Groupie (him)

"Yeah, let her in," he said, and the security guy masked his surprise relatively well.

Ted had a fleeting idea that he should praise the guy to the head of the staff, it had been right to ask, even as he normally didn't see anyone. He didn't know if he'd remember, he dealt so little with his staff nowadays.

It took awhile for her to get there and Ted spent the time going through his memories. It was all so clear, to his amazement he could remember it down to the smallest detail, including the conversations they'd had. He had a good memory and didn't forget much of anything, but this he hadn't remembered for a long time, and the vivid quality astonished him.

He remembered her now so well, how she had been when they made love, and it was a really good memory. She wasn't the only virgin he'd had back in his more active years, and maybe not even the last one of them, but it had been quite an unique experience.

The security guy let her in and closed the door behind her. They looked at each other across the room and smiled. She looked the same as in his memories, almost exactly the same. She was older of course but still very beautiful, she had the same long, dark hair, she was just dressed more of an adult way. As was he, come to think of it.

"Hello there," he said, friendly, he was surprisingly happy to see her. "What's your name?"

"Annabel," she replied.

"Hi Annabel, I'm Ted," he said and now she knew he remembered, and she laughed, heartily and delighted. He smiled at her.

"I know," she said.

"You want a drink?" he asked.

"Yeah I do," she said.

He poured them whiskey shots and they sat on the sofa, looking at each other, smiling.

"So, what did you want to see me for?" he asked, his eyes twinkling. He hadn't thought of reliving their earlier rendezvous but suddenly he did, and to his amazement he wouldn't have minded. At all.

"Oh my God," she said. "I just wanted to see you. Ask if you remembered."

"Yeah I do," he said. "You want the necklace back?"

He handed it back to her, she took it and said, "I'm sorry I stole this back then."

"Oh, I didn't mind," he said. "You're not the only one who has nicked memorabilia off me."

"No, can't imagine I am," she said.

"I haven't really done it in years anymore, though," he said.

"Having sex?" she said, smiling amusedly. He laughed, she was being cheeky and he liked it.

"No, this, meeting with the fans," he said.

"Yeah, no polaroids this time," she said.

"Oh right," he said. "I had forgotten about the polaroids. I saved yours. Lost it at some point, though. But you still look the same."

She smiled, he smiled back. It was somehow good to be with her, almost like meeting an old friend. She didn't relate to him like she had back then, she had been so timid and apprehensive, at least in the beginning, but she didn't relate to him like most of his fans did, either. This felt like she met him on a more personal level, more like an equal. There was something lingering between them, he couldn't quite grasp it.

"I've been wanting to thank you," she said seriously. "Of what you gave me that night. I've realized it afterwards, I had no idea at the time. I'd say you've influenced my life profoundly."

"Oh, you're welcome," he said. "I'm glad it worked out for you. It was a stupid thing to do, in hindsight, it could've gotten me into a lot of trouble if you had decided to like, sue me or something, so maybe I wouldn't do stunts like that anymore. Not that many young girls would want me to anymore, so I guess I don't have to be very wary of it."

"Yeah, but," she said. "Really. I had no idea, I would've settled for anything, and you made it just so perfect."

"It was good, wasn't it?" he said.

"Well, at least for me it was," she said.

"Oh it wasn't bad for me, either," he said. "Do you still doubt yourself?"

"I don't, that's the thing," she said. "And I think having that experience with you is a big part of what makes it so. I can't say how my life would've been without it, but it has really shaped me."

She showed him the bracelet she was wearing, took it off to show that it had the words "never settle" engraved inside, and she explained it was a family heirloom but the words were his. That the words he'd said to her afterwards, when he had almost fallen asleep already, had affected her so profoundly she had made it her motto. That his encouragement had sustained her all through her life.

He was touched, impressed, suddenly uncomfortable, and he had to joke a little to lift the mood. Get on a more superficial level of communication.

"You still cum like that?" he asked, eyes twinkling, and she answered, without missing a beat, "You wanna see?"

He laughed, genuinely amused. They looked at each other in some sort of mutual admiration and recognition. They clinked their glasses together and drank, and again he felt like she met him on some level not many people did, and he was interested now. He had been a little tempted to reenact their memory before, but now he was even more so, and what was more he was beginning to think she wouldn't mind, either.

So he smiled a small, crooked smile and asked, "So, what did you want to see me for?"

"I want to make love with you," she said and smiled back at him, radiantly, and he leaned closer and kissed her, his hand on her cheek just as it had been.

The kiss wasn't anything like it had been, it got quite heated quite quickly and when he broke off he said, "Oh, wow, you've grown up."

His voice was a little husky and she laughed.

"Yeah," she said, "I've learned a thing or two since we last met. Want me to show you?"

"Don't mind if I do," he said, smiling. "But not here, you wanna come to my hotel with me?"

"Don't mind if I do," she said.

And so he called for security to get him a car.

"Oh," he said after he'd ended the phone call. "I should probably have asked for some condoms as well. I really don't do this routinely anymore, I'm sorry."

"Well it turns out I can't get pregnant," she said, and their eyes met.

