Happily Ever After... Interrupted

It was a beautiful late fall day in Indiana, with the sun a bright auburn as it started its descent in the sky. Traci wanted to enjoy another sunset while sitting in the glider near the edge of the pond Jason had built about a quarter-mile from the house.

At 72 and suffering from Alzheimer's, Traci was extremely frail, yet she insisted upon walking the trail to the glider, of course holding on to Jason's arm very tightly. He let her pick her spot first on the glider and helped her sit, then he sat to her left.

It was crisp, maybe 32 degrees, and like she had done so often in the past 12 years, Traci snuggled into Jason's ribs, with her face against his chest, as he swung his right arm around her shoulders. The pair sat together silently for about five minutes before she looked up at him and said - in the voice that told him she was 18 again or thereabouts, "I love you, Jason."

He looked down on her smiling face, hugged her tighter to his body, and replied as usual, "You're not so bad yourself, Kid."

She snuggled in a nick tighter. "Mmmmm hhhhh..."

++++++++++

Growing up, Jason couldn't remember a time when Traci wasn't a part of his life. Their families lived two houses apart, and she was just two weeks younger than him. They were best friends from the time they were about 3, and remained that way through the "icky" years of farts and cooties. Traci gave Jason his first real kiss, and after waiting until they were both 18, they gave their virginities to each other.

Their parents were as happy with their children being close as they were: where you found one, the other was sure to be close by. Jason, an only child, was an older brother to Traci's sister, Katie, four years her junior. They were regular dinner guests at each other's homes. Through the years, others had tried to steal away one or the other as their own, but none was ever successful. From the time the two were 12, their mothers had joked that they were making wedding arrangements.

It might have gone on to be a great fairy tale come true for all except for college. Traci wanted to be a teacher, and was quickly accepted at the University of Southern Indiana in the southwest corner of Indiana. Jason wanted to earn a degree in engineering, and got accepted to Purdue University. Since neither was allowed by their parents to take their cars to college for their freshman years, the almost four hours of driving distance between them might as well have been the length of the country.

"This will be good for them. A little separation will let them see the world from a new vantage point," was the consensus from the parents.

Jason, however, wasn't convinced the parents were right. Traci was a beautiful girl, blonde hair, blue-eyed with a curvaceous cheerleader body. He knew his brethren; they were going to be all over Traci. He brought up the subject almost every day for the last two weeks before they both had to leave for school. Traci downplayed Jason's worries, however, right up until they night before both left for school.

The pair was eating dinner at Traci's house with her family when Traci spoke up.

"I don't think we should be exclusive to each other while we're away at college," she told him. "We need to get the full college experience, and I don't think we can do that if we're holding back because of each other."

Jason stopped chewing his food immediately and looked like he was going to throw up.

"Jase, are you OK buddy? You look like someone just shot your dog," spoke up Katie.

"Oh, come on, don't be a drama queen, for God's sake," said Traci's father, Allan. "You two will survive."

Jason sat stock still, while Traci continued.

"We'll be together like always when we're home, but when we're away at college, we'll both be free to date whoever we want. You'd get to go out with a different girl each weekend, if that's what you want. And what girl wouldn't want you? As long as you don't get carried away ..."

She purposely left the last part unfinished in front of her parents.

Jason was 6-1, 185 pounds of athletic muscle, with light brown, wavy hair and cool blue eyes. If not for being together with Traci, he might have been their high school's heartthrob. He was a star receiver in football and also earned letters in basketball and baseball. Many a girl in the Fort Wayne area would have been in the bidding for his attentions.

With everybody at the table staring at him, Jason finally found his voice, telling all concerned he was not on board with this plan.

"Whose genius idea was this?" he sarcastically asked.

"There's no need to go there, Son," replied Allan. "Why don't you just calm down and we'll see how this plays out."

Jason knew that with her father on her side, he was defeated. He didn't say another word for the remainder of the evening, and instead of the big good bye kiss Traci was anticipating when he left, Jason gave her a chaste peck on the lips and told her he would call her when he got to Purdue.

