Goes Without Saying Pt. 01

This is a story about one man's growth through setbacks and suffering, love and loss, so it isn't all that cheerful, at least at the start. His friends try to support him, but what they say or don't say to him either help or hinder him on his journey. Hence the title.

It is fiction, in five parts, all complete.

*****

Prologue

It's a peculiar phrase: 'It goes without saying that...', because what immediately follows it is always actually said. David's father had many wise sayings prefaced with 'It goes without saying.'

Looking at it another way, there are times when things shouldn't go without saying, but then again other things should not be said at all.

It takes a certain wisdom to know when to speak and when to shut up. That goes without saying.

-

Chapter 01

It was a warm sunny Friday afternoon, and David arrived at the house he shared with his girlfriend Cecilia to find that the front door was ajar. Cecilia's car was in the drive and the bonnet was warm so he surmised rightly that she had arrived shortly before him. He entered the house and heard her on the phone. She must have heard it ringing and rushed in to answer it, was his thought. He walked toward the kitchen where she was. Then she said something which stopped him in his tracks.

"Gary, you shouldn't be phoning our land line. David could have answered it."

There was talk from the other end.

"You would just hang up? Oh, yeah, good way to get him suspicious."

David's mind raced. Me? Suspicious? Why would I be? Of what? Or of whom?

Celia was talking again.

"... Ok, you can talk for a bit. I'll hear his key in the lock when he gets here, but I might have to hang up quickly..."

"... Gary, David's a good man; he's very good to me. I won't have you dissing him, it's just that after five years the shine has gone off..."

That's news to me, thought David. Shine? Well, I'm glad I'm a good man. Just not good enough it seems.

"... You know I want you, but I'm not going to cheat on David. You know, you and me, we have a good time. I love our lunches together..."

They have a good time? Lunches? No cheating? Big deal!

"... It's not as easy as that, Gary my darling. This house is David's. When I finish with him I'll have to leave. Are you going to take me in?..."

"... No I thought not. So I've had to find a place of my own. Now I've got the flat, it won't be long my darling. But I've got to let him down gently. Once I've left him, then you can have me!..."

"... You dirty boy! Yes you can, any way you want me! I'm getting wet just thinking about it!..."

"... Don't go there Gary. David is more than enough in that department. Just because you've got money doesn't make you any better than him..."

"... Yes, I know. It all sounds so exciting. I'm longing to see your boat..."

"... I can't wait either. But we'll soon be together, I'll be feeling you in me..."

"... Yes, in my mouth as well. And there too. Soon my love."

David left the house again quietly, and went to sit in his car to think. So she was throwing him over for a rich playboy. She'd already got a flat, so she really was going. He wondered if it could be that footballer she was chatting to for so long at Gwen's last party. She was smiling and touching his arm and giggling. Perhaps.

He was not surprised that Gary went after her; he wasn't the first, but he was the most glamorous and the richest, and the first one she hadn't turned down. Celia was a walking wet dream. Most girls have one physical feature which outshines the rest, but not Celia.

Everything about her was in perfect proportion, medium very firm breasts, body tapering gently to a slim waist and flaring to slender hips. Long sinuous neck and a strikingly beautifully symmetrical face with blue eyes, delicate nose and a generous mouth capped with lustrous long blonde hair. Her back was a delightful 'S' shape with her spine in a gentle valley leading to the crease between her pert rounded buttocks. These were atop perfectly shaped thighs and calves. Feet dainty, as were her long-fingered hands.

Fully dressed, no male could tear his eyes away from her, and David saw her body and had her naked every night! So he was understandably still besotted after six years, which made this revelation all the worse.

He was numb. He thought he had satisfied her, that they had a good life together. All right, he didn't earn vast amounts of money like Premiership footballers; he didn't have a super-luxurious car or a yacht, but he always thought they enjoyed the same things, simple things. They did their share of concerts, plays, clubbing. They held parties, and had a good number of friends. This was what most would call an ordinary happy life.

They talked. They talked about everything. His Dad often repeated that saying: 'It goes without saying'. Well with them nothing went without being talked about. Life with each other was above all interesting.

