Benji and Meredith

"I had a long chat with Dad one night over a few beers. I got him to open up about his Summer apart from Mum. He explained that they married very young and his Mum was worried about what she missed out on. Dad had often warned me about settling too young. It's one of the reasons I went for Jane and encouraged you to branch out. You know Jack loved you, don't you?"

"What? No way! Jack was lovely, but he wasn't you!"

"He told me when he was leaving that he had to go because he needed to get over you. He told me that you loved me and would never love him, and it broke his heart. You know friends with benefits don't usually stay the night and don't hold each other and stroke each other and kiss each other et cetera, et cetera!"

Jack had always been attentive to me. He'd squeeze my arm at work and was always extremely tender towards me. I had nothing to go on but compared to other dalliances later on with colleagues I could see his affection.

"So it's lucky you sent the flowers then!" I quipped. "Um, since Alice?" I left my question hanging purposefully.

"Since Alice, the girl I have loved has lived on the other side of the world. It took a few months for me to reach out to her again, but we have been texting and if her friend hadn't contacted me and told me that she talked about me all the time still and was so thrilled when I mentioned I was coming to visit..."

Benji's answer dropped off as I took his cheeks in my hands and kissed him. It was everything I had ever imagined a kiss to be, gentle, loving and tender.

"Meredith Louise Clarke, I have been an absolute fool for too many years to count, but I am sitting here with you about to embark on a European adventure and I need to tell you once and for all, I love you will all my heart and with all my being and I want to be your best friend and your boyfriend and whatever else we may grow towards and if we end up hating each other, which I don't think we will, then I will try and mend my broken heart, but I can't go on with my life without you."

I was sitting in Benji's lap by this stage kissing him with a passion that had built up over all the years.

"Oh Benji," I said between kisses, "This is going to be the best holiday. Did you make any reservations for tonight in the end?"

Benji laughed and told me he was too scared to. He had planned to declare his love for me on the train since before he left, but he did not plan for an outcome.

"I was still scared you'd say no, Dithy," Benji confided as we sat and watched the French countryside, "Although I seem to see your Dad and Eliza most weeks when the Jeep breaks down and they kept telling me you weren't seeing anyone, and Carole told me how excited you were, but until I heard it with my own ears from you then I wasn't going to believe anything."

"I can't believe you've still got that bloody car Benjamin, but if my kisses haven't told you already, I am so in love with you it is not funny."

We had both sat through French classes at school, but I suspect Benji just took them because I was in the same way I took woodwork for a term. Arriving at the station, we grabbed our bags and headed for the information desk.

"Um, bonjour! Nous voulons un hôtel romantique, mais nous sommes sans réservation. Et pas très cher." I said hoping the guide would understand my desire for a cheap romantic hotel that did not mind we had made no reservations.

The guide smiled and in perfect English told me that her brother ran a small hotel near the Eiffel Tower, and she would ring to see if the honeymoon suite was available. We both laughed, Benji reaching down to kiss me.

We caught a cab to the hotel and it was indeed romantic. Monsieur Lacroix was waiting for us and showed us to our room. He had sprinkled rose petals on the bed and included several other lovely touches. Benji and I argued in front of him as to whose card he was going to take to pay for the booking. I let Benji pay, but promised I was going to pay for dinner. After he left Benji laughed and told me we had gotten over our first argument as a couple. I loved the way he described us as a couple.

We were finally alone together. Benji took my hand in his and traced around the palm. He turned it over and kissed it. He then did the same with the other hand. My heart was racing. I pulled my t-shirt over my head and Benji gasped when he saw my breasts through my sheer bra. Benji's fingers traced down my neck and lowered the straps down my shoulders. He kissed me as he reached behind and undid the clasp. I shook myself out of my bra and Benji stood back.

"Wow, Dithy, you are perfect." Benji whispered as he brushed his fingers over my stiff nipples.

I removed Benji's shirt and ran my fingers through the curls that had grown on his chest. They were perfect. I could feel Benji's heartbeat as I laid my hand on it. I leant in and kissed it and ran kisses across his chest. We undid each other's jeans and they dropped to the floor. For the first time I reached over and felt Benji's cock. It was glorious. It was so in proportion to him. I reached under the elastic of his underwear and felt it and moaned.

"See what you've done to me, Dithy," Benji moaned.

"Benji, I've never had sex without a condom. My period ended a few days ago so I should be safe, but even if not, I'm going to have babies with you one day and if it is sooner rather than later, I'm willing to take that risk."

Benji was laughing as he gazed into my eyes. "You know I've never had sex without a condom either. Lots of girls told me they were on the pill, but I always wanted to protect myself."

We kissed and I tugged Benji's jocks down his legs. He did the same. Benji reached between my legs. "Fuck, Dithy, you are wet as!"

"I know, my love, I need you in me now!"

