The Unexpected Ch. 01

"If you could do anything, without repercussions, what would it be?"

That was the question. Not only the question but an invitation to rise to the challenge. She knew the answer and she asked it with such interest. With her eyes she begged him to take the initiative. To say something that she has been thinking about since the first time they reconnected only a few days prior.

When he arrived in Carlisle for the first time there was a noticeable lack of city noise, people talking or dogs barking. This new city was small, rural and didn't seem to have much going on. Before arriving in Carlisle, Jay traveled the world for his work as the go-to fix for any problems with assets overseas. He was used to the busy city streets and packed rural towns with people stacked on top of each other. After walking off the plane the feeling of surveillance left and was replaced with a new found freedom. He was alone and far away from the limitations of his life. He was free to do what he wanted in a town where no one knows who he is. This is Jay's preference. Anonymity.

Jay has always been reserved, calculated and calm. On the surface there is a stoic posture that fools the majority of those who meet him. To the public, Jay wants results. His career comes first and he can't be deterred from the clear path that is in front of him. He has always struggled with this image because the burden that his life is set in stone weighs him down. When he is alone, he will weep, knowing that he can pretend until the day he dies because that will be easier than facing the man he is. There is no one to talk or share his deeper desires and darker secrets. Despite this, Jay still projects confidence that can't be seen through. That is, until his first time seeing Alysa again after nearly five years.

The night ended with everyone going home but he and Alysa stayed with one of their mutual friends out of fear that he couldn't get home on his own. While their friend continued to drink they continued their conversation that, until now, was scattered and interrupted. The furthest they had gotten was idle small talk in between conversations with others. Now they had a real chance to connect and they seized the opportunity. With liquid courage running through them they opened up about infidelity, sex, perversions and anything else that is typical of intimacy. They were comfortable after only a few minutes. He shared his regrets and Alysa mostly listened. She questioned things that she truly wanted to know for herself. She wanted to know how many women he had slept with, from what countries, who was the best, who was the worst and if he is a faithful man. As the questions began rolling in, Jay thought that this was an interrogation. This wasn't someone who was interested in him but this was someone who was interested in tearing down who he was. He answered honestly but defensively. They were open but trust is something that must be built. They both shared some intimate stories but mostly they indicated to each other that they would like to continue whatever direction they were going. The night was getting late and the conversation drew to an end. They both agreed that their talk was one of the most refreshing in some time. He walked her home and walked back to the bar to take care of their mutual friend for the night. The rest of the night he thought about her. The evening of the next day he masturbated to what could have been. His first release after 10 days.

The next week at work passed by without much conversation. Idle talk in the hallway but it lacked the real element that they were both used to. Having worked with each other five years ago they were used to seeing each other in the office but the tension between them was physically felt now. She smiled at everyone but with Jay her eyes stayed locked on just a millisecond longer than usual. She wanted him to know that there was an interest. However, she left it up to him to figure out what that interest was. Throughout the week she continued to ask more questions that were continuations from the drunken conversation they shared before. Even though they were both committed to someone else, they wanted to explore this new sense of security they had with each other to share what they had suppressed for so long. After a full week at work and a passing weekend they agreed to a beer on Monday evening. With that beer she naturally picked up with the conversation about fidelity, sex and his desires. She was studying him. He was dropping his guard. After the second beer Alysa asked "If you could do anything, without repercussions, what would it be?"

This was a question that Jay anticipated but didn't think she would be so bold to ask. He gave it some thought and tried to deflect the deviancy of his thoughts with a slight smile. For him, this had been a surreal experience. He had connected. He was real. With seconds passing and on the verge of becoming awkward he realized there was something rhythmic; no there was something carnal. She was playing the tune and he was just dancing along to it. She was more than pheromones or chemistry. The electricity, biology, the very DNA in their bodies danced to the same tune. He looked at her and deflected "What would you do?" After some silence he knew she wouldn't accept that and was waiting for honesty. After all, it was merited, she had broken past his layers in record time and for the first time. He leaned forward and quietly whispered "How would you react if I said 'that more than anything I would want to jump in a car with you and drive until we were out of road' but had no other plans other than that?" She pondered; really took her time and let him sit there with an unanswered question. Silence betrayed them both as they sat there for seconds but what seemed like hours and contemplated the response and the response to the response. Then, with piercing eyes she claimed that "we could only get about 250 miles on my tank of gas! That barely gets us anywhere." Before he realized it, he responded in kind saying "Then all joking aside, we only need 5 minutes to get where we want to go."