And in bed? They were compatible and she got more than her share of orgasms and seemed satisfied. She was supremely affectionate, always ready for a cuddle, a kiss, a stroke.

He tried to be the romantic type - flowers, weekends away. They'd had some great foreign holidays and she always showed she appreciated his efforts with shining eyes and gasps of pleasure. He never felt he needed more from life than her and their lifestyle, and he had thought she felt the same.

He thought she knew that there is such a thing as everyday life: work, housekeeping, gardening, mowing the lawn, shopping; that real life is not a fairy tale. Some aspects would bring the word 'chore' to mind, but he reckoned he did more than his fair share.

He always thought they had a better life together than most, but perhaps the very rich lived in a fairy-tale world where there were no chores to worry about. She was a poor cook, and she was disorganised and untidy, but she was so affectionate and repentant when he snapped and begged her angrily to tidy her stuff up.

He normally cooked the meals, and often found himself tidying up after her, but in his mind hers were small faults. All in all she was good company, always cheerful with a ready wit. He had thought he was good company too.

Gradually the reality hit him and he started to get annoyed, resentful. He had given her his best and she had been happy. He knew that. She'd hum and sing happily round the house, she'd be excited by weekends away, she appreciated those romantic gestures. And now? A rich spoilt brat was going to take her from him.

His annoyance turned to anger. Six years! One year 'dating' and five living together. The first two years she called him her 'boyfriend', then he became her 'partner'. Hell! She had recently even been hinting at marriage, and he'd bought a ring ready to propose! A lucky escape there, he thought grimly; that ring cost him an arm and a leg.

Then amid all the resentment and anger there was relief. At least they were not married, and she had no call on anything of his. He'd bought the house before he knew her. He paid the mortgage, he paid for all the furniture she wanted. They kept their money separate. He had paid most of the bills and she contributed to the food and the luxuries. In reality she paid relatively little into the household budget. She could walk out of their relationship, though she would go with nothing but what she came in with.

He couldn't deny that he desired her. So the thought crept in that that perhaps there was a chance they could stay together. Perhaps he could make her see this was a bad move on her part. But was it a bad move from her point of view? He'd never thought of her as a greedy person, or someone who was materialistic. Had he misjudged her all those years?

Did she envy the footballers' wives and girlfriends' lifestyle - their expensive clothes, jewellery, flashy cars, foreign luxury travel, a certain amount of reflected glory and fame? If she did, David could never compete.

Then he remembered his dad's advice. "It goes without saying that it's stupid to marry a very beautiful woman, son. Pick yourself a fairly pretty girl who wants to be a homemaker. Remember the song 'When you're in love with a beautiful woman'. Every man will try to hit on her, and sooner or later she will give in."

When he had taken her home to meet his parents, his dad had shaken his head in disbelief, when he saw how beautiful she was, and when they were alone he had given the 'goes without saying' speech.

But David was still in adolescent mode then, particularly with a devastating woman like Celia on his arm, and in his bed. He thought his father was a fool.

Later, when his father had once again become wise, he had told David the same thing had happened to him before he met David's mother. Now it was happening to David as well.

Then another thought arose. If Celia was thinking of dumping David, but he managed to stop her going and she dropped Gary, it was more than likely she would do the same thing again later, perhaps after they had married.

Then he really would be up shit creek. Maintenance, child support, losing the house to her that he had paid for! So it seemed that logically it would be better if she left now, though his emotions shouted loudly to fight for her, and there was that sinking depressed fear of losing her. He did love her, was deeply in love with her, and he did want her in his life. It wasn't just lust. He was already jealous of the playboy.

He realised that this was getting him nowhere. He told himself to be realistic and practical. He might try to talk her out of it, but he knew getting into an argument with her would not work. When she argued she became very stubborn.

Then he had a brainwave. What about her best friend, Gwen? Gwen Bethan Price was a very good looking woman, very pretty though not in Celia's class for beauty, but then who was? She was more curvy than Celia; larger breasts and wider in the hips, with a very pleasing narrow waist and flat stomach. Her legs, though very well shaped and quite long, were shorter than Celia's, and her torso longer.

