Ten-Year Reunion

"Yeah, what's the deal. So now you know why she was willing to 'go out' with me." Jimmy made huge air quotes when he said 'go out'. "I knew it was too good to be true."

"Maybe they really are just friends. I mean did she tell you she's gay or what?"

"Not me, man. But when Karen came over they started talking about Mark and her divorce and Karen told her she'd discovered she was this big 'ol lesbo after having two kids with a man. What kind of bullshit is that, dude?"

Chaz didn't answer. He was staring. Ellen was kissing Karen and it definitely wasn't a kiss of friendship. "Damn!" he said quietly.

"Dude! Please do not tell me that's turning you on," Jimmy said as he stood up next to Chaz.

"Sorry, bro, but is kind of hot."

Jimmy was tilting his head trying to take it all in and said, "Yeah, it actually is pretty hot, isn't it?" He stood up straight when the girl-on-girl kiss ended and said, "Figures. The only date I get is with a gay chick." He turned to Chaz and said, "I need to live through you vigorously, dude. Tell me about your date or whatever this was."

"I think you mean 'vicariously' and whatever this was it was really great." Chaz gave him the highlights leaving out all of the details knowing Jimmy would just turn them into something vulgar.

"So you're goin' out with one of our teachers. Wow. That is just way hot, dude!"

"Speaking of way hot, what's going on with Mark and Campbell?"

"Come on. I'll show you." He led Chaz outside into the parking lot. "Oh, good. They're still there."

About 50 feet away, Chaz saw the two of them in his car sitting in the front seat talking and laughing. "I followed them out here an hour ago and they were makin' out like crazy, dude. Looks like they finally came up for air."

"Good for them," Chaz said. "I hope it works out for them this time."

He turned to Jimmy and said, "You gonna be okay, my friend? I think I'm gonna head home."

"Oh, yeah. No problem, man. I'm good."

Chaz couldn't help but feel sorry for his old friend no matter how much of his lack of a social life was his own fault. Everyone needed love and affection and he wondered—and even worried a little—how Jimmy or others like him dealt with being alone day in and day out. Then again, it wasn't his fight so he didn't say anything to him about it.

"Hang in there, dude. You'll find someone."

"Yeah, maybe there's a drug-addicted lesbian midget out there just waiting for a fat, balding guy." He faked a laugh and said, "Just kiddin', bro. Go on. Go home. Get some sleep. Catch you later, okay?"

"Good night, Jimmy. Take care of yourself, okay?"

"Roger, wilco, Captain America!" he said trying to render a hand salute. Even that was utterly dorked up. Chaz just smiled and told him good night.

The following afternoon he picked up his phone and dialed her number. She picked up on the third ring and he was amazed at what just the sound of her voice did to him. "Hello?" she said pleasantly.

"Hi, beautiful," he said.

"Hi, Chaz. I'm so glad you called. I love just hearing the sound of your voice." He heard a happy, playful sound in her voice and he loved that, too.

"Same here," he told her truthfully. "Did you sleep okay last night?

"If by not sleeping at all because I couldn't stop thinking about you then, yes, I slept very well." She heard him chuckle and said, "You?"

"Like a baby," he told her. Then he quickly added, "Don't you dare say that's because I am still a baby."

Taylor laughed a giggly kind of laugh and said, "You don't look like any baby I've ever seen." She paused then said, "Maybe a total babe but definitely not a baby."

"Let me assure you the feeling is mutual, gorgeous." After a brief pause of his own he said, "Is tonight too early for our dinner date."

"Not at all," she said. "I'd like that very much. How formal is this, by the way?"

"It's as formal or informal as you'd like it to be. How's that?" he replied.

"Chaz!" she said in a pouty kind of voice. "I want to look nice for you. What are you wearing? A suit? Jeans? Something in between? I don't want to be over or under dressed compared to you."

"Taylor? You'll look great in anything from a gunny sack to a formal gown and I'll be happy no matter what you wear."

"You're not helping, Chaz. That was very sweet but not at all helpful."

"How about this? Something nicer than jeans but no suit or fancy dress?"

"Better," she said letting him know she'd like more information. "Okay, I think I can work with that."

"So can I pick you up around 8 o'clock?" he asked.

"You can," she said. "And Chaz?"

"Yes?"

"I can't wait. I'm really looking forward to this."

"Me too, Taylor. Me, too. See you then?"

"K. Bye, Chaz. See you then."

