Abby's Christmas Romance

The quaint, little kitchen rang with the sounds of laughter and music. The walls were a warm yellow, rustic nick-knacks and festive decorations lined the cupboards and shelves. The windows looked out onto the pitch black Devon countryside.

Despite the joyful atmosphere, anxiety gripped Mike. It wasn't unpleasant; the stress was mixed with excitement, like waiting in line for a rollercoaster. He'd felt that acute niggling since he and his fiancée parted ways the day previously in London Paddington, after the hour-long train ride together from their home in Huntingdon. His fiancée Abby was spending Christmas day with her parents, and she'd be joining Mike and his family in Devon for New Year's Eve.

"Oh I just can't wait to see Abby again! It's such a shame she's not here for Christmas." Chimed Mike's mum Angela, "She had me in stitches last time she was here!" His sister Maggie and brother-in-law Pierre nodded in agreement, Abby was often the life and soul of any gathering.

"She's a card, isn't she?" Grinned Mike.

"What's she doing tonight?" Maggie, enquired. Mike's heart skipped a beat.

"She's with her folks in London." The lie came easily, she was in London at that moment, but about an hour away by tube from her parents.

"I can't wait to visit her house, it looks gorgeous." Angela was a fan of Georgian architecture. Mike thought back to the summer when he was there with Abby for a family barbecue, he'd loved the way the sunlight played in her long, brown curls and along her silky-smooth legs.

"I bet she has a nice, big bedroom!" Pierre chuckled.

Mike smiled, "Yeah she does, she has a four-poster bed!" they all laughed. This was true; Mike had carefully tied Abby's wrists and ankles to those four posts many times, he grinned at the memory.

"Who's her new friend?" Pierre asked "I saw on Instagram she was with some man in a pub." Pierre passed his phone to Mike.

Abby and Alex smiled at Mike through the screen, the photo had been taken last night in the pub closest to Alex's flat. Abby's crystalline blue eyes were framed by her black glasses and her familiar red beret was perched on top of her head. Abby's friend had a handsome smile, friendly blue eyes and a shock of messy blonde hair on his head. He had his arm around Abby's shoulders, their faces were almost touching.

Subtle, Mike thought. Then truthfully, he said, "That's Alex, he's an old mate of hers from when she was teaching in Thailand, they met up last night for a few drinks."

"Handsome chap, I'd keep an eye on that if I were you!" Maggie was only half-joking.

Angela adjusted her glasses as she examined the picture, "You're very trusting of her, aren't you?" Angela added "I'd hate if Andy was spending time with a pretty woman, I'd worry he was cheating."

"Chance would be a fine thing!" Andy, Mike's stepdad quipped from the doorway.

Angela laughed "You bastard!", he walked over and gave her a kiss.

Thankfully for Mike, any more talk about his fiancée was abandoned due to Andy's exciting entrance. Chat turned to Maggie and Pierre's recent trip to Croatia. Abby hadn't texted for a few hours, and he knew full well why. He sent her a quick WhatsApp, just to check in.

~

Three hundred miles away, Abby's phone buzzed on the bedside table as it received Mike's message. Abby didn't notice.

"Oh fuck yes!" She breathed, arched beneath Alex, her fingers threaded through his hair. He moaned in ecstasy and kissed her again; their tongues and lips massaged each other. The dim light shone against her silky legs as they wrapped around his back, her toes curled in delight and their skin slid together as they moved in rhythm, his penis stirred inside her. Sweat glistened on his muscular arms and his hips ground deliciously against hers.

The soft, acoustic music Alex had chosen contrasted with the sounds of their urgent lovemaking. Abby's breaths were short and sharp at his movements. The room was mostly taken up by his small bed. It was cosy and warm, as Abby had found out the night before.

"Do you wanna go on top?" Alex breathed quickly.

"Yeah." She whispered. Alex slid out of her and lay on his back. As Abby got up, her eyes flicked to her lit up phone. Without her glasses, she could just make out it was a message from Mike, her fiancé. She didn't feel as though she was in much of a position to answer it. She straddled Alex and he felt her melt over him. She gyrated her hips, stirring his penis inside her. The music softly lulled in the background. His hands slid over her breasts and down her tight stomach. Their bodies intwined on Alex's sweat-soaked bed.

The Day Before

It was the Friday before Christmas and Paddington Station was heaving with people rushing to get home for the holidays. Mike and Abby stood holding hands and saying their farewells, it would be a week until they saw each other again. Mike was heading onward to Exeter for Christmas with his family, and in twenty minutes Abby would be meeting Alex.

"So, are you going to be a good girl for Alex?" Mike asked, smirking.

"No." Abby laughed, mock incredulous "What do you take me for?".

Mike laughed, "You look amazing, Alex is going to think all his Christmases have come at once."

"He won't know what's hit him!" She winked, "Seriously though, thanks for letting me do this, it's the best Christmas present a gal could ask for." She said it in her classic 1920's accent, it was one of those habits Mike loved about her. They hugged.

"As long as I'm you're number one."

She kissed him "Always."

