Homesick Halloween

The burning Roman Candles in the background, turning into loud explosive rockets illuminating the entire night sky, summed up his emotions.

Chad hesitated. Was this just because Ellie had indulged in a second mug of mulled wine? "Is this a really bad idea?"

"Don't ask me. Most men I pull seem great at first, then turn out just to want some totty on tap. Just want sex when they want," she clarified. "Getting to know you as a mate, already... it's got to be better, right? I mean, I know you know how to wash up and all. A proper tidy chap, you are." He recalled she used 'tidy' as a general compliment.

"I'm not that kind of asshole." Though he had to concede he had been. "I like you, hanging out with you..."

He held her head to take another kiss. Her mouth was as soft and sweet as he'd imagined.

"Going out with me?" She seemed more reticent than ever.

"Do you mean actual going out somewhere like we've been doing, or do you mean dating? I get so confused..."

"I'm not sure how you quite translate. Dating, I think? Um. Put it this way, if we go outside to watch the rest of the fireworks, can I lure you back into my room afterwards? Repeatedly?"

"I should think so." Chad smiled. Then he laughed, all the tension of wondering about her feelings having finally left him. "Aren't you supposed to invite me to come up to see your tissue samples, or something?"

The landlord's display was impressive for a back yard, but the best bit was making it back inside without anyone seeing.

Ellie had taken Chad's hand and firmly led him upstairs. She might sound quiet and sweet, but she was a determined woman when she wanted to be.

Chad wasn't objecting. Her bed, which she led him to, was large and comfortable. He'd never thought he'd feel that way, but he was enjoying simply hanging out with Ellie, hearing her tales of history or lab drama or politics, increasingly with kissing and a gentle touch involved.

"I'll confirm the position with Sandy, before we make too many plans." By plans, she clearly meant sex.

"You're too sensible." But he agreed. If it turned out he couldn't live near her for the next few years, might it be better not to know how she'd feel?

"I've been too reckless before. So far, this is all right, isn't it?"

He couldn't deny it, but wasn't going to face the temptation of a night in her bed. After another hour or so of snuggling and kisses, he reluctantly pulled himself away.

"Good night." He crept back to his room before Liz could notice.

Liz noticed on Sunday morning, though, when Chad and Ellie kept giggling and grinning at each other, and quickly holding hands when they thought she couldn't see.

"Oh, finally! Couldn't have waited another week so I'd win my bet with Rachel, could you?"

He didn't go to Ellie's room that day, holding off, reading in the lounge while she went out shopping.

By Monday, not seeing her in the morning, he was fearing it was all going horribly wrong. Then he received an email.

Ellie had forwarded him the reply from Sandy at Yale. 'Congratulations on your fellowship! Great to have you on board. Put our lab down as your host, and apply for your visa by Christmas. Looking forward to having you on the team. Now get back to writing up your fucking thesis, woman!'

She'd added, 'See you when I get home?'

It had been one of those days -- he'd had to repeat a process and spend an extra two hours in the lab -- but finally he'd made it back to the house.

"There's still stew from the weekend," Liz said. He blessed her habit of batch cooking, and microwaved himself a meal.

Ellie came to sit next to him. "Eh, let's have a cwtch."

He knew that word. An affectionate hug, basically, but also exuding Welshness into anyone who might receive one.

She smiled, and suddenly his exhaustion vanished into their cuddle. The world was a better place.

When Liz wasn't looking, Ellie gestured with her head towards the stairs. A tiny mischievous smile lit up her face.

Chad blushed. Her intent was obvious. Well, her wanting him in her room was obvious. Beyond that... Who knew?

He had to remind herself that Ellie might be softly-spoken and sound sweet and innocent, but as Rachel had helpfully informed him, "Don't worry. Her mind is filthy!"

After his sexual drought and the angst over escaping Jenna, Chad wasn't sure he would be filthy enough. Or in general. He took a deep breath.

He'd have to relax and play it by ear, like he did every day in this still-foreign country.

At least being in a bed with a willing woman couldn't be too different, right?