As he hung up with her he realized her voice had more than a sweet effect on him. He couldn't remember the last time he'd gotten hard just talking to a woman he liked. Then again, he couldn't remember the last time he'd liked anyone the way he liked her. That was probably due to the fact that he'd never felt like this about woman before. Ever.

He still knew his way around town and didn't need GPS to find her place. He pulled up and took a quick look in the mirror. He laughed knowing nothing had changed since he left his own home ten minutes ago.

Chaz wasn't a 'clothes hound' but he did know how to dress when he needed to. He rarely spent a lot of money on things he wore, but he did have a few nice things. He'd chosen a very nice shirt by Robert Graham that had set him back $150. He couldn't describe the pattern if his life depended on it, but it was mostly white with some blue and a bit of red. Whatever it was, it looked great on him and went very well with the khaki-colored pants he was wearing.

He rang the doorbell and waited. He heard a bolt turn and then saw the door open. "Hi, there!" she said. "Please come in."

Chaz walked inside as she shut the door. "Wow! You look very nice," she told him.

He didn't even hear her. She was wearing a very black, sleeveless, rib-knit top and a gorgeous, dark-gray skirt with matching three-inch spiked heels. The gold necklace and matching earrings went perfectly with her light-blonde hair and she was wearing slightly more makeup than he could ever remember.

"Chaz?" she said. She waved her hand in front of his face. "Yoo-hoo? Chaz? Are you in there?"

"Wow..." he finally said. "Just...wow."

"Me?" she said thinking he'd be disappointed if she didn't wear a great-looking dress like Campbell had worn even though she didn't even own one that nice.

"Uh...yeah. You. Wow!"

"So this isn't too informal?" she asked.

"Uh...no," he told her. "That...is perfect. Stunning even."

"I will never understand men," she said sweetly with a smile. "So you really like this?"

"Uh...yeah. I really like that. You look sensational."

"Well I love the casual kind of Hawaiian thing you've got going on, too," she said. "I must have changed ten times trying to find something I thought was between jeans and a formal dress."

He moved closer to her and put his hands on the back of her arms as he looked at her. "I don't mean to stare, Taylor, but...wow!"

She put her arms around his neck and said, "You know, I really do feel beautiful when I'm around you."

"You should because you are," he told her. Their eyes were already flirting with each other as he leaned down to kiss her.

Unlike before, this time, Taylor not only kissed back, she offered him the tip of her tongue which was met with a similar response from Chaz. "Did I say 'wow' yet?" he told her when it ended.

"Maybe once or twice," she said, her eyes twinkling with happiness. "I told my sister about you, by the way. I hope that's okay."

"Of course it is," he replied.

"We tell each other everything." She stopped then said, "Well, not...everything."

"What did she say when you told her you're dating one of your students?"

Taylor smiled and said, "She said, 'Send his pic right now!'"

"But you don't have a pic, do you?"

"Uh-uh. Would you mind?" she asked holding up her cell phone.

A minute later she'd sent it to her sister and less than 30 seconds later, her reply came back. Taylor covered her mouth as she laughed.

"What did she say? Get out while you can?"

"I don't think I want to say," she said dropping her phone back in her purse.

"Oh, you are so gonna show me that," he said reaching for her purse.

Taylor shrieked playfully and said, "Don't you dare! I'll die if you read that!"

He grabbed her purse and pulled out her phone. Taylor reached for it but he held it over her head and teased her. "Look what I've got? Hmmm. I wonder what her sister said? Hmmm."

"Chaz! No! Don't read that! Give me my phone. I'm not kidding!"

He turned around and saw it was still open to her messages. "OMG, Tay! If you don't do him tonight, I will!"

"Chaaaz! That is so mean!"

He turned around and said, "You should listen to your sister, you know. She seems very wise to me."

He handed her the phone as she kept pretending to be very put out and upset. She dropped it in her purse and said with an exaggerated pout, "That was not nice."

He moved closer to her again and as she stood up, he was directly in front of her. "You know I was being playful, right?"

Her eyes were once again darting back and forth between his as she replied. "Yes, I do."

He put his arms around her and said again, "I think your sister is brilliant, by the way."

"Well, she is my best friend and best friends do have one's best interests in mind, don't they?" she said softly as she wrapped her arms more tightly around him.

