Old Friends & New Possibilities Ch. 1

"When you come back, park on the street. I don't want mom dropping in for coffee in the morning." Jenny said as she rushed to Tom's side to give him a lingering goodbye kiss. This kiss was more passionate than their other kisses because it was the first kiss they both wanted to give. Jenny's body melted into his as the tender kiss grew in passion and intensity and culminated with their tongues dancing. Jenny broke the kiss and held Tom at bay as her breath heaved with the passion he had stirred up while her sinful desires smoldered.

"Now go before you ruin all my plans." Jenny said as she ushered Tom out the door.

Jenny locked it behind him to prevent her from dragging him back in there. She could barely control herself and could hardly believe how hot he got her from only a kiss. Just then she was mere moments away from pouncing on him like a lioness on the prowl, and that would not do to be sure. She wanted to be sure that perusing Tom was the right thing to do before giving herself to him completely. She needed to know if they could see each other in a romantic light and be comfortable with it. Were they too set in the established patterns to change them now? Could Tom accept her as an equal and allow her to be the girlfriend or even wife she wanted to be, without trying to father her? A thousand questions needed to be answered to quell the agitated butterflies in her stomach, but now was not the time. Now was the time to get things ready for the evening she had planned for a long time now. Finally she would spend a special evening with the man she has wanted for far too long now. Butterflies or not she needed to see this evening through or regret it for the rest of her life.

Tom sat in the dark theater barely noticing the movie that he had paid good money to see. His mind wandered and reviewed the events that lead him to his current dilemma. Where had he gone so wrong? What could he have done to avoid the current mess? Why did he have to betray his oldest and dearest friends for a chance at happiness? Why would he have to break the heart of the one woman he treasured more than life itself to do the right thing? Either way his heart was sure to get trampled on the only question was whose heart to hurt along with his own?

He could not even figure out what he really wanted, everything was so cloudy and murky. Right and wrong were no longer black and white anymore. All he saw was a thousand shades of gray as he tried to pick the lesser of the two evils. Could he really be certain of her feelings? What if it was just a childhood infatuation that she never let go of? How could he take advantage of her and lead her on if he could not be assured of either of their true feelings? He was the older and supposedly wiser one, he had guided her through so many challenges before and now was no different. He knew he had to do the thinking for both of them, somehow do the right thing by everybody or at least by the two of them.

When he got back to the apartment after taking the long way home he noticed a note taped to the door telling him to knock. It felt quite odd to knock on the door of his own apartment but the evening was in her hands for now, so he knocked. A moment later the door barely opened and Jenny silently handed him a sleeping mask. Obviously she intended him to use it as a blindfold and once more, against his better judgment he complied then awaited his fate. He could hear the door open and felt her feminine hand take his and she guided him to what he guessed was the back of the apartment. As quickly as it started the trip was over and he the blindfold was whisked off and a door closed behind him. It took but a moment to realize that he was in the bathroom. Before him he could see a complete outfit laid out for him: black shoes, black dress pants, gray silk shirt and dark tie that he did not recognize.

"Shower, change and knock again when you're ready." Jenny said from behind the closed door.

Before long Tom had showered and was ready for the odd evening to continue. He hoped that it would not continue in a similar cryptic fashion as it was already the oddest evening he could remember. He knocked and hoped to be let out but again the door opened just enough for the blindfold to be handed back to him. He could see and eye peering through the crack watching his next move. Without a word he put the blindfold back on and was once more led out of the apartment. He took off the blindfold and looked around wondering what was next in the peculiar chain of events. After a moment of no more surprises he knocked once more on his own apartment door and this time it was opened and he was graciously ushered in.

"Sorry about blindfolding you but I had hoped to have my own place before doing this." Jenny said apologetically and looked down at her feet. Tom could see that it was harder for her than it was for him. She was in the same evening dress she wore for her birthday the week before. Although it was a fine dress, for Tom it brought back bad memories, it was the dress that killed his little sweetie. It was the dress that triggered this whole strange crisis and tension between them. Because of that dress he no longer saw her as a little girl and innocent child but a desirable woman.

