EXcapades (8 page)

And then I tossed the telephone into my purse and pushed the thought of rescheduling the doctor’s visit to the back of my mind. I felt excited all the way home, like the first time he asked me on a date, so many years ago.

Chapter 5

The coffee shop, Main Street Bakery, where we agreed to meet was around the corner from my house. The business had changed hands a couple of times since I started coming here as a child. The brick front had been repeatedly painted over in a creamy white, and the black awning looked new. It took only a few minutes to get there, but I spent the entire hour getting ready. I had makeup to put on, hair to brush, and clothes to change.

With my stomach tied in knots at the thought of our reunion, I walked slowly to the entrance. How many years had it been since we dated?
Many
. I hesitated in the doorway, smoothed the wrinkles from my skirt with hands that trembled slightly, wet my lips, and threw the bakery door open.

I was met with the sweet smell of warm cinnamon and fragrant coffee wafting through the air, a heavenly blend of aromas. Before stepping beyond the entryway, I took
a deep breath and viewed my surroundings. The coffee shop was nearly empty. There were a couple of cashiers working and one attractive man sitting alone reading the local newspaper,
The News and Observer
. I looked across the empty seats. Even from a distance, it was obvious that was Blake because there’s no mistaking his flawless profile.

The moment seemed surreal while I walked to his table. I could see his head tilted down reading, and I wondered if he could feel my presence. My mouth suddenly went dry as I observed him pull the paper closer to his face and shift in his seat.

In the next instant, he tossed the paper onto the table, glanced up, and instead of saying a word, he just smiled broadly. It was an exuberant, maybe relieved, grin. For a minute, our eyes fastened; I felt my heart beat faster, but neither of us said a word. As my eyes stared into his, I was dazzled by their sparkle; they still had their mystical powers.
Quit hypnotizing me with your eyes, Blake.

His jaw appeared to flex as if rehearsing what he was about to say. When he finally found his words and spoke, he did so slowly, with emphasized pauses and a hint of a drawl. “I’m glad to see you again. Your smile still warms me up inside.”

“Well, that’s quite a greeting. Thank you.”

He motioned to the empty chair across from him for me to sit down. “Seriously, you have grown into such a lovely woman. How is it possible for you to be more beautiful now than in college?”

“I have to compliment you, as well. You left me fumbling for words earlier. You’re a handsome man.”

“Thank you. Don’t take this the wrong way, but that awkward young girl I once knew has blossomed and matured into a sophisticated and poised lady,” he said, making me blush. His kind words were music to my ears, and just what I needed to hear. I couldn’t help but wonder when the last time was that my ex-husband told me how lovely I looked.

The reality was, I couldn’t remember, not that it mattered. Even if Peter had said the right words, he never looked at me the way Blake just did. Blake just looked at me with the same expression of excitement as a child first seeing the toys Santa left under the tree on Christmas morning. I think every woman should be lucky enough to have a man look at her with such excitement at least once in her life.
Lucky me, today!

But I also enjoyed the view seated in front of me; I was still attracted to him—maybe even more than in college—with his intelligent, inquisitive eyes perfectly balanced by his chiseled chin. He looked almost the same as he did years ago.

I noticed his furtive glance at my left hand at nearly the same time I was checking his finger for a wedding ring.
Oh, relief. Nothing.
Why didn’t I think to look for that earlier? I must have been in shock from seeing him again.

“You switched outfits.” He smiled and added, “And you look fabulous.” He was very observant and had noticed I changed out of my blousy sundress and into a more form-fitting outfit—a slim navy skirt that hugged my curves. I felt thrilled that my efforts were rewarded. I loved every second of his attention.

Not trying to be explicitly sexy, but at the same time, I was meeting my extremely handsome ex-boyfriend, so I left the top three buttons of my white silk blouse open, slightly revealing my ample cleavage. Although I learned how to play up my femininity, I preferred to think I was beautiful on the inside. Either way, Blake made me feel special today. And ignited.