"It will be OK, Jason. You'll see. We'll be as good as we always were," Traci said as he left the Branches' home.

Jason's parents were watching TV in the family room when he got home. They could tell something was wrong the minute their son walked in the room. He huffed down on the sofa.

"The world end and somebody not tell us?" Jason's father joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"At least my world," Jason responded back. He then relayed the conversation he just had with Traci.

"A relationship is as much about trust and respect as it is about love, Son," Jason's father replied. If she trusts and respects you as much as you trust and respect her, this won't be a problem. Don't get crazy anticipating the worst."

"I do trust her, Dad. I just don't trust anybody else, and I won't be there to watch over her."

"If you love something, let it go, Jason," his mother started, repeating the old saying.

But Jason was having none of that. He jumped off the sofa and headed upstairs to his bedroom while his mother was finishing the thought.

Jason and Traci texted almost every day and talked several times a week in the first few weeks of college. Both dropped off after that, but Jason understood that as his college life became busier. He hadn't dated anyone on campus, though, and hoped in his heart the same was true for Traci. As both had the same five days off for Thanksgiving, he guessed he would find out soon enough.

Jason got back to his house about noon on Wednesday, and after checking in with his mother, made a beeline to Traci's house. He knocked on the door and walked in, as was the kids' habit at this point, only to find, Rose, Traci's mom, alone in the kitchen.

"She's not home yet, Jason. She had a couple of things to do before she left campus. I'll send her over when she gets in," Rose said.

Jason looked crestfallen as he walked the 50 yards back to his house. Traci never said anything about staying late on Wednesday.

Traci never made it over to the Arnolds' house on Wednesday. Jason waited until 9 on Thanksgiving morning to go back to the Branches'.

The Branches were in their family room when Jason walked in. He got the usual greeting from Traci's parents, but Traci didn't jump up and head over to him as he expected. In fact, at first glance she seemed to flush, took a quick look at her mother and looked down. Then she apparently remembered she should rise and greet Jason as the "boyfriend" he was, at least when Traci was home.

She pecked him gently on the lips, still never looking Jason directly in the eyes.

"Sorry about not making it over yesterday. I didn't get in until 11 last night."

Traci's parents peppered Jason with questions about life at Purdue. Traci didn't say much about USI, or anything for that matter, he noticed. Even when they held hands on the sofa for a bit, Traci seemed to be a little off, and Jason noticed there didn't seem to be the usual bit of electricity he always felt when they held hands. When he left a couple of hours later to go back to his house, Jason knew Traci was no longer his. For the rest of the few days off, the pair didn't even try to sneak away someplace private for sex, as they had been doing on a fairly regular basis before they left for college.

The text and calls picked back up when they got back to school, and Traci seemed more like her usual self during the Christmas break. Jason gave her a gold pendant that spelled "Love," and she insisted he put it on her immediately after giving him a kiss that was about as passionate as they were going to get in front of her parents. Later, at Jason's house, when Jason's parents went out to see a movie, the two went up to Jason's room and made love, as they had done several times since giving their virginities to each other. About halfway through the session, Traci disengaged and told Jason to lie back on the bed. He did so hesitantly, but when Traci climbed on top and sank down cowgirl, the sensations running to Jason's hard dick made him almost forget that this was something she apparently learned at college. Prior to going off to school, the pair had made love missionary and doggy only. The session quickly changed from lovemaking to fucking as Traci's arousal multiplied and she rode Jason to two orgasms, and when Jason finally came it was the strongest orgasm of his young life.

Flush from the moment, Jason was driven by lust, but as his dick softened he became acutely aware that Traci's pussy wasn't quite as tight as it had been. He made a mental note to himself that either she had been having a lot of sex with a lot of guys, or just a lot of sex with someone with a big dick. Neither thought made him happy.

As it takes women longer to cool down than men, Traci was still too wrapped up in her orgasms to notice the quizzical look she was getting from Jason. She was pretty sure he suspected that she was having sex while at USI, but since in her mind she wasn't being too brazen about it, she wasn't worried about repercussions coming from it. After all, that was part the deal that he agreed to, wasn't it?

