Hello, Old Friend

"Hello, old friend."

It's a line that had been used for years between Sarah and I. It allowed us to know, in the first seconds of a conversation, that we were still on good terms. In this case, it was the first conversation in two years between us. It was good to know that we were still good friends.

Even though Sarah and I had dated in high school, the fact that her family moved away after graduation made our relationship difficult. After the move, we wrote to each other, called each other, and depended upon each other. That closeness lasted a few months, and then she dropped the bomb: "I'm trying to get on out here away from you. It's nothing personal. I hope we can be friends."

Of course, that's the line that every eighteen-year-old wants to hear. Well, friends it was. We stopped the writing and stopped the calling, but I don't think we ever really stopped depending upon each other. Unfortunately, our situations no longer allowed for us to really keep up with each other's lives. Time passed, and we almost forgot about each other. Then Katie died.

Katie was a mutual friend from high school. She died tragically while traveling overseas on a college trip. The funeral brought us back together, and the line got its first real use.

"Hello, old friend."

We chatted of things familiar. She was making the trip back home to attend the funeral. Could we do lunch? When are you coming in? Of course I'll pick you up at the train station. Don't worry, I'll take care of everything. And I did.

Her train arrived in at the station at 10:45 in the morning. Not wanting to seem too eager to see her, I only arrived at 10:15, just in case the train came early. The plan was to go from the station, then to lunch, then to Katie's funeral service, which started at 1:00. Her train out wasn't until 8:00 that night, so we would have the entire day to enjoy each other's company. Besides, there were some other friends that we both wanted to see, although not quite under such dire circumstances.

As Sarah's train pulled into the station, I was nervous. It had been two years since she moved away, and I wasn't sure how she was going to look, much less react. As the passengers disembarked, I nonchalantly waited, leaning my tall thin frame against a pillar just inside the terminal. I tried to hide the pounding in my chest by looking all the more relaxed, but the moment that I saw her, I think all my suavity broke down.

Sarah's lean five-foot-six frame came through the door, and my jaw must have hung open like a loose patio door. The sundress that she wore to match the warm summer day was cut just low enough to be tasteful at a funeral, yet the hem of the dress was just high enough to attract my attention. Unfortunately, she knew just what to wear to get my attention, and she had it completely.

As she approached, her eyes met mine, and the smile that she flashed took me right back to high school. I must have been looking a bit too long, because her eyebrows raised as she came closer.

"Hello, old friend."

The hug that she gave was awkward for about one second, and then our bodies fell into old habits. I lifted her off the ground, and she smiled as she looked into my eyes. We had traveled back in time two years, and it was as if she had only been away for a weekend. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and this was the example to prove it.

Ever the gentleman, I took her suitcase, and carried it for her as we walked to the car. Lunch was a short drive away, and as we ordered our food, we spent most of the time catching up with each other.

How are you? Fine. How's your family? My brother joined the army. I'm surprised! Nah, it was a good thing for him. How's school going? Fine, papers are due in a few weeks. Seeing anybody? Nope.

It was that last question that we had both been dying to ask, and when it finally came out, there was nothing else to really talk about.

Again the gentleman, I pulled out her chair for her, and as we paid our tab, our hands locked. We walked to the car not saying anything, but that simple gesture had said everything that needed to be said: I've missed you.

Before the funeral service, Sarah and I made the rounds with old friends. John, Anne, Bob, Drew, Matt... they were old faces whom I had not seen since graduation. However, each of them seem surprised to see Sarah and I together, especially given the circumstances of our break-up. We paid them no heed, and stuck together throughout the service. It was a sober experience, and everybody talked afterward about how much fun Katie was, and how she was always someone who was going somewhere in life. Sarah and I said our good-byes and made our way back to the car, hands locked together once again.

Not knowing what to do after the service, we drove the beach to sit and talk. We were fond of the beach, and it held more than its share of memories for the both of us. We took off our shoes, and strolled barefoot through the sand to the sound of the waves gently crashing against the sand. Our hands shifted from being locked to being around each other's waists as we walked. Again, it was wonderful to know that we could fall back into old habits with nary a word to each other.

We sat. We talked. We held each other as the sun headed toward the horizon. We realized the time was moving too fast for two old friends, and started back towards the train station as slowly as we could.

The final boarding call was made, another hug was given, much less awkward than the morning's, and she went to board her train. Before she could go through the terminal door, she turned, and our lips met once again. Thirsty for each other, our bodies came together as we kissed away two year's worth of pent up passion for each other. The final boarding call was announced. Our kiss broke, she put a finger to my lips, and those baby-blue eyes and shoulder-length blond hair left on the train for parts unknown. I realized we had not bothered to exchange our new contact information, and maybe it was for the best. Old flames die hard.

