Back to School

She reached for something to throw at him and found the lid to her cup. It just flopped over in the air falling harmlessly to the floor. "Oh, you are in so much trouble!" she told him.

"Are you gonna send me to my room and ground me?" he asked keeping the shtick alive.

"I just might!" she said smugly.

He leaned down to kiss her again and said quietly, "Well, as long as you agree to tuck me in each night, that might not be so bad."

"Oh, you are such a bad boy!" she teased as he kissed her again.

"Does that mean you're going to punish me?"

"You wish!" she said.

"Yes, I do," he told her with a smile. He kissed her again and said, "Can I pick you up around noon tomorrow for the grand opening at one?"

"Uh-huh. Yes, you may," she said pulling him down for one more kiss. "See you then."

"Bye, Claire, he said as he stood up then smiled before walking away.

Before Aidan had even left the cafeteria, Claire picked up her phone and hit #2 on her speed dial. "Carol? Hi, it's me. I need some sisterly advice. Can we talk?"

That evening Claire poured her heart out to her sister who'd heard all the details about the affair and the divorce many times, but this...infatuation...with a college student was new ground.

"I'm not even divorced yet and I can't get this guy off my mind, Carol. I even dream about him, for Pete's sake!"

"The wave-dream thing, right?"

"Yes! Pretty much every night."

"I guess it's a good thing dreams can't get us pregnant, huh?" she quipped.

"Not funny," Claire told her sister.

"Sorry, I was just trying to keep things light. Okay, so let me ask you some questions."

"Oh, great. I'm looking for answers and you want to ask questions." Claire sighed and said, "Go ahead. Ask away."

"There's zero chance you'll ever get back with Michael, right?"

"Are you kidding me? No. None! Zero. Zip. Nada. Next question."

"Okay. Got it. Sheesh. Does this younger guy—Aidan with an 'a'—make you happy?"

Claire thought about it and told her sister, "I smile or laugh the entire time we're together."

"But that's not the same as being happy. Does he make you happy?"

"I like being with him and I want to be with him all the time. But...happy? I don't know, Carol. Isn't happiness a fleeting emotion? You know like when Mom and Dad told us we were going to Disneyland when we were kids?"

"Good point," Carol agreed. "Okay. We'll put that on hold for now. You said he's hot but looks only matter to the degree someone's attractive to us so that's not an issue. Well, except that he's way beyond the minimally-attractive level, right?"

"Trust me. He's more than just okay looking." Claire looked around the room as though someone else might possibly be listening. "In fact...he's SO hot, sometimes I get wet just thinking about him."

"Claire! I can't believe you said that. Me maybe but not my sister!" Carol said before she burst out laughing. "Okay, that's hot!" When she stopped laughing she said, "And he already owns a business so you know he's not lazy. In fact, that proves he's ambitious and hard-working. He's also a veteran, and in my book—even as a liberal Democrat, that's a plus. As if that's not enough, he has goals, too, like the FBI and building his business—all on the pro side of the ledger." She looked at Claire and asked her, "Up to this point, I don't see any negatives. In fact, I don't see what all the fuss is about. Am I missing something obvious here?"

"Um, Carol? Did you not hear me say he's twenty-five freaking years old?"

"I did and yet I'm still waiting to hear something negative," her sister said without smiling. "Do you have any idea what that means in the bedroom, Claire?"

"Oh, my God. You did not just say that!"

"Right, and you didn't say how just thinking about him makes you wet, either."

Carol was exasperating sometimes, but she was still Claire's sister and best friend. They'd shared everything (except politics and boyfriends, of course) all of their lives and although they fought like cats and dogs when they lived at home together, they loved each other dearly and Claire relied on her for this kind of advice even the advice meant just being her sounding board.

"Oh, and before I forget you said you're simpatico on political issues, too. Politics and religion cause a lot of arguments and you're both in agreement on those two major topics, right? So unless you have serious disagreements about money or sex—and I know how much you like sex, Claire—I don't see a downside anywhere."

"All right. You win. I give up." Claire looked at her sister and said, "So what do I do?"

"You go to the grand opening thing tomorrow and if he doesn't ask you out, you ask him. It's 2016 for goodness sake! Just ask him. Tell him how you feel. Stop living in fear."

