up when I leave."

Just then the back door opens and Andy walks through, followed by Brian.

"John," Andy roars and rushes around the table to grab me. As big as I am at six four, Andy towers over me. He crushes me in a huge hug.

"Dude, you're going to crush me."

"Suck it up wimp." We laugh before he finally let's go. Brian then comes over and gives me a hug as well.

"It's good to see you guys," I say as Brian let's go.

"You too," Brian replies. "It's been way too long."

"It has." We talk for a few minutes before leaving. "So, what is the plan?"

"A few drinks. Now that you aren't tied to the ball and chain, we expect you to actually hang out with us."

"What's that mean?" I notice Brian give Andy an elbow to the ribs.

"Fuck that.," he says to Brian. "Now that you're not married, maybe you can actually stay out past sundown."

"It wasn't that bad."

"You have been pretty lame the last few years. We were all kind of happy that you divorced Krista."

I just stare at both of them and nobody says anything till we get to the pub. I spend the time thinking back and realize that they are right.

"Was it really that bad?"

They both look at each other as we get a table. "Yes," they say together.

"Look, it's not like she wasn't very nice, but she definitely pulled the strings," Brian says.

"Now that she's not in the picture, maybe we'll see you a bit more," adds Andy

"A lot has changed in the past couple of years, so I'm sure you will."

"Why don't you just move back? Steph and Pam would be at your front door ready to move you if you even mentioned you were thinking about it. Especially Steph," Andy tells me.

"I'm not thinking about it. I've got a good job and good friends and you guys aren't that far away. Plus, you can come visit me. I've got a nice house with plenty of room."

Brian glances at the door and smiles, but I'm too into the conversation to look.

"You'd make a lot of people very happy. And it's not like you would have to look very hard for another job. The company is growing and we could use another man."

"I know Pam is going to nag you about moving back. She misses having you here and there are a lot of people that feel the same way. You've got a lot of family that would like to have you close," adds Brian.

"I know dad and mom would like me back. And probably Carrie and Terry. But I've been gone a long time. I'm not so sure it would be that easy."

"That's a bunch of crap and you know it. Besides, I know someone that has done it and would love to see you move back too."

"Yeah, like who?"

From behind I hear "Like me."

My eyes go wide and I look at Andy and Brian. They both have huge grins on their face. I spin around and standing right next to me is Tiffany. I am completely speechless as I stare into her green eyes.

"Can I at least get a hug hello?" she says with a smile.

Without a word I wrap my arms around her and pull her tight. She hugs me just as tightly. Even though it's been over twelve years, it feels so right to hold her. I regretfully let her go and for the first time notice Pam and Steph grinning like idiots behind her.

I step back from Tiffany and take a good long look. She's every bit as gorgeous as she was in high school. Her long cherry blond hair is tied back in a pony tail and hangs over her right shoulder. Her green eyes sparkle as she examines me. She still has the freckles covering her nose and her pouty lips are turned up in a smile.

"What are you doing here?" I ask her.

"I heard the old gang was getting together tonight and flew home for the reunion." I still don't have a full grasp of the English language so I continue to look at her. Tiffany is stunning to look at. Her five ten frame is perfectly proportioned, with nice c-cup breasts, a thin waist and hips that have very nice curve. "You are going to speak to me, right?"

"I'm sorry. I'm just so surprised to see you." That's when it dawns on me as to what Brian had said. "Hold on, you moved back?"

"Yup. About three months ago."

"Is your husband here?"

"I never got married. Just lived with a guy for a while."

"Ok you two, let's sit down. John, you're buying the first round. I'll have a soda though," my cousin says. "But first, I need a hug from you too."

For the first time I actually look at Pam. I look at her from head to toe and stop at the belly. "You're pregnant? Holy shit, congratulations." I grab her in a big hug.

"Thanks. Just be careful. The baby isn't ready to get squeezed out just yet."

I laugh and relax my grip. It's her and Brian's first baby and she had trouble getting pregnant at first. "I'm very happy for you. How far along?"

"Six months."

"And you're just telling me now?"

"I wanted to see your face. I know what happened between you and Krista."

"Please. It's over and done and long forgotten. I'm so happy for you guys."