It turned out, it was very different. Not because of the Atlantic divide, but because when Ellie had nudged him to lie on the bed, she'd remained standing as she removed her glasses, her hair tie, and then all of her clothes.

He'd never seen most of her body before. Being small, her bath towels wrapped around her obscured her effectively from breasts to knees when she emerged from the bathroom. He'd imagined, especially over the last few days, building a picture in his imagination, extrapolating from the sight of her delicate shoulders...

Now, he was amazed. She'd always seemed a bit shy, but this gorgeous naked woman -- now smiling at him with the same closed lips as so many times, but this time clearly backed up with confidence and intent...

The big difference from any of his previous experience was merely that she wasn't expecting him to be anything he wasn't. Ellie knew he was just Chad, a regular guy, not buff, not really into sports, who liked geeky stuff like museums and books, worked hard, who whined about the alarm clock in the mornings -- and knowing all that, she still liked him and had lured him into her bed.

Which made her the sexiest woman he'd ever seen. Even before she'd taken all her clothes off.

She broke his admiring silence. "Aye-aye, love. Get your kit off!"

She approached to assist with his buttons. Suddenly, his hands were trembling.

"Don't be nervous. It's only me," she told him.

"I know. More excited than nervous. Don't want to get ahead of myself, you know?"

"Hey. We've got all the time in the world. Save a few things for when I come to America, right?"

His heart sank a little.

"Oh no!" She crawled into the bed and came to speak in his ear. "I want to be having proper full-on sex long before that!"

Chad groaned in relief and anticipation.

She smiled as she ran her fingers down his bare chest, which she'd seen but never been able to touch.

"Mm. Proper lush." Another phrase he didn't understand, but clearly some sort of endearment. "I just meant, if the first attempt is over a bit quick, then we've got time for a couple more goes tonight..."

A naked woman who understood nervous male anatomy. He glanced to see if a genie had appeared, to have granted his unconscious wish.

"Oh, please..." He didn't care if he sounded like he was begging her.

She carried on murmuring as she undid his pants. Trousers. Then she reached his pants, underneath.

Her small hand stretching over his cloth-covered cock, her eyes gazing into his, was the sexiest thing he'd ever felt.

Within a moment he realised they would need him to recover before having those couple more goes.

Wordlessly, they removed his damp clothing until he too was butt-naked. Every touch of her hands, where they'd never been before, felt electrifying. Then they noticed it was a cold mid-November night and hastily dived under the thick warm comforter -- duvet, he recalled, extra fluffy with a washable cover. That feature seemed useful, as they snuggled together, cosy, beneath it. Just lying there, skin to skin, seemed enough for the moment.

Ellie's fingers stroked up and down his back. Chad rested his hand on the glorious curve of her butt, all warm and squeezable in his palm. She kissed him again.

It seemed enough, for now. Knowing they'd already planned a future, as far as Ellie coming to America in four or five months' time, took the urgency away. They were already living together; any night could be a date night.

Chad couldn't believe it, but while he was dying to know what it would be like, to have his cock slide inside Ellie's sweet lithe body, he wasn't desperate to do it immediately. Not when there was so much else to explore.

Her legs were as smooth and soft as her ass, her back and front of her torso likewise, and as for those neat little breasts...

"Delightful," he murmured, moving his mouth and a hand to pay them the attention they deserved.

"They're kinda small..." she demurred. Presumably Rob or Steven or one of the other dickheads hadn't appreciated them properly.

"Fit perfectly under my hand. Mmm. Gorgeous. Don't you listen to anyone who told you otherwise."

She seemed only partly reassured. Her hand fluttered as she reached towards his groin.

"Seriously. You know they say 'more than a handful is a waste'? I'm not going that far, but you... Your... You're gorgeous, beautiful, and these lovely breasts are yours."

He'd started using the word 'lovely' since living with her.

Another smile, another long, slow, tender kiss. Chad got the impression this relationship might be like barbecue -- cooked long and slow, for extra deep and rich flavorsome penetration...

It wasn't just that which got him thinking it. Ellie's hand was wrapped round his cock, now, smaller than any he'd had there before, but reaching all the right spots.