I lay on the bed and Benji kissed from my stomach to my mouth. We stared into each other's eyes as he edged towards me and my folds enveloped his cock. A tear escaped my eye because it felt so magical and so perfect. We found a rhythm and I could feel my orgasm building. I grabbed his gorgeous bum and pulled him as close to me as he could be.

"Yes, Benji, like that, baby, I'm so close..."

I have no idea what tipped me over the edge, but I could feel the world stop and pause for a second before my vaginal muscles started contracting. I was still pulling Benji close which was lucky as I'm sure the force from my orgasm would have shit him across the room. It was too much for Benji who moaned "Meredith!" as he shot his seed deep inside me.

Benji lay on top of me for several minutes kissing my face and neck. I could feel his cock deflating. Eventually he rolled off me and lay on his back gazing at the ceiling. I trailed kisses across his neck and chest until we simply lay together, our legs entwined, me draping myself across him.

"Dithy, I thought I'd had good sex before, but it was nothing like that." Benji disclosed.

"Mm..." I smiled, "That was next level."

We both dozed for a little and woke when we were getting cold. We dressed and set out to have a look around Paris. The Eiffel Tower was indeed in the neighbourhood and we walked towards it. As soon as it came into view we stood and kissed and Benji snapped a selfie capturing us. We knew it was the middle of the night in Australia.

We both had a family What's App discussion and we decided to add each other to our family's discussion and simply send the photo. We found a lovely bistro hidden down an alley and decided to dine there. The food was amazing, but the company simply added to it.

"Dithy, how long have your promised Edinburgh?" Benji asked over our shared Crème Caramel dessert.

"I only signed for a month, but verbally told them I hoped to be there for 6." I explained, "I need to be home for Eliza and Rod's wedding."

I had met Rod briefly before I left, and I was so happy that he and my sister were getting married. I had also had word a few weeks before that Adam and Suzette were expecting their first child.

"But Benji, I was thinking that I could email Edinburgh and promise to do that month and then head home because I don't want to spend six months apart from you- one month is going to be hard enough!"

"That's funny," Benji laughed. "I was thinking of emailing my manager and applying for an extra month's leave. I've got so much built up it shouldn't be an issue."

I leant over and kissed him. We sent our emails that evening when we got back to our hotel and had an early night. We had discussed a family during our walk and we both agreed that we got caught up in the passion of the moment that afternoon and whilst we would welcome a child together, perhaps now was not the time. I promised Benji that as soon as I returned to England, I would arrange to have an IUD inserted so we could again have condom free sex.

We made the most of our travels. Having a car was a godsend and enabled us to take strange routes to places and visit small country towns. We travelled through France down to Spain and Portugal and around to Italy. Three weeks was barely enough time and we felt we only scratched the surface in so many places. I did not believe our sex life could improve on our first time, but it did. To me, it was amazing how much different the sex was when there was a connection beyond the physical. I fell more and more in love with Benji as the days passed.

Benji had arranged for us to spend three nights in Paris at the end of our travels at Monsieur Lacroix's hotel. Edinburgh had accepted I would only spend a month there and Benji's boss was thrilled for him to take another month's leave. She also offered me a position back in the unit when I returned on the proviso I apply for a more senior role once I was back.

Our families were thrilled we were finally together. Benji's sister Isabel surprised me the most with her message telling me that she was so happy we finally worked things out. On our last night in Paris as the sun set and we finished making love yet again, Benji produced a ring he had carried from Australia. He did not need to ask a question because my kisses told him exactly how I felt. It was a stunning ring with rubies embedded inside the white gold. Benji argued infection control might even let me wear it on the ward and we laughed.

We rented a small bedsit in Edinburgh site unseen. Benji argued if it had a bed, we would be fine. On my days off we made several trips within Scotland and the North of England. We tried to live as frugally as we could but would enjoy the occasional luxury of dinner at a fancy restaurant or souvenirs that we knew would adorn our home. Benji was still living at home and had been saving for a house deposit. We worked out with our savings combined we had more than enough to place a deposit on a home and replace Benji's Jeep.

Carol and Terry drove us to Heathrow airport when we were finally heading home and promised they would come to Australia for our wedding. We were greeted in Australia by both of our families with everyone thrilled for our engagement. I had assured Eliza that our wedding would be a fair way off and hers was the big one to plan and she told me she did not care one way or the other as long as Benji and I were together.

We ended up having a quiet wedding. Neither of us wanted a big wedding and we had found an amazing older home that needed some work and wanted to put our money into it. As the sun set over the beach near our home, we exchanged vows with family present. Suzette and Adam's baby Candice cried, but we did not mind. I too was six months pregnant at the time. A huge housewarming party had been arranged and people arrived to discover it was also our wedding reception.

There was not a dry eye in the house when I told everyone they needed to find a best friend they could marry and proposed a toast to my handsome, accomplished and very sexy husband. As we lay in bed that night, Benji thanked me again for being so patient with him. I thanked him for setting me free but also reminded him I was now his forever.