"Oh honey, you still shouldn't," he said, a smile flickering on his lips. "I might have a STD."

"Well, do you?" she asked and smiled at him.

He laughed, and they left for his hotel.

—#—#—#—#—#—

It was extremely good to make love with her. She still came easily and often, and now that she knew what she wanted and had a few tricks to do to him as well it was on a whole nother level. Nothing could replace the sweet fragility of her uncertainty, of course, or the thrill of getting to touch her like no one ever had, but it was still mind blowingly good. He'd had his share over the years but it had rarely been this good. With anyone. After they were finally through they cuddled, very gently and affectionately.

"You still smell the same," she said. "I love your scent."

"Isn't it like a sign of genetic compatibility or something?" he said. "Liking each other's scent?"

He liked hers as well, tried to remember if he'd told her that, couldn't remember. Couldn't think so clearly now that he was so satisfied.

"Yeah, fat chance for that," she said.

"Yeah, I'm sorry," he said, remembering she'd said she couldn't have kids.

"Oh, don't be," she said. "And you know, this isn't what I came for, I just wanted to see you and thank you, but this was beyond excellent."

"Yeah, it was," he said, "No regrets. How long ago it was? Twenty years?"

"Give or take," she said.

"Give and take," he said and she laughed.

"Maybe I'll search for you again in twenty years, huh?"

"Yeah, you do that," he said, warmly.

He held her, stroking her skin lazily, she was so warm and soft and feminine. Her skin was marvelous.

"You gonna nick something else off me this time?" he asked. "Steal off into the night?"

"Well I got the necklace back, so maybe I don't need to," she said. "Do you want me to go?"

He thought about it, still touching her skin. It had been awhile since he'd been like this with anyone, and in the past he had always preferred for the one night stands to leave before the morning. He didn't feel quite that way now.

"Well you can stay the night if you wanna," he said. "Can't promise you a rerun in the morning, though."

"We'll see about that," she said and he laughed quietly at the self confidence in her voice.

"Oh, baby," he said gently. "You've indeed grown up."

It was good to hold her in the dark, have her hold him, fall asleep together. It was nice to wake up with her, as well, and they did make love again, and it was slow and gentle and almost loving. She was still sensitized after last night and he made her cum so many times he lost count, and she was so spent afterwards she fell asleep again.

He held her close and thought about her. He felt a genuine compatibility with her, not just regarding sex, which was truly excellent with her, but something in the way she treated him hit him somewhere few people did. And yet he didn't know her or even anything about her, and he was too old to believe in fairytales, that he could just find someone and fall in love at the first sight.

He didn't want to think about love, it felt a little dangerous. He had a tendency to get on an emotional level when making love with someone, he was way beyond just satisfying his physical needs and even back in his promiscuous youth he'd wanted to feel something towards his partners, but now he didn't know what to do with this. So he kissed her forehead gently and got out of bed trying not to wake her up, called for breakfast and went to take a shower.

She slept on and he ate breakfast, looking at her sleep. She was adorable, nestled into his bed. He looked at the slope of her side from her shoulder to her hip, remembered how she'd touched him the previous night, and smiled. Something warm flickered inside him and he thought of asking her to come with him on his tour, asking if she would want to stay with him for a while.

The thought brought him to his senses. She probably had a life, a job, maybe a husband, or who knows, a wife? She hadn't told him anything about her life other than that she couldn't have children. But even if she didn't have anything to hold her down who would want to live like he did, like a gypsy, travelling from town to town year in and year out? No, it wasn't in his cards to have a relationship like that. And then he thought about the publicity, how all the trash magazines in the country would be delighted to try and get every juicy detail of them, of her, dragged into the light, and he definitely didn't want to expose her to that.

So he just searched for a pen and paper and wrote her a note, and when he remembered the one she had left him it was easy to come up with the words.

Annabel,

Thank you for everything.

I won't forget you.

Love, Teddy

No contact details, it wouldn't do neither of them any good to try to call each other or anything. And she did have the necklace, if she really wanted to reach him she had a way, and he didn't think he had a right to want to be the one to reach out.

He left the note beside her breakfast. And then he looked at her for a few minutes longer, just to try and imprint her loveliness so deep into his heart it wouldn't fade, and then he left the suite quietly.

—#—#—#—#—#—

She was gone when he returned a few hours later. She had understood his gesture and left, and it made him appreciate her and it made him feel lonely and sad. But she had left him a note as well, and beside it was her scarf, folded neatly on the table. He lifted it to his face and caught her scent off it, and it was marvelous, he just breathed it in for a minute before picking up the note.

Teddy,

I know you think you can't love who you don't know but I do love you. I'll leave you my scarf in case you want memorabilia this time around.

Thank you for everything. I'll see you in twenty years. I might be too old and wrinkly to recognize, but you'll know it's me, I'll be wearing your necklace, and hopefully not much else by the time we're done.

Love, Annabel

To have her write about love wrenched his heart. He was now really unsettled by how strongly she made him feel, how deep into him she had gotten all of a sudden. But the way she had finished the note made him laugh, somehow she managed to turn it all good again.

He'd be waiting for her in twenty years.