That was the tipping point. They both knew that whoever spoke next would set the tone for what was to come. In the seconds that passed she thought about her commitments and her life. She thought of all the things that summed up who she was and struggled to resist. She wanted to explain that she wanted to be just friends but somehow she couldn't get the words to leave her mouth. At the same time he reeled with the idea that he just said those words. Where did that come from? What happened to shyness being a barrier between what he wanted to do and what was reflected in reality? For far too long he thought about all the ways that she will slap, punch, splash beer on him and insult him for what he did. This terrified him but also aroused him. The thought of her reacting so explosively would only mean that she was as close as he was and that was her last attempt to fight free. After seconds, maybe even a minute, she had no words. All she had was a full blush in both cheeks and a smile from ear to ear. Alysa had said everything she needed to and all he did was slightly brush her lower inner thigh underneath the bar. After taking a sip from her beer she said "I'll be back, I need to use the restroom."

Alysa returned to where they had been sitting only to find both barstools empty. 'What the hell?!' she though bitterly. Jay had taken off, leaving her to deal with all of this on her own. She walked closer to the empty barstools to find the check and a $20 dollar bill sitting next to it for a $13 dollar total. She knew there was no way he was coming back for change and that she was left alone to deal with this frustration on her own. Angry and confused she finished the last swallow of her beer and packed up her things to go home. It was foolish for her to think that he had connected with her. He was like all the rest of the men in the world. He would say anything to get into her jeans. He was romantic when he needed to be. He was a smooth talker and made her laugh but it was only because he thought he had a chance for an easy lay. Alysa knew that he was trouble and she was slightly relieved that he wasn't there when she returned. Now she can cut ties with him without feeling like she was missing out on anything. Good. It's over. She walked towards the front entrance while putting her coat on. Opened the double doors, took quick steps to reduce the time she spent getting home. She remembered hearing her breath as it moved fast and shallow. It was dark outside with a slight chill. The lights followed her to the corner but trailed behind as she turned the corner. All of the sudden she felt a strong hand on her hip and her direction changed as if she wasn't even moving forward. As smoothly as she was swept into his arms, her lips met his and she surrendered completely.

Eruption. Explosion. The surge of anticipation. All the years of pent up thought. The potential energy that had built up over the countless nights imagining had finally triggered. Analogous to the supernova, the mass of their desire surpassed the ability for their body to follow the orders from their brains. The heavy thoughts pressed further into their chests, crumpled their bones and they formed one being. They surpassed all physical restraint only growing hotter and began to merge into one. Pressing into each other as far as they can his hands trailed up her backside, over her shirt, pressing her into him and her hands raked through his hair. They remained there, between the low lying bushes, in the dark. She pushed hard into him, forcing him into the wall. She wanted to be forceful, to push someone and to be pushed. They danced around each other like two colliding heavenly bodies. His skin steamed from his internal heat and the cool wind gently rushing between them. She shivered even though her body ran a few degrees above normal. She had a fever, blood was rushing from her head and pressuring her groin. Their tongues intertwined and all memories of their former lives left them. He wanted to feel her skin. She wanted to feel his too. He slid his hand up her lower back and caressed the small of her back lightly while deeply kissing her. She slid her hand up the front of his shirt and rested her palm gently above his heart. They were beating simultaneously. Jay pressed into her with his tongue, withdrew and she followed. He bit her lip lightly and remained there. She waited anxiously, ready for more. With his lips pressed together he sucked at her top lip. His tongue trailed the contour of her upper lip, to the left and across her bottom lip. He wanted to cover every inch. That tickled. She smiled. He smiled back. This feeling surpassed what either of them expected but met the expectation of what they both wished. He tucked her hair behind her ear and withdrew only to whisper "I know I told you before that I could... but I can't stop now."