A Christmas Treat

 She assumed they would stop talking, drift off and it would just be a beautiful weekend she once shared with him.  He had been very clear about there being enough differences that a relationship would never work out between them.  She had made her own list of reasons, and frequently looked at it after they spoke on the phone, which they did, frequently.  They got along so well despite their age gap and...other issues.

She decided to ask him if he would come up a day early, before Christmas, to spend some time with her.  Since she didn't want an awkward repeat of her room, she'd get a hotel room for them.  He agreed.

The day before Christmas Eve there was a snowstorm.  She'd decided she would keep the room regardless, even if she ended up spending the night alone.  It would be a nice break from her living situation.

As it turned out, it only delayed him a bit.  She knew this might be the last time it ever happened, so she squeezed herself into the one dress that still fit her, grabbed some edibles, whiskey, and a bath bomb and readied the room.  She realized a little too late that he wouldn't be able to get up to the room, so she put on a face mask and went down to the lobby to meet him.

Masks prevented a proper greeting until they got up to the room, where she kissed him right at the doorway.  It was like no time had passed.

He put down his stuff and handed her a box with a red bow.  "I might have overdone it." he said sheepishly.  This was the Christmas gift he was giving her.  She told him she didn't want him to give her anything, but he insisted.  She was a little afraid to open it with the warning he'd given her.  "It isn't something super kinky is it?" she asked.  He laughed and just told her to open it.

It was a very soft stuffed bear.  He had no way of knowing her fondness for Theodore Roosevelt and therefore teddy bears in general, yet here this adorable bear was, with a red bow.  He gestured for her to hold it closer to her face, and she realized that he had just about drowned it in his cologne. "To remember me by." She laughed "you aren't DYING." 

She held it close to her and said "I understand where you were coming from.  It's very sweet.  It's too much.  Don't do this again for someone you aren't serious about and you'll be fine."

They decided to leave for dinner right away, or they'd get stuck in the room with each other being carnal. 

The meal was lovely, the conversation never dragged or stopped.  She offered to drive them to a bar for after dinner drinks, but with the temperatures getting down to freezing they decided to retire back to the room.

There they broke out the whisky and edibles she brought.  She lit the candle, he filled the tub in the room.  He threw in the bath bomb, and she watched him undress and get into the tub.  Eventually he convinced her to join him, and they kept talking as the conversation grew more simple as the whisky and edibles worked their way into their blood stream.

After fooling around in the tub proved to be a bit too much, they dried off and moved to the king sized bed.  It was the largest bed they'd ever shared, and they had sex all over it.  The memory of it was hazy, but parts stuck out in exquisite detail.  She could recall the taste of his lips and how they tasted like an amazing lollipop.  The edibles got her too into her head and she couldn't get into the sex, but enjoyed it anyway.  She remembered them laying there and him telling her that her fingers were really soft.  A tiny but beautiful compliment.

He got the munchies so they went downstairs for a quick bite, then went back upstairs for more edibles and booze.  Of course, more sex as well.  She had told him to buy 3 condoms as she intended to use them all.

She got loopy and knew she wasn't making sense, but also knew that he didn't mind.  She told him about her tattoo idea, and told him she wanted to have it on the side of her thigh.  He was also high but so excited about the idea, and put his hand on her thigh, exactly where she wanted it, and said "You have to get this tattoo."

They fell asleep, woke up, had sex, went back to sleep.  In the morning they walked to the parking garage together and shared one last kiss before parting ways.

"Merry Christmas"

The Weekend Affair, Sunday

A small bit of light was coming into the room.  Morning, almost.  Her last day.  Not even a full day, since she'd said she would be leaving around 3pm.

She felt him stir and reached out to him.  He responded in kind, and before she knew what was happening he'd brought her to an orgasm so great that without meaning to, she fell asleep on his chest.  He had said that he wasn't one to cuddle and sleep, so much later she awoke with a start and apologized. He said it was fine, he had fallen asleep too.  He smiled at her, and her heart both sank and soared.  She's gone too far.  She'd become attached, affected by his mere smile.  It was time to take a big step back.