Tonight however, she was somehow more breathtakingly beautiful than she had ever been before, she was positively radiant. In a word she was the perfect picture of stunning splendor and nobody on heaven or earth could hold a candle to her beauty at that moment. Tom was momentarily speechless by her beauty but could see that she was still nervous and troubled. After a moment his powers of speech returned to him, he stepped closer to her to ease her uneasy spirit.

"You've planned this for some time haven't you." Tom said with a smile as he lifted her face to his.

"Yes." Jenny said swallowing hard as she stared into the eyes of the one she loved so. She could hardly believe that the magical evening of so many of her dreams had finally begun. She took a deep breath and a moment in an attempt to calm her nerves.

"Well, it's your show sweetheart." Tom smiled and patiently waited for Jenny to make the next move.

She turned and gracefully escorted Tom toward the now romantically decorated dinner table. Two long candles burned and two settings were set on a plain red tablecloth, it was simple, elegant and inviting. Tom sat in the far chair and allowed Jenny to play hostess one more time but this time it was no child's game.

She served the fancy pasta dish with a rich cream sauce that she had lovingly prepared as Tom poured the wine. He had just noticed the bottle near where he was sitting, chilled, allowed to breathe and ready to serve. Tom noted that she had even chosen the right wine to accompany the meal. Indeed she had planed this evening well and clearly left nothing to chance. Once the meal was placed before both of them Tom got up and seated Jenny, as any gentleman should before returning to his seat.

"I propose a toast." Tom said raising his glass of wine and waited for Jenny to follow suite before continuing. "To old friends and new possibilities."

"Here, here." Jenny said with a wink as she clinked his glass as they both took a sip.

Dinner was pleasant and relatively uneventful as they both enjoyed the nice dinner together. The conversation was light and the mood was warm. There was electricity in the air that could not be denied and clearly romance was afoot. Tom found it hard to imagine that the beautiful woman he was having dinner with was his little sweetie. Clearly this woman was different and yet familiar, she was not the same little girl anymore but a woman in her own right. Slowly he was starting to accept her as the woman she was and did not resent her for growing up.

Soon they found themselves cuddled up on the couch drinking wine and watching 'Casablanca', the all time romantic classic. Naturally Jenny had changed into jeans and a sweatshirt and Tom had discarded the tie as they snuggled together on that couch. Not much was said during the movie other than the typical movie conversation. Neither of them wanted to spoil the intimate immediacy of the moment, nothing existed outside of the perfect evening Jenny had carefully crafted. Larger issues and serious conversation could wait for some other time. For now they simply enjoyed the tender moment as if it was all that the fates would allow them. Like all good things though, before long the movie was over and they were left with wine, warm fire and unanswered questions. There was a long pause before one of them spoke to break the uneasy silence.

"To tell you the truth, I didn't know what to expect tonight." Tom said as he caressed Jenny's hair. "I didn't know what would happen or how I would feel about spending this evening with you."

"Neither did I." Jenny interrupted. "It was just something I had to do, no matter what happens now, at least I will have had one precious evening with you." Jenny finished striving to hold back the tears. The thought of being brought so close to what she has wanted for half her life only to have it taken away was almost too much to bear.

"All I can say is that I know now that something has changed between us." Tom said as Jenny's wet eyes turned to search his face for sincerity. "You are without a doubt the most spectacular woman I know. I have loved you from the moment I first saw you eighteen years ago, you know that." Jenny nodded and smiled, her eyes getting wetter, a tear sneaked down her cheek unnoticed. "I love you Jenny. For better or worse, I love you for the woman you have become." Tom said with a waver in his voice betraying his attempt to remain strong.