Two years later. Unsatisfied at the hometown college, I transferred downstate to not only be at a better program, but also to be at the same school as my girlfriend, Cindy. We had met the year previous, and were rather serious about each other, so much so that I was willing to go through the hassle of transferring schools to be closer to her. Of course, along with a new address and phone number of the dorms, a new school brings a new email address, so I had to send out the new information to everybody in the address book. Mass email is a wonderful thing, and sometimes has unintended consequences.

It was the middle of the first semester. I was working late in the computer lab on a project for class. Needing a break, I played a game of solitaire, and checked my email. Great news: fourteen new messages! Get rich quick! Need Viagra? Click this link for a good time!

"Hello, old friend."

Woah. That's not junk mail. Opening it with a deft click of the finger, I eagerly read all that my eyes could soak up. Sarah was still at school. She was in her junior year, after taking a couple of semesters off. She was majoring in journalism. She was only about twenty miles away, and wanted to get together for dinner. My fingers could not type the reply fast enough. Sure, I would love dinner. How about Saturday? Since you came to me last time, I'll come to you this time. Send. Wait for reply.

I hoped to God that she would be up this late at night working on some project in a computer lab not unlike the one I was in, working on a project not unlike I was doing. I went back to working on my project, but found myself checking my email about every fifteen minutes. The wait for a reply was agonizing, but had to continue, as the lab was closing in ten minutes. Five minutes. Please log out, as the University Computer Lab is closed. The lab will reopen tomorrow morning at 7:00 AM. Good night.

As I got back to my dorm, I glanced at the calendar, and it was only Tuesday. I still had time for a reply. Sitting down, I took a deep breath, and slowly drifted off to sleep, waiting for a reply that I couldn't read.

The next morning, I met Cindy for breakfast, as was our morning ritual before we went our separate ways for class. I didn't have a class until eleven, and so I went back to my room to catch another hour or so of sleep. I was just dozing off when the phone rang.

"Hello, old friend."

How are you? Fine. How's the family? My sister is in high school now. Good for her! How's school going? Fine, papers are due in a few days. I got your email. How about dinner? Great.

I got the directions to her place. It was about a forty-minute drive from my dorm, and I drew myself a map in a shaky scrawl in my English notebook. It had been awhile, and I was nervous about how awkward things were going to be.

Thursday night, Cindy came to my dorm to help me study for a test in Art History. We had to be familiar with artists, paintings, dates, and styles, and I was not an Art History major. We studied as college students do, taking time for ourselves more often than studying the material that was going to be on the test.

Cindy was a pleasant distraction from studying. Her lithe body and mine made love slowly in the dim fluorescent light of the dorm room. As our hips slowly moved as one on the bed, I had a sudden flash: Saturday was two days away! I would be having dinner with a woman who I used to date, and my lover was going to be furious.

Our hips picked up speed, and as our slow love made its way into a bucking frenzy of sweat and semen, I agreed with myself that I wouldn't tell her about Saturday. I would be going out with friends, and that was that.

Friday came and went. I barely passed the Art History exam, and showed Cindy my thanks that night for helping me study. As I entered her, she thanked me for helping her feel so good, and we turned the light off on a good week in our relationship.

Saturday night. Shaky, scrawled map in hand, I made my way out of town on the highway towards Sarah's apartment.

I pulled into her driveway, and walked up to the door, nervous that I was opening a door that I did not want to go through. Before I could even knock, the door opened, and those baby-blue eyes and shoulder-length blond hair met my gaze. That smile disarmed me, and we made our way out to dinner. The restaurant was only a few blocks away, so we walked. Reservations were for 7:00, and we had plenty of time.

Dinner was good. The steak was well cooked. The beer was cold, of the better-than-college variety. As we left, we decided that it was too much food to keep in our stomachs, so we went for a walk in the park to settle things down.

We stopped on the bench overlooking the lake, and started chatting of things familiar.

How are you liking school? Fine. Good classes? Yeah, it's some work, but I like them. Seeing anybody? In fact, yes. How long?

The fact that we were both seeing other people made this rendezvous much more awkward. Steven and she had been dating for about six months. They had fun together, and seemed like a good couple. We spent some time comparing relationships, and as the night waned on, our hands found each other's, and it felt as comfortable as if I were holding Cindy's. I leaned back on the bench to get a good look at the stars, and her lips found their way to the side of my neck.

I squeezed her hand, and her lips continued upward toward my face, and I turned so that mine could meet hers halfway. What about Cindy? Don't worry about it. But what would she say? I told you, don't worry about it.

Our lips locked, reliving that passion of the train station. Our tongues darted around each other's like two birds in flight. Our arms slipped around each other, and I lifted her onto my lap. The kiss continued, uninterrupted, as our bodies betrayed our significant others. Her hips slowly started to rock on top of mine, and my buttocks clenched, raising my hips to meet hers. The kiss broke, and we gazed into each other's eyes.

"Hello, old friend."