They got ready and headed out to have breakfast.  It was a sweet little cafe on a hill, and they had a bit of a wait before they got it, but it seemed to pass quickly as they still had not run out of things to talk about.

After breakfast they drove around a bit, walked through a Harry and David and talked about the upcoming holidays and how everyone expected a basket from there usually.  He hadn't started his Christmas shopping yet, but asked if she also wanted a basket.  She smiled a bit thinking of him getting her a present for the holiday, but immediately reigned in her feelings.  "You do not need to do that."

Again, as she shopped and talked herself out of purchases like she'd done at the shop the day before.  She felt him being slightly amused at her, and she allowed herself to enjoy it.

They made their way over afterwards to a winery he'd picked out.  It was rustic and cute, but the conversation had halted somewhat.  They ended up assigning each glass in their wine flight to a male character from My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.  They'd settled into an ease.  For her, at least, it felt like there was a finality to it.

They went back to his house and she gathered the rest of her things as he stayed out in the living room talking to his roommate.  She felt a little cold, as if he had already written her off and no longer wanted contact with her.  She thought about asking for one more round but her pride caused her to stop and just get her stuff out to her car.

He insisted on taking her bag out for her, and she mentioned that she might see him at Christmas.  He said "yes, if I can make time." Her heart twisted as she assumed the brush off.  This was it.

He walked her out, and they shared a good by kiss.  She had to force herself to pull back, told him goodbye, and got into her car.

She managed to make it out of the valley and onto the main freeway before tears started down her cheeks.

The Weekend Affair, Saturday

She was very happy to learn that Mercury was ready to go after some recovery time.  They woke up and had sex again.  While basking in some afterglow, she said they should lean in for the weekend, since it would most likely not be happening again.  Just sort of pretend this was a weekend long relationship. 

He made her breakfast, they each had a shower, then they left for walking around downtown.  He parked and they wandered around, grabbing coffee, and looked through record shops, and various other shops.  He seemed to be amused by the fact that she talked herself out of every purchase.  It  got progressively more rainy and cold, and a shop they ducked into had a hoodie that declared "I'm cold" with a mountain range.  He told her that the hoodie color, a slightly muted gem tone green, would go beautifully with her eyes.  She bought it immediately, giddy. 

They walked down to where their Shakespeare festival took place.  It was shuttered and on break, there would be no shows that weekend. He walked her around the vacant buildings, telling her where everything took place, shows he'd seen in previous seasons.  He mentioned that he was planning on buying them tickets to a show, but alas nothing was playing anywhere in town.  She stated at some point she would love to see one, as the place looked like it would be quite festive right before a show.

They stepped into the gift shop where everything was on sale because they were moving locations soon.  He was amused as she walked around, talking herself out of every purchase because she was excited about everything.  Eventually she went to the register with a magnet for herself, and gifts for everyone else.

"You know, we should have a rendezvous." He said.  "Meet back here at the beginning of October next year.  Look at the fall colors, take in a few shows.  Go to the wineries.  Stay at one of the cozy bed and breakfasts down the road." She said that she doubted he would be single and willing by this time next year, but she would be willing to consider it.  The thought was quite romantic, like Before Sunrise/Sunset/Midnight.  He thought the idea reminded him more of One Day.

They moved the car and walked through the park a bit more, down to the new restaurant at the edge of the park.  They split a giant soft pretzel and enjoyed some cocktails while continuing their epic conversation.  They spent what felt like hours there, swapping stories and just "catching vibes."

Eventually they walked back through the park to the car. He tolerated her taking photos of  leaves and moss.  Then he drove around the neighborhood surrounding the park, checking out the multi-million dollar houses and deer just walking around the lawns.

They ended up back downtown, as his favorite bar had finally opened for business for the night.  They walked past a fountain of bubbly water.  He'd been talking about this all day, how it came from a natural spring and was considered a "delicacy" to the town.  He insisted people loved it and would go by and drink it all the time.