"I love you so much Tom, more now than ever if that's possible." Jenny said with tears now rolling down her cheek as she clung tightly to him and sobbed tears of joy after hearing the words she craved to hear from the man she loved for so long now. Her heart bust and her spirit soared at the news and the emotion of the moment overwhelmed her. Her dream had become reality, she loved him and he loved her back, they belonged to each other now.

"As much as I love you sweetheart I don't know if we can or should be together." Tom said as a tear rolled down his cheek as he shook his head and looked away.

Jenny's spirit plummeted and her heart froze, as her worst fear was about to become reality. Was she really about to lose him after only just winning his heart? How could fate be this cruel? At that moment all Jenny wanted to do was die. She couldn't even speak a word in protest or even ask why. Thankfully, Tom did not leave her hanging long or wait for her to ask the question before he explained himself.

"I just don't know what to do about Mat and Theresa. How can I tell them about us without them hating me forever? I can't think of a worse way to betray them. As much as I want to be with you and believe me I do! I just don't know if I can live with myself if I do." Tom said and turned his head away in shame, loathing himself at that moment.

"Why? Why not? Why is it such a betrayal to love me? You and I are not related! We are both adults and we love each other! Why is that not enough? All my life you have been nothing but kind, loving and there for me. You taught me what it was to be a lady and what a true gentleman was. How could I not love you? How could any woman not love you?" Jenny said between near uncontrollable sobs as the dagger twisted and burrowed deeper into her lifeless heart.

She clung even tighter and cried face first into his chest. This was all too much for Tom and he joined her as an unbridled wave of tears burst forth from his own wounded and battered heart. They both held each other tightly, not knowing what to say but simply cried until they could cry no more. The constant beating of Tom's heart began to calm her down until it was the only sound she heard. For the first time since they started crying the silence was broken with words not cries of anguish.

"I don't have the answers Sweetheart." Tom said painfully.

"Neither do I my love, but we'll find a way to make it work! We have to! We must find a way! We owe it to each other to find a way!" Jenny said looking into Tom's eyes with all the love and steadfast conviction she could muster. She could see in his face that her words hit home, she was winning his heart for the second time that night. "I know in my heart that we can make this work. I don't want to hurt Mom and Dad any more than you do. Once they see how much we really love each other how could they not understand? How could they not know that what has blossomed between us was simply meant to be? It might take some time but they will understand, I know it!"

Tom sat silent and didn't say anything, her words were convincing and her logic seemed sound. He wanted to give in to her, more than anything he wanted her, more than she knew. Sweat formed on his brow as he tried to decide the right thing to do, it had come down to this moment. The moment when he decided to fish or cut bait. Would he? Could he? Should he? Could he really walk away from her? He got the shakes of an addict in withdrawal just thinking about walking away. Just because it would be difficult doesn't mean he shouldn't or wouldn't do it, remember Bogart?

"I know we can make it. I know that we can find a way to be together if we want it bad enough. The only question left is if you really want me?" Jenny said and sat up still holding his hand. She looked in his eyes one last time. "I am going into that bedroom now to wait for you. The next move is up to you, take a moment and decide what you really want. If you come to me you are saying that you will do whatever it takes, and fight with everything you've got be with me and make it work. If you can't give me that, if you can't do that . . . then don't come. The choice is yours, you know how I feel." Without a further word Jenny got up and disappeared into the bedroom closing it behind her.

Tom was never more alone in his life and the silence was deafening. Images of screaming fights and the tormented faces of his close friends flashed before his eyes as he pondered the fork in the road he was at. He tried to form the words that he might say to Jenny's parents. He tried to find a way to explain how he could love their daughter as a woman and not his sweetie, but words failed him.

He knew what he wanted, that was not the problem; he wanted her so bad he could taste it. The problem was that he truly didn't know if he had that much fight in him to be with her? Would it really work out even if they decided to fight? What if he hurt his closest friends and in the end it wasn't worth it? He searched his mind and heart for some kind of guarantee but found none.