"Right," Claire said quietly.

"You're afraid of getting hurt again, aren't you?" Carol said in a sympathetic tone of voice. She already knew the answer so she didn't wait for Claire to respond. "Okay, so you get hurt? It won't kill you. Get back up, dust yourself off, and try again. And keep trying until you find the right guy. Just keep in mind, this Aidan might be the right guy and if you don't go out with him you'll never know. Claire, don't let the opportunity to find out pass you by. Okay?"

"Okay," she said with more confidence. "Rejection hurts but it doesn't kill us, right?"

"And what doesn't kill us...."

"Makes us stronger!" they both said together then laughed loudly.

"So now that the heavy lifting's out of the way, how about some more wine?" Carol suggested.

"Right after you help me decide what to wear tomorrow, okay?"

After going through her entire wardrobe, Carol suggested a midnight blue dress with a halter strap. "It's classy but also sexy and it's definitely your color. Oh, and wear the three-inch black heels. No flats but nothing too crazy. It'll be perfect and he'll love it."

Claire slept reasonably well that night and for once, neither dream plagued her. She actually felt well-rested when she got up. She had a few chapters to read and a paper to work on that was due next week, but other than that, she had the entire day to herself.

When she finished getting ready she took a look at herself in the full-length mirror and for the first time in quite a while was happy with what she saw. Carol had been right. The dress looked great on her.

She rarely wore lipstick but today she wore a dark shade of red and redid her nails to match. She also gave her eyes that extra pop that only blending in several shades of eyeshadow can provide.

She chose to wear a single strand of pearls and matching earrings that had gold backings with the dress and the gold allowed her to wear a beautiful white, gold-trimmed Kate-Spade bangle she loved.

"If this doesn't do the trick...." she thought as the doorbell rang. "Ahh! He's always on time!" she said out loud as she headed to the door.

Claire hadn't really thought about the possibility that Aidan wouldn't be dressed up, but when she saw him she felt sick. He was wearing jeans and a tee-shirt and a pair of tennis shoes.

"Please tell me you're not wearing that to your grand opening," she said with horror.

Aidan looked at her and said, "Please tell me you are wearing that to the grand opening!"

"Aidan, this is not funny! I thought this was going to be a big deal and now...."

He was going to make a joke out of it until he noticed that Claire was on the verge of crying and then he felt sick.

He closed the door and saw her standing there staring at him in his Levis. "I'm rarely at a loss for words, but I don't know what to say. I feel like an idiot. No...I feel like I'm...25."

He saw her reach up with her wrist to wipe away a tear that had fallen down onto her cheek and felt helpless. "Claire, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. Let me...."

"No, it's okay," she said. "I'll just go change into something else." She wiped away another tear and Aidan's heart felt like it was going to break.

"Claire, I feel terrible. I should have told you this was really informal."

One tear followed another and she just stood there crying. He moved closer and put his hands on the back of her upper arms and said, "You don't need to change, Claire. You look...amazing. You look more beautiful than I ever dreamed and...."

"I can't do this," she told him. "I'm sorry. I just can't."

"What can't you do, Claire? Go with me today or...."

"Any of it. I just can't. I'm so sorry. Can you..." She reached for some tissue then finished her sentence. "Can you please just go? Please?"

"I can't stand to see you hurting so if leaving will make it better for you, then yes, I'll go. But I don't want to go, Claire. I want you to come with me." He put his hands on her shoulders and said, "I can't make not telling you this is informal right, but I can tell you I can't stop thinking about you and that I want to be with you every minute of every day. Look. I blew it. Totally. And I'm sorry, but Claire...."

He waited for her to look up. Her face was now a mess of mascara and tears and she was still shaking from crying. When she finally looked into his eyes he put his hand on her cheek as he looked deeply back into hers. "Claire, I'm...I'm falling in love with you and I can't stand the thought of losing you over...this. I'm so, sorry. Can you please for...."

Claire's eyes were darting back and forth between his and when she heard him say he was falling in love with her, her own eyes opened wider and she blinked furiously to clear them of tears. Without warning, she kissed him. Hungrily, passionately. She threw her arms underneath his and placed her hands on his back pulling him close and kissing him unlike anyone else she'd ever kissed.