Again she seemed nervous, but spoke. "You might think I'm going too fast. Wanting too much. But we've made it this far and I just really want to fuck you. Please?"

It was the 'please' that had him coming, again. This was getting ridiculous, but she wasn't running away...

"Oh, yes, please, as soon as I'm hard again..." That was the easiest question ever. He didn't think Ellie could ever be asking too much. Especially when she ducked her head down, to try to get him hard as fast as she could.

She then emerged from the bedding again, using her hand to get him properly ready, and spoke in his ear.

"Thing is, I like quite a lot of sex. A good three times a week, ideally."

"Good...?"

"Some guys think that's too much intrusion on their things with their mates..."

"Hey, we've got the job to do. I do stuff, sure. But surely we could both get home late, cuddle a bit, and..." He was a bit embarrassed to use the phrase, but it felt right -- "Make love a while?"

She seemed near tears. He added, "You'll be stressed, writing up the thesis, prepping for your defense. If I can take you to bed and distract you a few times a week, that sounds good, right?"

A sniff as she raised her deep brown eyes to his, then kissed his shoulder, sucking a love-bite into view.

Chad glanced down at the reddening hickey.

"You've marked me. I guess I'm yours."

"Good." Her happy smile pushed any tears away. "Are you ready, love? Now, in a minute?" She ducked down, to check with her mouth.

Pushing her away was incredibly hard, but he wanted her to get some pleasure, too, now. He swung round to lie on top of her, carefully, though her smaller body wasn't going to break.

"Hell, yes."

It was all he'd dreamed of. Tight, warm, all the usual sensations that made sex great, but made special because of their emotions.

They held each other close again, after. Ellie still seemed a bit worried.

"I mean, I like different positions -- and I really like having a man go down me... and I play with myself, sometimes even after sex..."

Chad put a finger on her lip, then kissed her.

"That all sounds hot. Partly because it's you. Show me, sometime."

"You don't think I'm too demanding? I mean, if you don't like taking me from behind, I understand..."

"Are you wanting swinging and lesbian orgies?"

"No!" She chuckled. "I turned Rachel down. Several times."

"Or whips and chains and... whatever else goes with those?"

"No. Really. I'm totally vanilla, I think -- Rachel's mentioned all the options she could think of. Just, I like to think, high-quality vanilla in large quantities?"

Again that nervous expression, which he rushed to reassure away.

"Then I think we'll work out just fine, hon." He thought. "When you say from behind, do you mean doggy-style or up the ass? Important distinction, there."

Ellie blushed, the scarlet glow washing over her freckles. "Doggy. Not dogging! You know, when people shag in cars in the woods so others can watch?" She gave a weak laugh. "The other... Well, I've tried it, but it wasn't great."

Chad snorted. "Given your inconsiderate exes, I'm not surprised! But that's something for a long time in the future, maybe -- yeah, I've tried it, it wasn't great either. Right now... What would you like? Y'know, I just got to taste you..."

He did his best to demonstrate that he was, if no expert, very willing to pull his weight in providing oral sex.

Ellie tasted glorious.

Her moving and squeaking was even better.

Her perfect round ass, exposing engorged pussy lips dying to be fucked?

Outstanding.

Quiet Ellie screaming, as she came from him thrusting balls-deep inside her, as she rocked back against him in equal glee?

The sexiest thing he'd heard in his life.

He knew they had matching giant grins after that, as they lay in each others arms.

Chad never slept in his own room again.

Ellie claimed it saved on heating costs during that cold, damp English winter.

Liz was persuaded not to mention anything, give them a couple weeks before the institute gossip network really got going. Only Ellie and Chad were useless at hiding their feelings at work, so someone told Rachel the next day. Liz paid the tenner over, and firmly told Chad and Ellie they were paying for that week's takeaway.

"Have you told your family yet?" Liz asked Ellie one night.

"About the fellowship? Of course I have! They'll miss me, but really, Connecticut isn't that much further than London, if I'm not going to be local."

"I meant..." Liz tilted her head in Chad's direction.

Ellie blushed. "Given we've lasted over a month, it's looking good... I suppose I should."