I noticed Blake’s eyes slip down to the opening in my blouse. His eyes were drawn to my full breasts, and then moved back up to my face. He gazed at me, almost dreamily. He looked as if he had become absorbed in thought about the first time he explored my body. Our faces mirrored each other with our expression of yearning—pining for those days of lost innocence and the exhilaration of first touches.

Blake’s lowered gaze that fixed on my buttons made me wonder what it would feel like if he eased them open and slowly slid my shirt down my arms, exposing the swell of my breasts as he stroked his fingers across my willing flesh.

The waitress interrupted my fervent thoughts when she stepped next to our table for our drink orders. And then she promptly returned with two coffees.

Before I knew what had happened, Blake and I were talking effortlessly about old times. We reconnected quickly, rekindled our long-ago friendship. In just that brief time, Blake lifted my spirits with his hearty, contagious laugh. I remembered his positive energy and happy-go-lucky personality from years ago.

As the robust brew slid down my throat, I contemplated the situation. Something inside me was definitely coming back to life. For the first time in months, I felt energized.

Blake gave me a boyish grin. “I can’t believe we ran into each other today. Fate must want us back together, at least as friends.”

I lifted my coffee mug. “Cheers to friendship.”

He tapped his mug to mine. “You always had a way of making me laugh and I still think you can light up a room with your cheery disposition. You have that same quality you had as a young woman.”

His kind words made me question a future with Blake.
Should we give this a second chance? Is he even interested?
But we hurt each other the first time. Maybe he was actually the one worth suffering for. As the saying goes, everyone is going to hurt you at some point. You just have to figure which ones are worth the pain. But this time, if we try again, I would be going in with my eyes wide open, especially fresh from my recent heartbreak.

I watched him intently as if understanding his mannerisms could help me read his thoughts. It appeared that he didn’t want to take his eyes off of me. Could he be thinking the same as me—that I wanted to kiss, now?

Once again, he had charmed me; I was falling under his spell.

From across the coffee shop, we heard a female voice. We both turned and looked toward the source. “No way! Great seeing you here, Lila,” shrieked an exuberant voice. It was Jane. I waved her closer.

I looked from Jane to Blake and then back again. Blake was cordial to Jane. He stood to greet her and offered his hand. He looked so professional in his introduction.

Jane glanced at me out of the corner of her eye. She tilted toward him as if saying, where have you been hiding this one? Her eyes prodded me.

“Jane,” I explained, “Blake and I were friends in college.” After I said those words, I lifted my left hand behind Blake’s shoulder, out of his sight line, but for Jane to see. I crossed my middle finger over my index finger. Jane looked up at my crossed fingers curiously and gave me a puzzled glance.

“Close friends,” Blake chimed in, elbowing me teasingly, totally unaware of the gesture behind him.

“I see,” said Jane, with a face distorted as if full of questions.

His eyes moved from me to Jane, from Jane to me. “Ladies, if you’ll excuse me. I have a matter to address. I’ll be right back.”

After he excused himself, Jane pulled me toward her. “I should’ve worn my sexy miniskirt here. You know I’m joking, right? I know he’s your man, but what in the world are you crossing your fingers for?”

I giggled. “You’re right, girlfriend, this one’s for me. The gesture I made behind his back was an “X.” Blake is my ex-boyfriend from years ago. My first love,” I said. Her eyes flickered in delight.

Before we could discuss the topic further, Blake returned. “Did I miss anything juicy?” he asked. We turned and smiled innocently and shook our heads.

“I hate to have to dash, but obligation is calling,” Jane said, in her usual excitable manner. “My little boy, Thomas, is sick and begged for these muffins.” She paused, lifted her pastry bag, and held it up for us to see. “I need to hurry home.”

“Give him a hug for me,” I said.