The world of her dreams and the reality of standing there alone with him merged as her tongue made its way to his. She was clawing at his clothes as her lips pressed hard against his. "Make love to me," she pleaded. She felt as though she might somehow fold inside herself and disappear into the blackness of the universe if she couldn't have him. Rational thought went out the window and months of pent-up lust and emotion demanded their due as he unzipped her dress and pulled the halter strap over her head.

They didn't even make it to the bedroom. There was a large rug on the hardwood floor in the living room and that's as far as they got. They were both completely undressed except that Claire was wearing stockings and heels. She pulled him down on top of her reaching for his cock on the way down. "Fuck me right now," she said as she fell to the floor. He was already very hard as she stroked him and pushed him to find the entrance to her pussy which was drenched in her wetness.

"I don't have a condom with me," he forced himself to say as she tried to take him inside her.

"And I don't give a fuck," she said as she pushed against him and felt him slide inside her. In spite of the many months she'd taken off from lovemaking, the pain was minimal and dissipated almost immediately as he slowly filled her and stretched in the most delicious of ways. "Yes!" she moaned as she took him. "Fuck...yesss!"

Aidan couldn't remember the last time he'd had sex without foreplay of some kind, but after telling him she didn't care about a condom, his rational mind went right out the door along with hers. They were drunk with passion and fucking was the only known cure.

Aidan drove it all the way home and Claire whimpered with pleasure. "You feel so good inside me," she moaned as she thought about the dream. He pulled back slowly then took her again causing her to gasp. He kissed her hard as he continuted to draw back his sword before plunging it into her over and over, harder and harder.

The kissing muffled her screams as she came the first time, her body shuddering as it did. "Oh...God!!!" she cried out. "I want you so bad!!!"

Aidan pounded her pussy then drove her crazy by slowing down and stroking her softly and slowly only to then hammer her even harder than before. The pounding was so furious he could no longer hold her kiss. He buried his head in the crook of her neck as she buried her nails in his back.

"Jesus... Oh...fuck! Oh, God....yes!!! Oh, my God! Fuck me! Fuck me! FUCK ME!!!" she screamed. The merging of her real and dream worlds began to fade as she felt his cum splash on the inside of her body. She moaned with pleasure as she realized nothing had ever felt so good in her entire life.

As reality won out, she was now conscious of his and her own very heavy breathing. She was also aware of but unsure of just what it was that she felt on his back. As she panted for breath she raised her fingers. When she looked at them, she yelped causing Aidan to flinch. "What is it?" he asked looking around thinking someone had walked in on them.

"You're bleeding," she said. She showed him her fingers, all of which were a deep red with his blood.

"That explains the stinging pain in my back," he said smiling at her.

"Oh, no! Aidan, I'm so sorry. Did I hurt you?" she said her eyes filled with worry.

"In the best kind of way," he told her as he kissed her again. "As we said on active duty, 'no pain, no gain'," he told her almost laughing.

"Let me see," she said rolling him off her. She raised up and said, "Oh, my goodness! We need to get you taken care of. This looks really bad. Oh, Aidan, I'm so sorry. I've never done anything like that before."

"The nails or the tearing a guy's clothes off part?" he teased.

"Both," she said in a more subdued voice. "I've never done anything like that before in my life."

"Wow," he said as he sat up. "That's a really long time, you know?"

"Ohhh! You better be careful or I'm gonna pour vinegar or salt in those wounds. Or both!" she said playfully.

"Why don't I doubt that?" he said as he slowly stood up. Claire grabbed more tissues and gently dabbed his back as she took him to the bathroom to clean up the mess she'd made.

"I really am sorry," she told him as she poured some hydrogen peroxide on a washcloth and carefully cleaned up the tiny holes in his back.

"Don't be," he told her. "It was a small price to pay for the way I hurt you. Claire? I really am so very sorry. I should have told you...."

"Oh, my God! We're gonna be so late!" she said loudly. "You go ahead and shower here and I'll run upstairs."

"We could shower tog...."

"Uh-uh. No way," she said laughing. "We'd never get there at all. I'll meet you back down here in fifteen minutes, okay?"

"Whatever you say," he said. He put his hands up and said, "Just don't hurt me anymore."

