Rediscovery and Recovery Ch. 04

I don't know exactly how long I had to think about it, and it may not have been very many seconds at all, but a decision had presented itself, offered by the unambiguous action of Emily. It's not that I didn't want sex there and then, or that I was not ready for it. But I'm something of a romantic and have always considered my relationships honourable - even in those alcohol-fuelled one-night-stands I would insist on maintaining control and integrity. And so, quite quickly, but not without a touch of regret, my response to Em's offer was not what many would have imagined. My words were as gentle as hers had been thus far: Not here, not now. Em, I don't want our first time together to be a locker-room quickie, half worried about whether there's someone just outside that door ready to ban us from ever swimming in our pool again! We've got all night, all weekend if you want!

I think I'll be eternally grateful that Em didn't take this as rejection; on the contrary, she had interpreted my words 'not here, not now' in exactly the correct way: lovemaking would happen somewhere else, but sometime very soon.

Come on then she said, breaking the spell but not the smile. Em got up, letting her towel drop the bench, making us equals in our nakedness. She picked up her underwear and slipped on her knickers: Let's go and get that drink, and perhaps even something to eat. We can go to The Plough - my flat is about half a mile further on from there and the Anarlkali is on the way if we want some food. The cars will be safe overnight in the Plough car park if we need to leave them. I'm assuming you drove? I nodded; we were now both getting dressed and were keen to get on our way. Good Em continued, we'll meet at the pub but I've got to go via a cashpoint first.

No need I replied You said winner chooses venue and loser buys, so it's on me. I've got about fifty quid on me, and that'll do us for tonight, I'm sure. Might even stretch to the take-away.

At that, Em started singing Hey Big Spender, spend a little time with me. I'd never heard her sing in all the years of our youth, and now I knew why. It was fucking awful!

Having got dressed in double-quick time, we left the 'Family Changing' but not without Em peeking out of the door first to check that the way was clear. We need not have been worried. As we left the locker room, into the corridor, Em grabbed hold of my free hand, some might say a little possessive for a relationship which was (in one sense) barely an hour old, but actually, I found it quite endearing. I lifted her hand to my face and kissed the back of it; Em responded by squeezing it tightly, and then she giggled again, like the schoolgirl I once knew.

What are you like after a few glasses of wine? I asked, half laughing myself.

Not long now and you'll find out! She replied, winking at me.

As we approached the car park we could see that although there were now only 6 or 7 cars still remaining, our two were actually some distance apart. I took my mobile phone out of my pocket, giving rise to a quizzical look from Em which I could just make out in the gloom of the now 10pm darkness. Don't worry, I'm just phoning my mother to tell her not to wait up!

Emily replied Give her my love! And with that she shot off to her left, to get to her car before I could mine. I phoned my mother, and explained that I'd bumped into an old school friend at the pool, and that we'd decided to go for a drink, and possibly catch up with a late-night curry or Chinese take-away. I was being as brief and as non-specific as I could be in my news; I'd not even said who it was I had met, and if by chance I never made it home, I'd worry about explaining to my mother the actions of a grown man another time. But my mother, with the timing of an Oscar-winning actor said only one thing before hanging up on me:

"Give our love to Emily"