We all sit down and I place the first order. Tiffany sits down next to me with Pam on my other side. As close as Steph and I are, Pam and I are even closer. Having all these people around me suddenly makes me realize what I've been missing for the past few years. I think it started when Steph had her frist child. It dawns on me that we stopped coming to visit shortly after my first niece was born. There were always excuses from Krista. This was about the same time we started having problems.

"John, you there?" Andy asks.

"Huh, sorry, I was thinking about something. I've really missed a lot these last four or five years, haven't I." Everyone looks at me. "Please, I'm not stupid. Just a bit dense. I'm sorry if I've been absent. That won't happen again. You guys are more important to me than anything else."

My sister stands up and hugs me from behind. "Don't forget it. Ever." She kisses me on the cheek and sits back down. Pam also kisses me and I notice she has a tear in her eyes.

The rest of the night we spend talking and reminiscing about the old days. I catch myself looking at Tiffany over and over. When she notices I get a nice smile, but it is guarded. Pam and Brian leave by nine and Steph and Andy leave shortly afterwards. Tiffany promises to get me home safely.

"I guess it's just you and me," I say to Tiffany.

"I hope you're ok with that," again with the guarded smile.

"Wouldn't have it any other way."

We just stare at each other for a lit while. "Why did you stop writing me?" Tiffany says.

"I don't know. I hadn't heard from you in a while and I just felt like you'd moved on." She reaches down to her purse and pulls out a bundle of about five or six envelopes. On the top one I see written, 'RTS, no longer at this address'. It takes me a second to notice that it is in Krista's handwriting. I'm suddenly furious.

"I figured you'd moved and would write me, but I never heard from you again. I tried a few more times and gave up."

With clenched teeth I say, "that is my ex-wife's handwriting. She must have been intercepting those. She must have been doing the same thing to the ones I wrote to you. That fucking bitch."

"You had no idea."

"No. Why would I do that?"

"Well, you didn't exactly invite me to your wedding." I can see the hurt in her eyes.

"I was protecting myself and Krista. If you had shown up it would have caused a lot of problems."

"I wouldn't do that to you."

"I wasn't worried about you. I was worried about myself."

"I went out and got totally trashed that day. It wasn't my intention, but my girlfriends took me out and I started drinking. I had the worst hangover the next day. I called my mom and cried. By the next day I felt a lot better and decided to just move on."

Now I feel horrible. I got married almost five years after we broke up. "I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. My mom gave me updates and told me you had moved in with someone. I just assumed you'd gotten married by now."

"I did. He's a great guy, but he just never would commit to me. We talked about marriage, but he never did anything. I finally gave him an ultimatum and he ignored it. I broke up with him last summer and moved back here around Halloween."

"You've been home two months and I'm just finding out about it now? Why is that?"

"I asked your family not to say anything. After not hearing from you, I just assumed you were over me."

"I never really got over you. I still think about you. You were my best friend almost from birth. You were and are still very close to my heart. It upset me a great deal when I thought you had stopped forgotten about me."

Tiffany has tears in her eyes and I brush one away that is running down her cheek. The gesture surprises her for a moment. "So, you still think about me?"

"I'd be lying if I said it was all the time, but yes, I do think about you. A lot."

She throws her arms around me and hugs me tight. I realize she's crying and gently caress her hair till she calms down. When she stops crying she pulls away. "I need to wash my face, I'll be right back."

While I wait I look at the letters on the table. Each one has the same return to sender mark in Krista's handwriting. I find the last letter and stare at it for a long time. I look at the bathroom and then back at the letter. I guess I didn't realize how long I was staring at it because I hear Tiffany come up behind me.

"You can read it if you'd like." I look at her and hand it back.

"Tell me what it says."

"It says some hateful things. I was actually glad when I got it back unopened."

"Then why do you want me to read it?"

"Because it also says something that I'm afraid to say."

"Then read just that part and we'll burn it."

She finally sits down and opens the letter. She reads it once and then looks at me. "After a few paragraphs of cursing you I wrote one more short one." She takes a deep breath before reading them. "I'm sorry for everything that I wrote up to here and I hope that you forgive me. I still love you and always will. I'm sorry for whatever I did to push you away but I hope one day you will find your way back to me. Just having you as my friend will make my heart whole again."

She is crying again as she reads and I have tears in my eyes as well. I stand up and pull her to her feet, then wrap my arms around her and pull her tight. She hugs me hard and even as I try to let go, she hugs me even harder. She finally releases me but I don't let go of her. I look into her eyes and see hope.