Reuniting

He knew he would see her again.

As soon as he saw Jake's death notice in the newspaper, Joe knew he would be seeing Sophie. And of all the days of the year for it to happen, it had to be the one that had always meant the most to them. At least back when they meant something to each other.

He was devastated by his friends death, and there was no way he would miss paying his last respects, but he knew he would see her there, on that day.

But he didn't think she would be the very first person he would see when he walked into the funeral home. Yet there she was, the same short, wavy, strawberry blonde hair, streaked with gray now. The same slim figure, encased in a black dress that stopped just above her knees. Her black heels making her calf muscles pop, like they always had.

Her hourglass figure had straightened out some, and her sweet little ass was flatter, but when she turned to see who had entered, her light blue eyes were the same. And they very nearly stopped him dead in his tracks.

He walked up to her through sheer force of will, having been mentally prepared for this moment. "Hi Sophie, how've you been?" He couldn't read her eyes. They were always so expressive, but at that moment, they seemed to convey a range of emotions. He saw sorrow, but he thought he also saw fear, which was so unlike her. But also curiosity? Or maybe a hopefulness?

She extended her hand and her voice cracked a bit as she said, "Hello Joe. I'm good. How are you? You were as tight with Jake as anybody." They both knew that it was Jake who had inadvertently brought them together all those years before.

"I'm good too Soph, just stunned I guess." He took her hand and noticed it was warm and slightly sweaty. He smiled wryly and continued, "It's funny. Nobody thought that crazy bastard would see thirty, let alone fifty. I think I was starting to believe he was another Keith fucking Richards, and would outlive all of us!"

She laughed along with him, and he noted the crows feet along her eyes, the creases between her cheeks and mouth were deeper. He tried not to look at that brightly painted mouth, tried not to remember the things she could do with it.

He noticed that she was checking him out too. Her eyes took in his thick beard, he hadn't been able to grow a proper beard yet back then. And now it was thick and mostly gray, as was what was left of the hair on his head. Which was also way shorter than it used to be.

They parted soon after, Joe had to go through the ritual of signing the book, and giving his condolences to Jakes family, as well as catching up with what was left of the old gang.

He went through the repeated conversations of what was going on with everyone. The brief bio that he gave as a response each time felt repetitive the third time he had to explain it. By the time he'd made his way through the room it was excruciating.

Granted, he was glad to see many of the people in attendance. He had a bond with some of them that would never fade, despite the passage of time, or the fact that they had all grown up and lived different lives now.

And then he was kneeling at the casket. Going through the old Catholic ritual out of habit, even though he really didn't consider himself catholic anymore.

Once he had the Hail Mary out of the way, he took a moment to look at his old friend, the phrase "pray for us sinners" ringing in his head. "We certainly did some sinnin', didn't we old buddy?" Joe thought to his friend.

But this was not Jake, just his body. Gone was the devious smile and the eyes sparkling with mischief.

The funeral people had made Jake look dignified, respectable even, and Joe fought back a smile as he thought how ridiculous that was. "You never had a respectable bone in your body you fucker!" He thought.

Joe noticed they even managed to cover the scar on his face from Jake charging into a bar fight, just as Joe was swinging at some dude. It was forever known as his "friendly fire scar".

Joe stood and touched his friend's hand, one last time. He realized he was smiling at the memory of his friends indomitable spirit, even while the tears rolled down his face.

He sniffed and wiped his face, saying quietly, "Now look what you did you fucker!" Turning from the bias he saw Sophie, handing him a tissue with a look of understanding and compassion.

"Thanks Soph." He said as he took the tissue and wiped his eyes. "I told myself I wasn't going to cry." He said with a half chuckle.

"I think it's understandable, you two knew each other forever." She smiled. "Like grade school right?"

"Yep, sixth grade. I was the new kid in school and he picked on me, to see what I was all about I guess. We met on the playground, in the dodgeball circle, after school, and beat the snot out of each other until Ms. Furman broke us up. We called it a draw and were best friends ever since."

"Yeah, I remember that story now. You two were arguing about who won that fight well into your twenties!" Sophie laughed.