Traci did note that Jason seemed to hold back just a little when they got home in the summer. For his part, Jason knew that things were never going to be the same for the couple. Upon reflection, he knew that if he dated other girls, they were going to have some history, too. It's just that their history would have been made prior to dating Jason, not making it while being away from him at college.

Summer came and went and both children took their cars to school for their sophomore years. But if Jason thought he was going to be spending more time with Traci, he got several unpleasant surprises. Most times when he asked her if he could drive up to see her she was busy with school work or some event, and as for her driving down to see him, four hours was an awful long drive for her, she noted. He ended up taking one trip to USI each semester, and the time spent together seemed forced - not to mention there was no sex on either trip.

After going without dating for his entire freshman year while away at school, Jason reluctantly decided that he needed to stop waiting on Traci and get on with life as she was doing. As Traci had predicted, he had little trouble finding willing dates ... and willing sex partners. After a while, he even stopped feeling guilty about going out with other girls.

Summer vacation saw Jason spending more time away from the Branch house. His absence was noted by Allan and Rose one night at the supper table.

"Jason's been working construction this summer," Traci offered. "Says he's dead when he gets home at night and has just been staying in."

"Well, I sure miss him!" Katie declared.

Rose and Allan shot looks at each other across the table. Traci seemed oblivious.

The pair was able to get together for sex several times during the summer. Most of those times it was Traci introducing Jason to what she assumed were new positions for him: Jason never gave her any indication otherwise, and the pair would have a rousing session of hard fucking. Then there was the night Jason turned Traci's world upside down by introducing her to oral sex. The pair was in Jason's bedroom as his parents had gone out for the evening, and were getting each other aroused with several passionate kisses. Jason then slowly stripped Traci out of her clothes, and after pulling her panties off, he made his way back up the bed to her bare breasts, where he started licking and sucking. After a few minutes of that, he licked his way down to her pussy, which was already leaking. He crawled to the bottom of the bed and put his head between her moist thighs, flicking gently at her pussy lips with his tongue. Traci gave a slight squeal, and then started to buck as Jason slowly started licking inside her opening. Lights flashed and her stomach knotted before a pleasurable burst erupted inside of her lower stomach and into her vagina.

Traci had no idea that she had just squirted on Jason's face, and the warm liquid running down his cheeks and mouth encouraged him into a full-on oral assault. He nibbled on her labia, licked slowly, then rapidly on her opening, then moved himself up to tease her clit with his mouth and tongue. After her fourth shrieking orgasm, Traci told Jason he needed to stop because she was too sensitive. At that point, he mounted her, put her legs up against his chest and fucked her as hard as he ever had. She had one final orgasm during the vaginal sex, then Jason came with a roar of his own, filling his condom full of seed.

"Somebody has learned some impressive new skills. I told you this would work out good for both of us," Traci said quietly as the pair laid together and cuddled.

Traci's head was buried in Jason's chest as she said this, so she never saw the look of disappointment on Jason's face.

About a month before both were to be back at their respective schools, Traci announced to Jason at the supper table at the Arnolds that she was going to be rooming with several friends in an off-campus apartment this coming year. Jason was surprised by the announcement, because Traci had never mentioned anything about it before that moment.

"How many people are going to be rooming with you, Dear," asked Jason's mother innocently.

"Two. Traci replied. "Friends from the dorm. We figured it was time for us to expand our horizons some and be on our own."

"Are your parents good with this, Trace? Do they know these other kids?" Jason asked.

"Oh yeah, Mom and Dad have met them several times in the past."

The last statement didn't go past Jason unchecked. He noted to himself that he had hardly ever seen Traci during the school year due to her busy schedule, and wondered how the Branches were able to be there "several times."

Traci left for USI two days before Jason was heading back to Purdue. He had stopped over at the Branches to say goodbye to Traci's parents and Katie. As the four were talking at the kitchen table, Rose noted that Traci had forgotten a milk crate full of record albums that was sitting in the hallway near the front door. Jason noted that he would be glad to take the albums over to Traci, then swing up to West Lafayette.