What he neglected to tell her was that there was a lot of sulfur in it.  He delighted in her nose crinkling and laughed when she tried to be nice and say that it was interesting.  It was apparently a trick that locals liked to play on people who hadn't been there before.  He took her hand and led her to his favorite bar for something that would wash the taste out.

The drinks were strong, and they became quite buzzed as they talked and flirted.  He became more loose and happy, and finally agreed to share his quiz results with her.  She gave him props for "finally letting them have fun" together.  What he wanted was something outside of her experience, but she was willing to try. After daring him to fool around with her in the bathroom, which he declined, they headed back to his place.

His roommates were having a bonfire in the backyard, so they sat and drank whisky, talked theatre experiences as the ash fell around them.  She thought they would stay out there for awhile, but he suddenly grabbed her hand and said they were turning in for the night.

The sex was fantastic, switching back and forth for dominance. It was absolutely the best sex they had so far because he seemed so into it.

Even though he wasn't really into snuggling, he opened the window and then invited her into his arms.  She fell asleep unintentionally, and he did as well.  It felt so warm, welcoming, and comfortable that as soon as she woke up, she kicked herself for really falling for him.

The Weekend Affair, Friday Night

She had spent the entire 5 1/2 hour car ride talking herself into having a good time during this trip and not thinking about the fact that she had put on so much weight during the pandemic and it was impossible that he found her attractive.

No, no.  He'd invited her up here for the weekend.  He'd sent her a letter in the mail.  Well, it hadn't exactly gotten to her yet, but he assured her that he had put it in the mail, but it was lost.  It would hilariously show up returned to sender just days after she left.

She had convinced herself to not doom this.  To just live in the moment, not think about the future or what could be past this weekend.  She was determined.  Now to work on the nerves.

It was raining lightly when she parked by his house.  He came out to meet her and they hugged for a long time in the rain.  He looked like he wanted to kiss her but hesitated.  She wasn't bold enough to kiss him, so he grabbed her suitcase and they headed inside.  None of his roommates were around, so they sat for a moment on the couch and talked before heading out to dinner.

He drove her around downtown as the soft rain continued to fall, showing her the small town sights.  Eventually they parked at the restaurant and he made the decision to sit outside.  It was still raining a little bit so they avoided the wet spots and sat at the picnic table looking at the menu on their phones.

She chose a truffle sea-salt chicken breast and a blood orange margarita.  It tasted amazing, it was warm enough under the heat lamp, and they continued to talk.  It was a great conversation, and the rain had dissipated a bit by the time dinner was over, so they took a walk around.

They came across a bar his roommate had told him had a downstairs that was pretty quiet.  They headed inside and down the stairs to find another crowded bar.  Due to the pandemic it made her a little nervous, but they ordered drinks and sat down.  He apologized for the crowd, and she said it's fine, it was intimate, like the Great Gatsby quote.  He looked at her strangely and she said "I like large parties.  They're so intimate.  At small parties there isn't any privacy."  He smiled and her and said that quoting an actual book was pretty attractive.  She blushed a tiny bit.

After a couple of drinks, they decided to go back to his place after another short walk around the area.  It had finally stopped raining, but the air was still crisp and heavy.  It felt like a warm blanket as they walked along arm in arm.

He opened the car door for her and kissed her.  She melted a bit, a little more confident in what was to come for the weekend.

The roommates were home when they got there.  She was introduced to them and they talked for a bit, then he poured them some whiskey to take back to his room.  His roommates were both very nice to her, and were exactly what he had described.

Back in his room, he put on some great music, and they had sex twice before going to sleep.

Situational Candoodling Part Two

After the bar closed they spent an hour talking with the owner and mixologist of the bar, telling all the great stories and having a good time.

Finally they were kicked out and walked around a bit looking for another bar but finding them all closed.  He expressed very much wanting to go back to her place but she was nervous.  Not only had it been a little too long of a time since she'd had sex, but she also had never had what she assumed would be a one night stand.

Eventually they did head back to the apartment, had a drink, and were making out on the couch when KSL came back home.  He made a weak excuse of offering Mercury the couch to sleep on if he wanted to, then retiring to his room.