A few moments had passed since Jenny disappeared behind the bedroom door and now a noise was heard. He looked over and saw that the door was now opened slightly. Tom knew this was her signal that she was ready for him, if he wanted her.

Seconds ticked by as he searched his soul for the right thing to do, for some direction. He knew that if he didn't decide soon than he would blow his chance with her for good and that scared him. It was at that point that he had his answer. That realization of that fear and the consequences of it crystallized everything for him. He had to try; sure he had no guarantee of what would happen. He knew that he would regret it until his dying day if he passed up this chance at a piece of heaven on earth. He may end up regretting this decision but it was a mistake worth making, she was worth the risk.

Filled with his newfound confidence Tom rose to his feet and walked the longest walk to his bedroom he had ever known. With each step his burden felt lighter, his mind became clearer and his heart that much warmer. He knew in his soul that he was doing the right thing, at least the right thing by the two of them. He took a few deep breaths in order to quell the nervous shakes that he now felt. He knew that beyond that door the woman that he loved had prepared the most special surprise of the night. Slowly he opened the door, stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

He took a moment to take in the scene that he found. Inside the room no electric lights were on. Candles rimmed the room and provided considerable light, but not too much as to spoil the mood. The warm glow that the candlelight provided changed the whole flavor of the room. What was ordinarily his Spartanly decorated bedroom was now a magical place he barely recognized. It was clearly a place for romance now and even the layout of the candles showed the level of detail that Jenny had put into this evening. Just the right number of candles was used in just the right placement around the room for the effect she wanted. This clearly was not something that she threw together off the cuff; this evening had been in the works for some time now. Every aspect of this evening had been planned, scrutinized, and revised again and again until perfection was reached.

In the middle of all this Jenny quietly sat upright on the bed with her legs to one side of her body. She wore a royal blue baby doll lingerie outfit that spectacularly showed off her magnificent body without looking sleazy. Somehow it managed to tread the thin line between the sensually erotic and the downright sleazy. It had a low cut scoop neckline that showed considerable cleavage but hid more than it revealed. The lacy material teased the eye showing glimpses of skin through the translucent material as it fell down her body. The outfit joined in the center with a silk bow and swooped away from the center near her crotch. The tiny matching lacy panties could be seen underneath and a light lace jacket barely clung to her shoulders. Quietly she sat there waiting for Tom to say or do something. She allowed him the long moment to drink in her beauty; she wanted him to remember that moment for the rest of his life. There was no danger of Tom forgetting this evening any time soon in this life or the next.

Tom realized that the whole evening led up to this moment, the moment when they would make love for the first time. Tom remembered what she had said earlier, that she wanted this evening to be perfect and he gulped at that thought. At the moment when he was about to make love to her for the first time, suddenly he had to be perfect (no pressure)! As his eyes found hers she smiled warmly and he returned her smile, he could see a single tear roll down her cheek.

"I wasn't sure you'd come." Jenny said quietly not moving even yet.

"I couldn't live with myself if I didn't come here sweetheart." Tom said with all the love he felt.

"I don't know what I would to if you didn't come." Jenny said and felt a twinge of pain at the thought. "But you're here now and that's all that matters my love." Jenny said with a smile as she wiped the tear out of her eye.

"We're together now." Tom said as he walked toward the bed. Jenny rose to her knees and open her arms to accept his embrace, pulling him onto the bed with her as their bodies melted together.

Their souls touched as their tongues danced during the first kiss of many kisses that fateful night for the new couple. Their lips glided over each other's lips as their hands explored and caressed each other's silk covered bodies. Passions rose and hearts raced as fingers glided over places where they dared not go only days before. As the kiss broke they still held each other's trembling body tight their breath quick, lust burning in their eyes.

"I have to tell you something." Jenny said closing her eyes for a moment. "You know that I waited some time for you to love me, but what you may not know is that I also waited for you to make love to me."

"You mean, you've never . . ." Tom's words trailed off as he was humbled by the magnitude of her gift.