"That's a long ride just to give her some records. I'm sure she's got a radio down then, and she'll just have to listen to that, Son," Allan replied.

"Not a problem, Mr. B. Just give me her new address. I can find anything. It will give me a chance to check the place out."

Rose and Allan thanked Jason as they handed the albums to Jason along with Traci's address. He left the Branches' home a couple of hours later and went home.

Since he had a long drive ahead of him, Jason left for Traci's and then Purdue a day earlier than he had originally planned. Five hours later, he pulled up in front of Traci's apartment and rang the bell. When Traci answered the door, she looked as shocked as Jason expected her to look since he had not called to tell her he was coming ... except there was no smile and no joyful greeting when she saw Jason at the door holding her albums. Jason looked confused as Traci was wearing a robe at 3 in the afternoon, apparently having just gotten out of the shower.

Traci was stammering at the door as a tall, dark-haired guy wearing only a towel around his waist walked by in the background.

"Who's that at the door, Babe?" he questioned.

"No ... fucking ... body," Jason said with fire his eyes. He threw the crate on the ground at his feet, turned on his heel and walked off.

Traci just stood at the door, with her mouth opening but no sound coming out. Her companion came up behind her and rubbed his front along her backside, then readjusted his towel. Seeing the crate on the stoop, he opened the door, leaned over and picked it up.

"Shit! I'm a dead woman!" Traci hissed. "We don't have to worry about my parents or Jason finding out about us living together anymore."

Jason didn't remember much of the drive to West Lafayette. He cried for much of the first hour, then went into memory mode as he played back many of his life's scenes with Traci in them in his mind.

"Hey, your girlfriend has called here like six times now," Jason's roommate said when he got to his dorm room. "She sounded pretty desperate. Trouble in paradise, Romeo?"

Jason gave his roomie a sad look, then spilled on what he had seen just a few hours ago.

"Sorry man. What are you going to do?" his roommate asked.

"There's a party at the Delta house tonight. Thought I'd drink about 12 of their beers and see if that doesn't put me in a better frame of mind."

"I meant about the girlfriend," his roommate responded.

"Oh, her. Toast, bud. Toast. It took all my self-control not to use that crate as a lethal weapon. But neither of them is worth it.

"Let me call my parents and tell them I'm here safe, then we'll grab some food and brews if you're up to being my wingman."

"You know I've always got your back, man."

After getting dinner and drinking beer at the Delta house, Jason finally returned a call to his former girlfriend.

"I was getting worried about you," Traci answered as she picked up. "I was afraid you were going to do something stupid. Look, we need to talk ..."

"No, we don't need to talk," Jason interrupted, slightly slurring his words. "Talk is what we should have done before today. I saw everything I needed to see several hours ago. And I'm guessing that your parents didn't know about this either, or they wouldn't have let me drive down. At least from them I got some honesty and respect."

"Jason, look, we can still be together when we're home. This doesn't change anything,"

Traci started.

"The fuck it doesn't," Jason yelled into the mouthpiece of the phone. "You're obviously his girl now. I don't need seconds from you. You didn't show me one ounce of respect after all we'd been through, you bitch. Have a nice life."

The phone call from the Branches came two hours later.

"I'm sorry, Son," said Allan Branch. "We certainly thought we raised her better than that. I guess you were right, although I'm sure that's hardly any solace to you now.

"Don't close the door, Jason. I'm sure she'll come back to you once she gets her head on straight."

"Mr. Branch, I know you didn't know about this, so I don't hold anything against you guys and Katie, but as far as I'm concerned, I don't ever want her back. There's not enough love left in my heart to forgive what I saw today, and I'd never be able to trust her again. That's not the life I want for myself."

After another hour, Jason's parents called.

"Jase, I just got off the phone with Allan Branch, and I'd have to say that he's close behind you in outrage and shock over what Traci did. Don't hold it against the whole family, Son," Jason's father said.

"I won't, Dad," Jason replied. "But I don't want anything to do with that girl again. Nothing's ever going to be the same again, Dad."