"I'm sure that's the case," he said. He hair looked so sexy. It was short and smooth and it smelled amazing. Then again, so did her perfume. Were she anyone else he'd have already had her undressed and in bed. But this was Taylor Freeman and he'd never felt like this before. "But I do think we should get to know each other better first."

Taylor sighed then smiled. "I don't want to scare you off, but I can't remember ever feeling this way about...anyone before."

"Is it scary?" he asked playfully.

"Not at all," she told him. "It's actually pretty wonderful."

"Yes, it is," he told her. "Have I told you how beautiful you are tonight?"

"Well, you may have mentioned it among the 'wows', but I wouldn't mind hearing it one more time," she said smiling at him.

"It's true. You are so...pretty. So...beautiful. So...perfect."

Taylor lowered her arms as she looked away and said, "Um, maybe we should get going."

"Right. Definitely," Chaz agreed.

"Oh, just one thing before we go. When it comes to um...taking my sister's advice...I would like to go on record saying I don't do hook-ups again."

"I am completely and permanently out of the hook-up business," he assured her.

Taylor grabbed her purse and a sweater and said, "Okay, then. Shall we?"

As they got ready to get in the elevator Chaz said, "You ready for a 500-foot ride?" He stepped aside and let her enter first. Several other people got in with them so he stood directly behind her and put his hands on her shoulders.

As the elevator began its ascent, Taylor instinctively reached to grab something and latched onto his pants. "Sorry," she said as they climbed up into the Seattle skyline. She let go and looked around as Puget Sound came into view. It was a crystal clear July evening and the sky and water were a bright blue. "Wow, it's so beautiful," she said.

He leaned down and began kissing her neck and very quietly said, "Yes, you are." She leaned her head back offering him all of her neck, but he didn't take advantage because of the other people. No one was staring and no one seemed to care, but Chaz wasn't going to rush this and mess things up.

He put his arms around her waist and clasped his hands as she rested the back of her head on his shoulder. "I could get used to this," she whispered as she craned her neck back to try and see his handsome face.

"I'm counting on that," he whispered back.

The elevator came to a stop, and everyone else stepped out. Chaz waited for his date to exit then followed her. The entered the Sky City restaurant and were warmly welcomed and shown to their seat. "Chaz, look! The water is so amazing. Look at all the boats out there tonight!"

He went to sit across from her and she said, "Would you please sit next to me?"

He pulled his chair next to her and said, "Gladly."

"Hi, I'm Crystal, and I'll be taking care of you tonight," a younger woman said to them. "Can I bring you anything to drink?"

Without asking, Chaz said, "A bottle of champagne, please."

"Coming right up," she said.

"Chaz, you don't have to do that. Champagne is insanely expensive."

He took her hand and told her, "I have money. What I don't have is someone to spend it on and I like spending it on you."

"That will take some getting used to. You see, I don't have money and I have to watch every penny so..."

"Not anymore," he told her.

The way he looked at her sent chills through her. But not cold chills. They were a different kind. The kind that started in a place she rarely remembered was part of her body and radiated outward. It wasn't the offer of money or things and she knew that wasn't what he was offering anyway. It was just another way of letting her know he...

"Okay, guys. Champagne on ice," Crystal said interrupting Taylor's train of thought. She popped the cork and sopped up the excess with a large, soft, white towel before pouring them a drink. "Would you like an appetizer?" she asked.

Taylor slid her arm inside Chaz's and said, "You can order for me."

"That's a lot of trust," he told her.

She reached for his hand and interlaced their fingers. "It's easy to trust you," she said as she rested her head on his broad shoulders again.

Chaz ordered them each a spinach and strawberry salad and grilled wild salmon.

He raised his glass and waited for Taylor to do the same. She sat up and grabbed hers. "To learning to trust?" he suggested.

"I'll drink to that," she said sweetly. They touched glasses, took a sip, then set them down.

Taylor reached for his hand again, but Chaz put his arm around her shoulder. "This is so unbelievable," she told him as she looked out onto the water.

"The view is amazing, isn't it?" he said.

"Not just the view," she replied. "I'm just amazed at how life has this crazy way of changing so quickly. Sometimes it's in the form of a tragedy or a heartache, and other times it's..." She looked at him and said, "Just...wonderful." Her eyes closed knowing he would kiss her. It wasn't a long kiss, but it was romantic and yes...wonderful.