She smiled at him then went to leave but before she got all the way out she stopped and looked back in and asked, "Did you really mean it when you said you might be falling in love with me?" She looked like a raccoon with black eyes but even so, he thought she was beautiful.

"I did," he told her. "I always say what's on my mind and I always tell the truth."

"I'm glad," she said. "I was beginning to wonder if I might be the only one of us falling in love around here." She smiled and Aidan laughed at how silly and yet how sweet she looked as she disappeared around the edge of the door.

"Fifteen minutes!" he heard her call out.

Aidan was ready in five. A quick shower, toweling off, and dressed. He sat there waiting on her knowing it would be worth the wait and he wasn't disappointed.

She came downstairs wearing a very pretty pink sweater and a pair of jeans. She'd removed her makeup and re-applied just a touch of mascara and some lip gloss while wearing the same jewelry she'd had on before.

"Wow—again. Doesn't matter whether you dress up or down, you always look beautiful," he told her truthfully. "I texted my dad, by the way, and let him know we're running a little late."

"You didn't tell him why, did you?" she asked as she put her arms around him.

"I never kiss and tell," he assured her as he led outside to his car.

The new couple held hands on the way to his place and the only thing either one said was, "Do you think your parents will like me?" Aidan just smiled knowing this was nothing but more insecurity stemming from the affair and her battered self-esteem.

When they arrived, Aidan's parents greeted her like she was part of the family. Her mother even said to her husband after she hugged Claire, "She's as pretty as Aidan said she was."

Claire was relieved she didn't blush this time as well as to learn that they everyone in attendance seemed to genuinely like her. After a short, very informal ceremony consisting of a champagne toast and a literal ribbon cutting—there was a white ribbon across the doorway to the small home office—Claire was able to get better acquainted with Aidan's family once everyone else left.

His parents were quite a bit younger than her own and probably only 15 years older than she was and they both so nice to her. His mother, Nina, said, "You know, it would wonderful if you wanted to help out here part time. I'm working 40 hours a week right now and as much as I enjoy it, it would great to have a few hours off."

Aidan winked at her indicating he'd mentioned something to his mom and she smiled back at him. Claire told her that sounded perfect and after discussing her school schedule, she and Nina came up with a 20-hour work week for Claire at the new 'office.'

After spending a couple of hours chatting with his parents, Aidan begged off on a dinner offer having already asked Claire if she'd like to do something else that evening. "Well, I guess that depends on what we'll be doing...together," she told him. She wanted him to hold her so badly it hurt, but he hadn't told his parents yet and they decided to hold off on any public displays of affection.

"We have a family cabin up in Greenwater. I thought maybe we could, you know, get together there for the rest of the weekend and study. Or...whatever."

Claire's eyes danced with delight as she replied, "I like the sound of the 'whatever' part of this." She feigned a frown and added, "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to do a little studying while we're there. You know, when we're not doing...whatever."

She and Aidan spent nearly their entire time together in bed, some of it with laptops, but most of it exploring one another's bodies and getting to know each other. Both of them were pleasantly surprised at how quickly the bond between them was growing. They already felt extremely comfortable with one another and Claire was finding it hard to imagine a life without him in it. She remained cautious however, knowing that for him, this might be something less meaningful. Her gut instinct told her he felt the same way, but were she to open her heart completely, she could easily be devastated again. So she settled for making love when they could, laughing as often as possible, and enjoying her time with this very handsome, much younger man who seemed to adore her as much as she adored him.

The relationship grew over the next two months and for both of them, three important events took place. The first was their revelation to his family the following week that they were dating which was met with nothing but happiness and congratulations for both of them.

The second was the finalization of Claire's divorce. "Are you at all saddened by this?" Aidan asked her when the notice came unceremoniously in the mail.

"Not at all," she told him. "I'm well passed all that now and I have you to thank for it."

"His loss is my gain," he told with with a smile and a warm kiss.

The third was introducing Aidan to her parents and to Carol. Her parents were as warm and welcoming as his had been to her, and other than a couple of borderline-inappropriate comments from her sister about how hot he was, she was also equally welcoming.

School was going well and the controversial class became less so as Mao/Che realized he'd be counterpunched every time he started in by calling America a 'fascist nation.' Both of them were doing well in all of their classes and already looking at registration for their final semester.