Gwyneth Price was Celia's friend from high school. They had always been 'best friends'; Gwen looked out for Celia, and Celia for her. It meant that when David met them both at a club, they had been best friends for about ten years, so their friendship was deep and strong.

That fateful day, David was out on the town 'on the pull' with Alex Lincoln, who was one of his closest friends from university. Alex was a very fit, handsome guy and girls loved him. They just had to look at him to begin to drool. David would admit that compared with Alex he was an average looking guy, though girls had told him he was attractive, but not in the same league as Alex by a long chalk.

So, devastatingly handsome Alex Lincoln and his more average but attractive friend David Antony Musgrave, hit on a devastatingly beautiful woman called Celia Thompson and her pretty friend Gwen Price, and were accepted at their table.

Alex immediately concentrated on Celia, obviously, and she on him, while Gwen and David talked up a storm, hitting it off perfectly, laughing and joking. Later in the evening, the girls went off to the 'ladies', as they do, and when they returned, Celia ignored Alex and turned her devastating charms on David, while Gwen charmed Alex, who didn't seem to mind the swop at all.

At the end of the evening, Gwen took Alex to her flat, and David presumed her bed, and the two were together for about three weeks before they split by mutual agreement. Gwen knew he was not the settling type; she said he was a very good lover but that alone was not enough for her.

David had walked Celia home to her flat where they kissed at the door and made a date for the following night. The rest was history as they say, and their life for the next six years is really another story altogether.

Celia had grown tired of being hit on by handsome men whose sole interest was in bedding a superbly beautiful woman before moving rapidly on to someone else, and she told David later that on their first night; Gwen had told her in the loo that she fancied Alex, and just for once asked could she have the better looking one.

Gwen had also told her in no uncertain terms that she thought that David was the man Celia had been looking for since she was old enough to notice boys, and that if Celia did not go for him, she would! Celia also told him Gwen was right, but that was long before playboy Gary came on the scene.

Gwen was still very single and yet to settle down. She joked about ambushing the right man when he came along but hadn't yet. She did date men and David was sure she had bedded a few, but they never lasted for some reason he could never fathom. She had the most delightful Welsh accent and a lovely nature.

He knew Gwen had a soft spot for him and they got on very well together. She often said Celia and David were perfectly matched, indeed she was always asking him when he was going to 'make an honest woman' of her friend.

He got out his mobile phone and dialled. In ten minutes he was sitting in her living room.

"Cach!" Gwen exploded, reverting to the Welsh for 'shit' in her exasperation, as he sank back into the sofa after telling his tale of woe. "So the shine's gone off, has it? The stupid cow!"

There was a pause as she gathered her thoughts, her brow furrowed. Then:

"Of course you'd be too besotted with her to notice, but really she's quite immature, you know. You should have seen her before you got her. God she was stupid then. Quite a few boys took advantage of her big time; she got quite a reputation."

Another pause.

"What are you looking for David? What do you want?"

"That none of this had happened," he replied facetiously, "That she'd never met this Gary bloke. Too late now."

"From what you said," she offered, "She's already decided in her mind to leave you for him. She's not renting a flat for nothing, and she's not a cheater, I'll give her that. She doesn't realise what a player Gary is. He's trying to get into her knickers and then he'll dump her when he's had enough of her charms. I'd give it six months outside."

"If she leaves," David said with some force, "she's never coming back. I could never trust her not to do the same thing again."

"So d'you want to head her off at the pass, as it were, at least this time - give you a few more years?"

"I don't think that's possible," he said. "I'm not sure it's even worth a try. I don't think I can trust her any more."

"You do realise she might just be flirting with him - leading him on a bit? If it's nipped in the bud she might come round to see things are better with you."

"Gwen," he retorted sharply, "She was talking about when she dumped me she'd be his. I think she's decided on it. And she's even got this flat."