"Yeah," Joe chuckled "I need a smoke. I'm going outside. You still smoke?" Joe asked.

"Yeah." She said turning to go with him. "But just cigarettes." She added with a grin.

He laughed, "Yeah, definitely just cigarettes! Hell, Jakes sister would kick both our asses if we blazed up in the parking lot!"

She laughed along with him. For a minute they were both comfortable together again. They shared a smile, and started for the door.

They had to stop and give condolences to Jakes sister again on the way out. Joe giving her a big hug, fighting off the image of her reaction if she actually would catch them getting stoned in the parking lot. It just wouldn't be right to start laughing again.

Once outside they lit up their cigarettes, and talked briefly about the brands they now smoked, and how they transitioned from what they used to smoke. It used to be the same brand.

Then they got quiet. And the discomfort set in. And as Joe tried to think of something to say, she broke his thoughts with, "You know, I was worried about seeing you again. I wondered what it would be like."

"Yeah," He sighed, "I wondered too. I knew you were back in town. And I knew I'd see you here. I really didn't know what to expect."

Sophie was about to say something else, but was interrupted by Tommy, another one of the old gang. "Hey guys! A bunch of us are going over to the Neighbors for a few. You guys coming?!"

Joe laughed, "It's not Neighbors anymore Tommy. Hasn't been for years. New owners, new name!"

"Yeah, but dude it looks exactly the same inside! You been in there? And anyway we gotta do a couple of shots for Jake, man! Where else would we go?"

Joe and Sophie looked at each other and shrugged. "He's right, where else would we go?" Sophie said. "No argument here, hope they still have a kick ass jukebox!" Joe quipped.

And so within the hour the owners of the small neighborhood bar that used to be Neighbors were hit with more business than they typically had on a Friday night, let alone a Tuesday. But the bartender was not prepared, nor capable of handling that crowd of has been hooligans.

Everyone buying rounds, toasting Jake, hooting and hollering. Basically trying to party like it was the 1980's again. Even a few people slipping out the side door to catch a buzz, just like back in the day.

The jukebox had been updated of course, but still had some good tunes on it. It was playing constantly and the volume was turned up by request.

The woman behind the bar soon called her boss, which incidentally was her nephew, and with dollar signs in his eyes, he came to help tend bar.

He of course had heard all the stories about the crew that used to hang out in Neighbors, and he was both ecstatic about the business, and apprehensive about the crowd. He wanted to make money, but he didn't want any trouble.

He joked with everyone, and gave condolences when appropriate, and generally tried to buddy up with everyone. All the while he was loving the sound of his cash register singing.

At one point while everyone was mingling and catching up with each other's lives, Joe found himself standing next to Sophie at the bar. They smiled and said "Hey", cordially. The drinks had been flowing for a while by then, and neither of them were feeling any pain.

She seemed to take a deep breath and turned back to him. "I think I owe you an apology." He turned to face her, his eyebrows raised in a question.

"About how things ended back then. I was wrong to do that to you, and I'm sorry." He saw genuine concern in her expressive eyes, and was touched.

He scanned the room as the bartender took their glasses for a refill and she waited for a response. He noticed that the very last booth was vacant, and far from the crowd.

He finally looked back at her and smiled. "Buy this round and come have a drink with me." He nodded toward the back of the room.

Her painted lips curled up into the smile he remembered so well, as her eyes twinkled. "You got it." She said as she pulled more money from her purse.

With fresh drinks in hand he ushered her to the back of the bar, both of them smiling at old friends along the way, exchanging words of sorrow for the collective loss. But also joy in seeing everyone again, despite the circumstances. It was the general consensus that the crowd should get together more often, and not just when someone died.

When they finally made it to the last booth, he gestured for her to sit with her back to the room, and gave her a shitty little grin as he slid in alongside her, making her scoot over some more.

They were pretty much hidden from the rest of the people in the room, and in their own little world. He looked at her seriously and asked, "So you were saying?..."

It was her turn to raise her eye brows, in disbelief. "You're going to make me say it again?" She asked.

He smiled smugly at her and said, "Well, yeah, ya know you did hurt me pretty fucking bad. And the apology has been a long time coming."