When they finished their meal, Chaz ordered dessert, a macadamia-white chocolate bread pudding with caramel and whipped cream. Taylor spooned out a small amount and offered it to Chaz. He took the bite then did the same for her. "You know, just two days ago I still felt like I'd felt for so many years; like I'd all but given up on ever feeling this way again."

"What way might that be?" he asked already knowing the answer.

"Happy," she said. "Feeling like I matter to someone special other than my family. Like I'm...loved."

He sat his spoon down and looked at her. "That's because you are. You are loved, Taylor."

"So are you, Chaz," she said.

"Does that frighten you?" he asked with a smile.

"Uh-uh."

"How does it make you feel then?"

She squeezed his hand and as she stared into his eyes said, "Like my sister is the smartest woman I know."

Chaz smiled and said, "She does offer incredibly good advice."

"Yes, she does," Taylor replied quietly. "Very good advice."

"Do you want anything else?" he asked looking down at the dessert they barely touched.

"Uh-huh," she told him. "But it's not on the menu."

Chaz smiled, caught Crystal's attention and said, "Check, please!"

In his car he asked, "Your place or mine?"

"Well, because I trust you so much, how about yours?"

"My place it is," he said returning her coy smile.

After letting her inside he asked if she'd like something else to drink. "No thank you. I'm fine," she told him.

He put his hands on her shoulders and said, "Yes, you are. You are very fine."

Taylor giggled. "Sorry, must be the champagne. Then again, no one has ever called me 'fine' before."

"That's a shame because you really are." He kissed her and the kiss was going well when she suddenly pulled back. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, but..."

"But what?" he asked as he caressed her face with the back of his hand.

"You may not understand this so I'm just going to...trust you, okay?" she began. He stood there and waited for her to finish. "I'm a lot older than you are and like most women my age...okay, maybe not most but a lot. I have these um...body issues."

"I can assure you your body is no issue. It's not only just fine, it's perfect."

"You may not being saying that once you see it. If this seems silly to you please understand that..."

"Taylor? You don't have to justify how you feel. I'm glad you trust me enough to share something so personal with me. I just want you to know I think you're incredibly beautiful and even if there was some tiny imperfection it wouldn't change how I feel about you."

She was staring into his eyes and as he spoke she knew he was being completely honest with her. "Well, in that case..." She took his hand and said, "Could you maybe show me where your bedroom is?"

As they approached it she said, "This is going to very unromantic, but I have to actually use the bathroom before we...you know."

Chaz laughed politely and said, "To tell the truth, so do I. You go ahead in there and I'll use the one down the hall. Just don't go anywhere, okay?"

She smiled brightly and said, "Not a chance." He kissed her before walking away and both of them took care of business.

Taylor was torn between feeling excited, petrified, and confused. The first two emotions made sense to her and anyone else. But the confusion came from being almost 40 years old and not knowing whether to undress herself or wait for him to undress her. Perhaps that had something to do with having only slept with two other men since high school. It wasn't like she had either a lot of experience or much in the way of confidence.

In the end she decided to leave her bra and panties on along with her stockings and heels. She felt sexy but not overly exposed and vulnerable. She peeked out of the bathroom and saw that Chaz wasn't back yet, so she quickly went to the door and turned the lights off. "There. Much better," she thought.

She heard him fumbling at the door then heard him say, "Did you want the lights out?" It was so dark he could barely make out her silhouette.

"Is that okay?" she asked sheepishly.

"Anything you want is okay with me," he told her groping to find her. "But I have a dimmer switch and could leave the lights on low."

"Um...okay. We can try that," she told him with some trepidation.

He pushed the dimmer to low before turning it on. The room lit up in a very soft haze revealing Taylor standing there holding her arms in front of her breasts.

"Is this okay?" he asked as he moved toward her.

"I think so," she said.

He gently took hold of her tiny wrists and slowly lowered her arms. He wanted to tell her she had nothing to hide from him, but he didn't want her to feel pressured. He only said, "You look beautiful."

"Thank you," she said. Chaz hadn't taken anything off and Taylor felt silly. "I guess I should have waited to get undressed, huh?"

He took her in his arms and said, "Uh-uh. This is perfect." He kissed the top of her head and said, "You're perfect."

"You make me feel safe, Chaz," she said as she held him, her head resting in the crook of his neck." She suddenly felt better and more confident. She moved back slightly and began unbuttoning his shirt. Chaz didn't speak, he just ran his hands up and down her back as well as the back of her arms as he watched her, admiring her beauty.