"Oh, yes, I'd forgotten that. Well," she said thoughtfully. "If you've already lost her, there's nothing further to lose. You could try to put it off, then later cut your losses. Serve the silly bitch right."

She paused a moment, then took a different tack.

"David," she was tentative, "Looking ahead - you're thirty - what do you want from life? Assume Celia's gone."

David did not have to think very hard; he was somewhat predictable and quite conventional.

"I've sown my oats, a whole field full!" he grinned, thinking it sounded as if he was bragging. (He was). "I want to settle down to a comfortable boring life with a woman I love and who loves me, have a family, do family things, Christmas, holidays and the usual stuff bringing the kids up watching and enjoying them grow. I was about to suggest it to Celia. I'd even bought a ring. Glad I didn't propose now."

She cocked an eyebrow. "If she got pregnant?"

"Oh, come on, Gwen," he said testily. "Celia and I get a few years into family life, then she finds someone else. I get the push, and she gets the kids, the house I bought and am paying for, and a new man in my house and our bed. I get a grubby flat for one and end up paying child maintenance, and getting to see the kids once a fortnight on a weekend. Not a picture I look forward to."

She smiled. "So it's clear to me that you've really made up your mind. You'll never be able to commit to Celia now, will you? Not that far. You're better off out. Clean break. But how about a bit of fun at her expense?"

"I don't want to let her go, Gwen," he said plaintively, "I love the stupid woman, and I know that I could have made her happy if she'd only understand that real life is the only life and that you can't live like a teenager when you're getting near thirty. For heaven's sake, she's mentioned her biological clock ticking! She wants a family as well. We're good for each other. I'm really torn."

"OK, buster," she said decisively, "It's clear. Your head has already finished with her. It's just a matter of time, but your heart and your cock? They're still committed to her in lust, and you've been in love with her, and you've loved her, for six years. You can't turn off emotions that easily. But here I think the head has to rule. Logically, don't you think so?"

David sat looking at Gwen. She was so wise. He fleetingly wondered if she ever prefaced her remarks with 'it goes without saying'. She was right, but he wondered if he could carry it through.

She continued, thinking he needed more wisdom; that he was not convinced.

"She needs to mature, grow up," she continued. "I'm starting to think she won't grow up if she stays with you. She needs to lose you, then be dumped by Gary - he really is a sod, you know - then she might sober up. What d'you think?"

He knew she was right, but it hurt. He nodded, "So it's a question of how to do this."

"You want me to help?"

"Yeah, but I don't see how..."

"From what you've said she hasn't had sex with Gary, and doesn't intend to until she's left you. So be selfish. Get all the sexual thrills you can from her. Then make her feel as guilty as hell for leaving you. Pull out all the stops to give her a good time in the sack; you've been with her all these years, use that knowledge of what she likes best and give it her in spades.

"Give her massages, some long. sensuous and gentle love-making, some raunchy hard sex, you know what's best. Romance her, flowers, dinner.

"I'll meet her for lunch and tell her she's been seen with Gary, and tell her it's cheating. I'll point out that it's bound to get back to you, and get her to talk about her plans. Trust me, I'll make her as guilty as hell. Let's meet in a week and see how things go."

-

Chapter 02

As he drove back to his house, it became clear to him that to all intents and purposes his relationship with Celia was over. It was a matter of time really. He felt a sinking feeling of depression. Now a new worry came over him, would he be able to affect ignorance?

He need not have worried. Celia was her usual loving self, and her affectionate hug and kiss when he arrived did not seem to have any reservation. It was enough for him to have a flash of doubt as to whether he had heard her on the phone at all!

She had prepared the evening meal and was eager to go out to the pub to meet their friends in the evening. He could see that she had feelings for him, though now he was not clear what those feelings were.

When they got back to the house after a great evening with their friends, he went to get them a nightcap. When he returned to the living room, he was stopped by the sight before him.

Celia was standing in the middle of the room. The mini-dress was lying on the floor and there she was in her sexiest lacy bright red bra and matching gauzy french knickers, topping black stockings. Above all this was a sexy grin and fluttering eyelashes.