"Well," She replied indignantly, "the long time coming part isn't my fault, hell, this is really the first chance I've had since then!" She paused then, frowning. "But the other part, the part about how bad I hurt you.... I am sorry about that. It's just that I was young, and we were...." She paused, looking for the words.

"We were both too young to be that seriously involved?" He interjected. "When we both had our whole lives ahead of us?" Smiling he continued, "I think that was my fault. So I have to admit I feel partly responsible for what went down."

Her smile returned and her eyes glistened with relief. "Well, we were young, and we did get pretty damn serious pretty quickly." She paused again, not wanting to shirk her roll in the outcome.

"Look Soph, I don't hold any grudges, it's cool. Like I said, I feel partly to blame. It's just that I fucking fell head over heels for you."

Her face warmed at the memory, "I fell pretty hard for you for a while too. But...."

He smiled almost sheepishly at her and said softly, "I know." Then his face brightened and he turned partly to face her, their knees touching as he told her, "To be honest, when I look back, it's not the bad shit I remember." He looked pointedly into her eyes, and saw them flash.

"Yeah, we had some good memories!" She recalled, "Some damn good memories!" Her smile had taken on a hint of her lusty smirk he used to love to evoke.

He turned further toward her, placing his elbow on the cushion on the back of their booth, his hand coming to rest on her shoulder. He leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Especially when we were being bad."

"Hmmm, yeah, that was good." She replied, her voice almost husky. She turned to face him more and added, "We had a few firsts together."

They both remembered the first time she had a climax from cowgirl. And the first time he had brought off a woman orally, it was her first orgasm from oral too.

"We sure did," he concurred. "I have to admit that I compared other women to you over the years, you know, certain things anyway." He smiled.

"I know what you mean, I made some comparisons to you too, sometimes." She answered.

He let his eyes drift down her body to the black nylon clad legs peaking out of the stylish, yet sexy black dress. Bringing his eyes back to her face he was encouraged by her look, she had obviously enjoyed being looked at that way. She had always gotten a thrill from being ogled.

He stroked her shoulder subtly, telling her, "There's one memory I have of you that has had me wondering something all day." His voice had taken on a hint of the husky tone that he used to use to talk dirty to her.

"Yeah?" She paused to clear her throat. As she continued, he recognized the fire building in her eyes and the rising of her chest as she breathed harder. "And what might that be?"

He brought his other hand from the table and placed it on her leg, just below the hem of her dress. He leaned a little closer, speaking in his low voice he said, "I remember you had a real penchant for," He paused and looked down at his hand as he slipped it slightly under her dress, "naughty lingerie, really sexy stuff."

He looked back at her eyes and saw the fire building. "You still into that?" He asked quietly as his hand traveled incrementally further up her leg.

She took a long drink from her glass before replying, "Wouldn't you like to know." Her face broke out with a big, challenging smirk.

He returned her smile and his fingers stroked her thigh. "As a matter of fact, I would love to know. That's why I asked." He allowed his fingers to slip towards the inside of her thigh, until it came in contact with her other leg. "The question is, do you want me to know?"

Her chest rose and fell with her arousal and she opened her legs, just enough for his fingers to slip into the gap. "To answer your question, yes, I do still like wearing things that make me feel sexy."

"Are you wearing something sexy right now? If I move my hand up further, will I find the seam of a stocking?" He asked, watching her face closely. He remembered the signs, she was getting as hot as he was.

She made him wait for an answer while she took another sip of her drink and considered her response. When she turned to face him again, her mind was made up. Her legs opened further and she told him, "I guess you are just going to have to find out for yourself."

His shitty grin returned, wider now as his hand squeezed her inner thigh before creeping up further. "I guess I will!" He agreed, squeezing her inner thigh again.

He leaned closer and said in her ear, "I really hope to find some bare flesh. I just love bare flesh!"

She shuddered from his words and his breath on her neck. "I remember." She whispered.

As his fingers crept higher they finally encountered the top seam of her stockings, and he growled in her ear, "I knew it!" He exclaimed, "Even at a funeral you need to be sexy, and a little naughty."