“I will. He was probably ready to go back to school yesterday, but I’m one big softie. And I must say, if you haven’t tried the raspberry muffins, you need to.” And with that comment, she waved the wax paper bag in the air and excused herself. “Nice meeting you, Blake,” she exclaimed, gathering her purse.

“You, too, Jane. Any friend of Lila’s must be a great gal. Hopefully we can all hang out soon. I’d like to go out with Lila again, if I can get her to agree.”

Jane stood next to us, looking into our faces. “I’ll leave you two alone to work on that one. I’ll call you soon, Lila,” she said, smiling at us. She waved good-bye and zipped across the coffee shop.

After I explained that Jane was my dear friend and neighbor, I told him how she had been my savior during this past year.

Ever so briefly, I explained my recent divorce. But I was much more excited to tell him about Jenny. I mentioned the career as an art teacher I sacrificed after giving birth and my indecision about what job steps to take next, now that she had started college. And then I asked Blake about his career.

He told me how he chose a life in the military. Blake’s eyes were warm when he looked at me, like we had remained best friends all these years. “I live about two hours from here, near the Marine base, Camp Lejeune, where I work now. I’ve devoted my life to serving our country.”

A forlorn expression took shape on his face and then disappeared. “I tried to finish college, but it just felt like something was missing in my life. After our breakup, I felt troubled. And I had lingering guilt about your scholarship,” he said.

“Really?” I asked. “I didn’t know it bothered you.”

“And besides, I didn’t have money to see the world, but felt like it was calling me. I answered that call by enlisting in the military. It was a win-win deal. I was proud to serve my country. I moved up in the ranks, and at the same time, I traveled often.”

I looked at Blake curiously. I was not used to seeing him in that light. “Your life sounds so fascinating,” I said. His dedication to our country and preserving our freedom impressed me more than I showed. I had traveled on a limited basis, but Blake had taken on the world.

“My military career brought me back to life and became my existence. And I feel like I am serving something beyond myself. And over time, my upsetting memories no longer ruled me.”

I cradled my coffee mug and looked at his face through the floating steam. “You must be very proud of your accomplishments,” I said.

He shrugged. “Yes. I work hard at all of my assignments. They moved me, quite frequently. Eventually, I was able to work my way back home to North Carolina. I was disciplined with my duties, learned quickly, and soon became invaluable to them. I advanced rapidly through the ranks.”

“That’s impressive. And you still find time for other activities?” I asked.

“It’s a busy, hectic life, but I still try to stay social with friends. And when I’m not working, I write short stories from my experiences, as a creative outlet. My goal is eventually to compile the stories into a book.”

I listened intently, captivated by this worldly man. He was full of surprises. Excitedly, I said, “It also looks like you immersed yourself in fitness. You look fabulous.” I leaned back, looked at my cup, and took a sip from my coffee that I had been lingering over because I didn’t want to say good-bye and part ways.

He pushed a stray hair out of his eyes with his long fingers. “My fitness routine keeps me distracted. Plus, as part of my job I need to remain in shape, and I take pride in staying active and healthy.”

A moment later, I looked into his kind eyes and wondered what they had really seen during his years in the service. There was a long silence while I studied Blake, in admiration but also trying to figure out the person he had become. Although he was a man now, something in his face reminded me of our youth.

Looking at his beautiful face again took me back to college when I would sneak him in the dorm at night. “Blake, you always could talk me into anything. Because of you, I caught a few glimpses of the wild side.”

He smiled. “We did know how to have fun.”

I wondered if he still had the power to ignite my senses. What would it be like to touch him again? After my imagination explored his body, I shook my head, trying to keep my mind in the present. But everything about him took my thoughts back to those carefree days.

While my mind was trying to stay focused, my body was losing control. I was starting to feel a warmth creep across my body. My nipples grew hard. I started to feel a yearning and aching between my legs. It was as if my body screamed at me to touch him again. I wondered if he shared some of those same feelings.