Back at her apartment, I waited in her room, as she came out of the bathroom. That disarming gaze held me for a moment before I swept her up in my arms, our lips searching for each other's. My mouth closed on hers, and we moved our hands over each other's bodies. Her fingers unbuttoned my shirt, and my hands lifted her skirt. Not stopping, we fell onto the bed in a laughing heap as the rest of our clothes came off as easily as our inhibitions.

Kissing her neck, my lips moved down her chest to first one nipple, and then the other. She never thought her B-cup breasts were large enough, but I found them to be the perfect mouthful. She moaned gently as my tongue flicked and savored every morsel.

She grabbed my head, and pulled it back to her lips, where our tongues could converse in the language of lust. When that conversation wound down, her head moved down my chest, her lips and tongue tracing a path through the hairs on my chest. As her face made its way between my legs, she looked up at me with a smile that took us back into the lust of our youth.

"Hello, old friend."

Her lips wrapped around the head of my shaft, and she worked her way up and down without breaking her gaze. Her hands cupped my balls, and her fingers worked the base of my cock as her lips worked their way up and down. She had control over me, and I had given it freely. As she worked her way faster and faster, I found myself shooting towards the edge. She felt my thighs tense and held my balls firmly as I shot my first load into her waiting mouth. She took it all in, and wiped me clean with her tongue before making her way back up towards the rest of my body. I turned on top of her and found myself looking down into those soft baby-blue eyes.

"Hello, old friend."

Her nipples occupied some more of my time while my hands caressed her shoulders and arms. I made my way down to where she kept herself trimmed very close and neat. As my tongue darted around her clit, she moaned softly while I continued to fondle her breasts. Unfortunately, those delicate morsels would have to wait, as more pressing matters were at hand.

My tongue continued to flick her clit up and down. Gripping my head, she pushed me lower. More. As my tongue made its way up and down her labia, she moaned a little bit louder, especially when I returned to the source of her joy. Her juices were beginning to flow freely, and the taste was beginning to drive me wild.

She finally took hold of my head and pulled me so that my eyes were level with hers. Her hands gripped my ass, and she moved upward, and I moved forward. Entering her was exquisite. I moved slowly into her, although she was already as moist as she could get. Her vagina enveloped my penis as if they had been made from one mold. I moved in and out of her slowly at first, brushing my pelvis against her clit as I moved. She moved up and down with me, not missing a beat.

As our consummation progressed, I rolled so that I wouldn't have to support myself with my hands anymore. She sat upon me like a goddess, raising herself up and down on my cock as I kept her nipples aroused. She started to buck harder and harder, and I took the ride with her as long as she would have me. Her moans built up and her entire body started to quiver with pleasure.

Coming together, we shook the bed with the passion of the gods. But it wasn't over. Oh no, it wasn't over yet.

Even though she pulled off of me, my erection hadn't subsided. She got on her hands and knees on the floor next to the bed and presented herself to be, shaking her ass with an invitation. Lustfully, I took her again. Not slowly this time, but hungrily. She looked back, and wanted to have as much as I could give. I gave it my all.

Grabbing hold of her ass, I spread her cheeks a little, to give myself a better look at all the angles of her glorious form, and sank myself deep into her pussy. Not waiting to get acclimated, she started rocking back and forth on my rod immediately. We slammed together as if we were two rocks making a fire, and the sparks were flying as far and fast as they could.

She leaned down on her elbows, bucking and yelling each time I hammered into her. We were both delirious with pleasure, and her moaning was making it all the more intense.

Don't stop! Harder! Faster! Faster! Faster! More! More!

Our cries were sure to wake her roommates, but those thoughts are immaterial to those in the throes of passion.

Her cries became more high-pitched, and we fucked as fast and as hard as two people could while keeping control of our bodies. However, that control wasn't to last.

Suddenly, Sarah let out a high-pitched squeal that indicated to me that she had reached her threshold, and I followed her with a cry of my own. I pushed one final time into her, filling her with as much juice as I could muster, and we both collapsed into a heap on the floor. Breathing hard together, it was as if a new world was being made, and we crammed it down from seven days to one seven-hour night. Golden silence.

Suddenly, the alarm went off. Sarah hit the button. 7:00 had come too quickly. It was time to go. I had to get back to my own dorm with my own girlfriend.

We lay together on the floor in a pool of passion and sweat for a few moments before gathering our clothes together. We dressed in an awkward silence, each sneaking a glance at the other.

She walked me to the door, thanked me for dinner, and gave me a kiss. The kiss broke with her putting her finger to my lips. I smiled, and turned to walk towards the car. As I got in, she held the door open, and watched me. She said nothing, and I drove away, thinking about all the times that we had never had before last night. It was the last time I saw her.

As I sit here writing, now married to Cindy, with a family of my own to look after, I realize that each and every time I answer the phone, there is one thing, and one thing only, that I desperately hope to hear.

"Hello, old friend."