"I didn't mean any disrespect, you know that!" She told him. "I just hate pantyhose." Her hand dropped below the table, and rested on his thigh.

Joe chuckled, "That's something else we have in common, I hate pantyhose too." His hand slipped above the band of her stockings and he felt her leg twitch as his fingers found the bare flesh he was looking for. "Mmmm," He hummed, "There it is."

Sophie shook her head, breathing hard, "You always knew how to get me hot." She widened her legs for him, inviting his hand to explore higher.

He softly stroked her inner thigh, gradually moving up, making her squirm. "Honey, you are always hot, I just could never resist making you wet." He said into her neck.

He heard her sharp intake of breath as his fingers finally grazed her panties. She turned to face him and her eyes had that excited expression he had always loved.

"Well I think you know you are making me wet right now." She brought her own hand up his leg. "And I bet you are pretty hard right now, aren't you?" She clasped the bulge in his pants and he finally moved his fingers to the heat of her damp crotch.

They moaned in unison as they rubbed each other, looking into each other's eyes. "We should get out of here!" Sophie whispered urgently. "Unless we want another incident like we had in the men's room."

Joe smirked at the memory. "Oh c'mon, that was the biggest thrill Lou ever had running this place. He wouldn't have allowed us both back in otherwise."

"But Lou isn't here anymore." She told him, giving his cock one last hard squeeze before clamping her legs closed on his fingers. "Now let's go! We're going to my house."

Joe slid out of the booth and quickly adjusted his dick to hide his erection. "Yeah, your place is closest." He smiled, as she slipped out of the booth and grinned at his attempts to hid his arousal.

"You know I live at my parents house?" She asked, surprised. "Sure," He smiled. "Jake told me." He answered simply. She shook her head and grunted, "Of course he did."

Neither of them thought about leaving separately, they didn't care about people knowing they left together. They were both single adults, both having been married and divorced, beyond the age of worrying about scandals and what people thought.

Damn near everyone in the place knew they used to fuck, so who cared if they knew they were going to do it again. They smiled, waved and said goodbye to everyone through the catcalls and wolf whistles.

Once in the parking lot, Joe walked her to her car, and as she unlocked her door he stepped in close and wrapped a hand around her waist. Sophie turned to him and they kissed.

Their bodies crushed together as she opened her mouth to accept his tongue, pushing hers into his mouth as well. The kiss was hot but brief as she soon pushed him back. "Get in your car Joe!" She gasped, her eyes aflame with desire.

"You got it babe." He told her as he reached for his keys and backed away. By the time he got his car started, she was pulling out of the lot.

He smiled at her eagerness as he pulled out. Joe was glad she lived so close, both because he was eager too, and because he had a pretty good buzz going, and knew that she did too. Two blocks up some side streets was doable, and he hurried to catch up with her.

He couldn't help the memories of the neighborhood that came flooding back along the way. He passed the alley where he and Jake had gotten their first public drunkenness arrest. And the street corner where he and Sophie had first met. The fact that it was the anniversary of that day was not lost on him, and Joe was sure she realized it too.

Just hurrying to her house with lust in his heart brought back memories. And doing so with his friends chiding ringing in his ears just felt like old times, except Jakes voice wasn't included.

He soon pulled up behind her car as she was just going up the front walk, and he watched her ass switch while she climbed the front steps to the door. He knew she was adding some swing to her hips for his viewing pleasure when she turned and gave him that devilish smirk.

By the time she got the key turned in the lock he was behind her. She held the door open, smiling over her shoulder at him as they entered.

He closed the door behind him and as she was setting her purse on a small table nearby he slipped his hands around her waist and kissed her neck. She shivered with excitement and hummed with pleasure.

Her head tilted to the side and she leaned back against him as his hands began to roam her body. Up and down her waist, down her thighs, up her torso to just graze her tits. He purposely avoided her erogenous zones, making her whimper each time he came close to touching her where she wanted.

"Oh fuck, you're driving me crazy!" She gasped as she rubbed her ass against his cock. "Good!" He whispered in her ear. "Because I am going to make you fucking scream before I'm done!"