~

Twenty minutes later Abby sat in Cafe Nero sipping a latte, her eyes sparkled with excitement. The illicit nature of what she was doing was thrilling to her; she felt like she was having an affair, but with permission. She'd just kissed her finance goodbye, and she was about to meet her new lover. She felt a rush of gratitude towards Mike for letting her do this. She still had to keep it from her parents of course, her mother could be particularly nosey. She'd asked her friend Kat to cover and say they were together, just in case.

And there he was, striding into the cafe. His head turned as he tried to spot her. Abby hadn't seen Alex since their farewell party in Thailand just under a year ago. He was taller than she remembered, and he looked very dashing in his long coat. His straight, fashionably messy, blonde hair had recently been cut and he had a little stubble. He looked gorgeous. She stood and approached him, grinning ear-to-ear.

Abby looked even better than Alex remembered. Her stunning blue eyes were shining as he approached her.

Alex's primary memory of Abby was of her in her bikini on Koh Chiang. In his recollection, she was pretty trim with a subtle six pack, her beautiful, long wavy hair fell around her shoulders to the small of her back, her skin bronzed by the sun. She was looking out to the endless blue sea, the light reflecting in her sunglasses. She'd been off limits at the time (not because of Mike, but that's another story), but Alex had never really forgotten her in that bikini. He would've liked to have had some private time with Abby, but he never in a million years imagined he'd actually get a chance. He'd never met Mike, but he wanted to kiss him, or actually, maybe just buy him a pint.

"Hello stranger." Alex said.

"Hello yourself." Abby replied. Their lips met; their kiss turned passionate almost by accident.

"Our first kiss!" Abby beamed.

"Oh yeah, so it is!" Alex laughed at the immediate escalation of their encounter. "I'll just get a coffee, do you want anything?"

For the next half-hour, Abby and Alex caught up on his life in London and hers in Huntingdon. They shared news of their mutual friends from Thailand and reminisced about old times. As they chatted, Alex's hand found her thigh under the table and she interlaced her fingers with his, a wicked grin on her face.

The new lovers walked hand in hand to the tube station that would take them to Alex's local pub. The couple entered 'The Black Horse' soon after, Alex bought Abby a glass of wine and got himself a pint. The pub was electric with festive revellers, a group of office workers all in Santa hats were drunkenly singing Mariah Carey. Luckily, Alex managed to grab them a secluded booth.

"This feels so naughty!" Abby chuckled over the sound of the chatting revellers. "I feel like I'm having an affair." She slid onto the bench; a candle burned on the table between them.

"I feel a bit like you're cheating too." Alex sipped his pint and smiled at her "it feels, I don't know... risqué, aren't you worried someone you know might see you?".

"A bit, but it adds to the thrill, darling." As Abby said it, Alex felt an intense attraction to her, he would've had her on pub table if he wasn't fairly certain it would get them kicked out.

Alex also felt an intrigue towards Abby and Mike's relationship; he couldn't personally imagine letting his partner sleep with other men, but he obviously didn't mind that Mike was that type of guy.

Later that night, on the other side of London, Joan, poured herself a cup of green tea and wondered what her daughter and Kat were up to. She walked from the kitchen into the high-ceilinged living room, her husband, Tom, was snoring on the sofa. She felt resplendent in her comfiest dressing gown and cast her eyes proudly at their Christmas tree. Her long, grey hair reflected the flickering lights. She'd outdone herself this year, she couldn't wait for Abby to see, it was a pity Mike wasn't coming.

She let herself collapse onto the sofa, picked up the remote and pointed it at the TV. She watched a few minutes of a 'QI' Christmas special then decided to call Abby. She plucked her iPhone from her dressing gown pocket.

"Hello darling! How are you?" Joan chimed, looking at her husband, an earthquake wouldn't wake Tom.

"I'm fine Mum." Abby sounded a little breathless, Joan thought.

"Are you okay? You sound out of breath, have you just got back from a run?" As far as Joan was aware Abby liked to run occasionally.

Abby paused "Er, no ha-ha I just...ran upstairs to get my phone. I'm at Kat's, remember?"

"Yes darling, I remember." Something nagged at Joan, but she couldn't put her finger on it. "What time can we expect you on Christmas Eve?"

Joan and Abby continued chatting for five more minutes before ringing off. As Joan replaced her iPhone in her dressing gown pocket, it hit her: Kat didn't have a staircase, she lived in a flat.

~

The call with her mother had made Abby acutely aware of her nudity. She put her phone in sleep mode, placed it back on Alex's bedside table and thanked the heavens her mother hadn't wanted to video call. The only person she wanted to see her breasts tonight was Alex.

"Sorry, she has the worst timing." She smiled in the dim light. His cramped but tidy room was warm, comfortable and lit with fairy lights. It was quite romantic. She sat on the side of his bed, he lay behind her, under the duvet.

"It's no problem." Alex shrugged. She snuggled back under the covers with him, their naked bodies entwining. They kissed.

"That, was some lovely sex." Abby purred, running her fingers through his hair. "Our first time, too."

"I can't wait to see what other 'firsts' we have." He grinned hungrily at Abby. "I think you're bloody gorgeous, you know."

Abby smiled "The feelings mutual, handsome." She yawned "I'd better call Mike before I fall asleep." Her muscles ached sweetly, and she didn't want to move from Alex's muscular embrace, but she wanted to keep Mike updated.

To be continued...