"Obviously I don't want to lead you on, we are in different locations and although I really like you, I can't really promise this will go anywhere past this night." Mercury said to her, with as much reverence as she'd ever heard when discussing such matters.  She told him she completely understood, and even though she really liked him, there were no expectations on her end except that she wanted to be his friend.

After a few minutes, they went into her room and had some quick sex.  Then they kept talking, until there were only two hours left before he needed to head back and have a full day before going back.  She told him he needed to try to sleep, but he never fell asleep.  She didn't either.

He expressed joy in the fact that he'd finally was able to sleep with a member of his hometown theatre community.  They both had a good laugh about that.  She walked him back to his car and kissed him goodbye.

Three weeks later she found her upstate visiting him for the weekend at his invitation.

Situational Canoodling Part One

Mercury had come to one of The Roommates movie nights back in August.  He and KSL were old friends and Mercury just gone through a breakup.  He had "escaped" back home to get perspective, and seemed like such a sweet guy that she did her best to cheer him up throughout the evening.

Even though they'd just met that night, he seemed different.  She could feel him paying attention even when she was talking to other people.  She could tell he was taking notes in his head, trying to figure her out.  She dismissed it.  He was going through a breakup and needed a weirdo like her to concentrate on, most likely.

At the end of the evening they exchanged social media, and he went back home, which was north about 5 hours. After some time Mercury gave her his number and they texted for awhile, but it seemed to run it's course.

Then he posted that he would be back in town.  Her heart did a flip and then she checked herself.  He was just coming into town, it had nothing to do with her.  But they texted each other at the same time about getting together for a drink on the Friday night that he was in town.

There was a miscommunication and she assumed he had wanted it to be a group hang, so she scrambled to find other people to join them.  Ultimately she was unsuccessful, save for KSL who joined them for a drink before heading to another social gathering.

Once they were alone, she felt the energy change.  He had "turned up" and her empathetic self turned up as well.  She hadn't had fun in so long, or a good conversation in so long, and it was electric.  She was actually happy.  She forgot what it was like, to laugh and enjoy a moment in time.  She allowed herself to get lost in it.

Getting lost in it led to more drinks, dragging out the evening.  The conversation got more flirty, and didn't stop.  Just before midnight, he kissed her.  It was sweet, and soft.  And completely unexpected.

Later, he would tell her that he came in with a plan.  They were going to go for drinks, flirt, walk around downtown, he would make the first move, and it would end at sex at her place.  She admired that he had been a man with a plan, even if it hadn't gone exactly that way.  First of all, he ended up making the first move at the bar.

This was done, he explained, because she had been flirting physically.  How exactly, she asked.  Her body pointed towards him, open, she had a comfort and ease touching and hugging, and had exaggerated gestures while making contact with him.

Meanwhile, she'd just been happy living in the moment.  Who knew that her happiness translated into flirting?  A power she would have to work on harnessing at a later date.

Not Over It

 The pandemic had given her too much time to think.  Her mind wandered through the last 5 years.  Spending time with The Ex was irking her more than usual as he had inherited some money, bought a house, but kept making the same mistakes that led to their divorce.

Her anxiety mimicked Covid symptoms for awhile in the beginning.  KSL started spiraling, she started spiraling, and they both drank too much and had too many edibles.  She was micro-dosing through her day as the pressure to "find money making schemes" to help her job from home mounted.  S

She decided that the chances of her finding a significant other she wanted to have babies with in a pandemic was so farfetched she just had a hysterotomy. 

She found a few hairs on her head that weren't gray, weren't white, but had just lost any sort of pigment.  They were her natural hair color, and then suddenly they were cooked vermicelli.  Then, back to the natural color.

Finally, days before Christmas, her job was "eliminated."  She started 2021 unemployed, with a roommate, and turning 40.  Hypo symptoms were left to rage with the loss of her insurance.

Day 240 was the day she stopped counting the pandemic.  It had all gone on long enough.

Her first vaccine shot was behind her, but it felt never ending.  There was no flowery of fancy way of saying it, so she stopped talking.