Chad tried to ignore the torrent of excited Welsh on the phone, but words like 'Chad', 'bloody hell' and what sounded like 'American-eth' made it obvious they were discussing him.

"Chad! It's my mum, can you speak to her? Tell her about Thanksgiving! What you eat, and all."

"Hello?"

His nerves vanished under the torrent of being told how lovely it was he'd got together with Ellie and would be there in America when she went over, lovely. Ellie's mum apologised for her rusty English even before he could apologise for difficulty understanding, but truth was, he was decoding the accent just fine. He tried to answer cookery questions, but that was unimportant given her family seemed quite content to meet him in due course.

He didn't have to worry about cooking, in the end. Shannon informed him she'd provide; he just needed to find eight chairs to fit round their dining table.

Two weeks later, Chad looked round the table, which was groaning with food in the appropriate manner. A roast turkey, what Shannon called dressing -- she claimed him and the Brits calling it 'stuffing' sounded frankly rude -- a roast ham, potatoes -- the locals insisted on saying 'mash', which he'd gotten used to -- cranberry relish, the candied sweet potatoes like his Grandma used to make.

Green beans, gravy -- the locals called it bread sauce or white sauce, while insisting on calling some brown stuff made from powder, gravy. He'd found a bakery selling a pecan pie, Shannon brought apple pie, Ellie had made another bloody pumpkin pie -- her phrasing was rubbing off on him -- because she actually liked the creamy filling.

Liz and Paul, Rachel and Emma, Shannon and Mike, and of course Ellie. And a proper meal. It might not be his family from home -- he'd call them all, later -- but he'd found a good chosen family to spend this 'random Thursday evening' with.

Chad raised his glass."Happy Thanksgiving!"

"Cheers!"

"Happy Thanksgiving!"

"Lechyd da!"

"To absent friends!"

"Up your bum!"

"Sláinte mhath!"

"Happy Thanksgiving!"

He noticed Liz and Rachel glancing at each other. Mischievously. "What is it now?"

"Well, you know how you're going home for the Christmas holidays, so you won't get a proper Christmas dinner here?"

It was true -- everyone had told him the country shut down from Christmas to New Year, so he was going to visit his family from mid-December.

"And you said you didn't know what Christmas crackers were? So, like, any excuse, big gathering round the table..."

They handed round gaudy cardboard tubes to everyone, all red and gold foil, tied tight a quarter-length from each end.

"Hold that. No, the end bit, grip it tight. Now pull!"

He held on while Liz yanked the cracker away from him. There was a loud bang. Chad was left with the majority of the cardboard.

"Come on, put your hat on. What's your prize, and read us your joke."

Chad put the charming tiny set of screwdrivers aside and read from the slip of paper. "How does Good King Wenceslas like his pizzas?"

"I don't know, how does Good King Wenceslas like his pizzas?" chorused the rest of the table.

"Deep pan, crisp and even..."

There were forced comedy groans.

"Now, your hat!"

After all the crackers had been pulled -- the jokes only got worse -- and all the prizes played with -- the fortune-telling red fish had been fun, he'd apparently experience 'Passion' over the next year -- they'd argued as to what toppings were appropriate for dessert.

He'd phoned home after that, before he got too drunk.

"Mom! Happy Thanksgiving! We had a wonderful dinner. You're still eating yours? We had to wait until after work. But you wouldn't believe it! This English girl poured a can of evaporated milk over the apple pie! And the other one had hot yellow custard sauce... Yeah, I had mine à la mode, but they do this extra heavy cream -- they call it double cream -- that's good too. But, wait for it -- they brought these Christmas Crackers as I won't be there for Christmas. So we all ate Thanksgiving dinner wearing colored tissue-paper crowns!"

He promised to send the photos.

"How are you?" his mom asked. "We all miss you, honey, but we can't wait to see you. Only a few weeks now!"

"I'm good. It's still different, even when you least expect it, but you know? It's all okay. I'll be fine."

He squeezed Ellie's hand. "More than fine."

Getting Thanksgiving wrong was in fact, with Ellie by his side, perfectly right.