Why’d You Ever Have to Say Goodbye

"I have a plan." I whispered. People had walked past us, happily sploshing through the mud, but we'd come this far to back out.

"It had better be a good one." Lisa giggled.

"You'll have to hold tight." I said and she laughed.

"You plans seem to involve getting very close to me." She said, but with a smile.

"Hey, go with what you're good at." I replied.

"And that is?" She questioned.

"Not figured that bit out yet, but it sounds good, right?"

"It sounds fabulous, you have my complete trust." She laughed.

I shuffled my right foot over in the mud, Lisa lifting her foot up so I could move. Then we repeated the movements with my other foot until we were close enough to the edge of the puddle for Lisa to step off. Except she didn't.

"The plan worked, you are a genius." she chuckled. "And there was me thinking it was a ploy to try and kiss me, or have a quick grope of my bum." Her eyes looked into mine. Possibly dark grey, I thought. She smiled. No, dark green. Her lips touched mine for an instant. I stared at her as she smiled and then I put my lips to hers briefly and my entire body filled with electricity. "You have three seconds to grope my bum, then I'm outta here." she laughed. "One..." My mind span, "Two..." I moved my hand, but had a panic about Lisa falling, "Three..." I put my hand on the soft curve of her bottom. "Three and a half..." then she laughed and jumped onto the path.

"Is it very muddy further up?" Lisa asked a few minutes later, the first words spoken since she had left my feet.

"Might be, hard to tell, it's not rained that much so we should be ok." I replied.

"Shame." She said with a giggle.

We neared a bridge, the roar of traffic shaking us into the real world. "We have to be aware of trolls." Lisa said and looked around nervously.

"What is the best way to avoid them?" I asked, "I've never had any encounters with them." Lisa stopped and thought, tapping a finger to her lips as she made a 'mmm' sound.

"I believe they will not attack if a person is carrying someone on piggyback under the bridge." She looked at me with a straight face.

"You think you can carry me?" I asked and I felt a gentle knock of her hand on my arm.

"Nah, your boots are too heavy."

"I guess that means..."

"Yes."

"Needs must." I sighed and we both looked around.

We found a tree stump nearby and Lisa jumped up on it and I stood in front, with my back to her. "Ready?" she called and I started laughing so much I couldn't stand straight. We tried it again. "Ready?" I was, or so I thought. Lisa shrieked and the two people that were nearby looked around and I staggered forward with her gripping around my neck as I tried to hook my arms around her legs.

"Forward and damn the trolls!" she shouted, the last word echoing under the bridge as I stumbled along, trying not to drop my precious cargo for fear of troll attack.

"PHEW!" we both shouted when we reached the other side and Lisa had slid down to earth.

We carried on walking as if nothing had happened until Lisa stopped under a canopy of trees, the quiet now falling around us. She took my hand as I stood next to her and we stayed silent for several minutes.

"I was always warned not to go to places such as this." She whispered, her head turning to check for anyone else on the empty path. "I mean, some crazy could easily try and kiss me in such a secluded location."

I looked around too.

"I can't see anyone." I whispered, "You might be safe."

"You sure? I mean, someone might sneak up and just kiss me."

"Does that happen a lot?" I whispered, trying not to laugh.

"Dunno, never been here before, you're the local guide."

"Oh yeah, sorry, I forgot." I looked at her face and saw the sweetest of smiles creeping across her lips.

"So, does that happen here a lot, tour guide?" She whispered and turned to look at me.

"It's been known to." I said, trying to stay calm.

"Oh." she said and her eyes were looking into mine. "Well, it has three seconds to happen and then I'm moving as it's clearly dangerous here."

I gulped.

"One..." I looked into her eyes and saw they were shining at me, laughter clear behind the look. Dark green, I thought.

"Two..." there was a hint of a giggle as she counted and it distracted me. Grey, definitely dark grey. Possibly.

"Th..." I leaned forward and put my lips to hers as they opened to speak, mine slightly parted too and both pairs slotted together easily and I opened my lips wider and hers followed. We parted with a soft smacking sound.

Lisa coughed for effect, as if to draw attention to what she was going to do next.

"Thr..." I put my lips to hers again and felt the giggle as we kissed quickly.

We both stood and laughed in the shade of the trees. It wasn't a classic romantic kiss, more two people just fooling around, trying to figure out what they hell they were doing. We looked at each other when the laughter subsided.

"Three." She said and her eyes glowed. I put a hand to her cheek and she leaned into it. "Three." she repeated as I moved closer. "Thr..." She moved to me as I neared, her lips opening before we touched and my hand slipped around the back of her neck to hold her close as she ran her fingers through the hair on the back of my head. Her lips were soft, perfectly soft and they caressed mine as we moved, I ran my tongue around her open mouth and felt the soft moan from her fill my lungs. I closed my mouth and took Lisa's bottom lip into it, tenderly holding it before my tongue caressed over it and I pulled it gently before I opened my mouth to release it. I looked into her eyes and saw the smile deep inside her.

"Three." She said and her hand pulled my head to hers and my lower lip was taken into her mouth and I moved my top lip to nudge against hers and run up and down her philtrum, feeling the ridges of it on my lip. She released me and then her mouth was wide and I responded so our lips were together again, moving against and over the other. I licked inside her top lip and felt the tip of her tongue running over mine as I did so. I moved my tongue down and hers pressed to it and they flicked together in our open lips. I put an arm around her waist and held her as we got lost in the kiss and her body pressed to mine as her fingers scrunched in my hair to hold my face to hers.

"Ok, time's up!" Lisa said, looking around again to see no one else. "Hmmm, seems it's safe here after all." I still had one arm around her waist and the other hand was holding her neck. She had let go of my hair as the kiss ended and had her hands on my waist, our bodies against each other.

"Guess I was wrong, sorry, not so great in the tour guide department." I laughed as we parted and started to walk away.

"It's ok, you make up for it in the kissing department." She laughed and her hand squeezed mine. "By the way, do you actually know where we are going?"

"Well, we can walk until we get bored, or hungry, or encounter trolls. The we can go back the way we came." I replied.

"It's a plan." She said and gave my hand another squeeze. "Or..." I stopped and looked at her, "We can just sit a while." We both looked around for a bench, but there was nothing.

"I know where there is a nice bench." Lisa suggested as we continued walking, looking up the path ahead to see nowhere to sit. "It's where I met that crazy guy last night, plus there's a cafe not too far away." I turned and smiled at her.

"But the tolls, the mud, the surprise kissers!" I gasped.

"I'll risk it, I have someone with me who scares foxes." she smiled and my head swam.

"I don't think trolls operate if you are going downriver." Lisa observed.

"What about the ambush kissers?"

"They are everywhere when you go downriver, it can happen just like that." and she clicked her fingers on the hand that wasn't squeezing mine. I stopped walking and pulled her hand and she turned.

"Like what?" I asked.

"That!" she clicked her fingers again and I pulled her to me and my lips found hers already open for me and her tongue joined mine to dance in the heat of our mouths.

"Like that?" I asked several minutes later.

"Pretty much so, yes." Lisa laughed. "It can happen anywhere, anytime." and we continued walking.

"I mean, one minute you're walking along." Lisa said shortly after, "Then..." This time she stopped and yanked my hand and I pretended to fall into her arms and lips.

"Wow, it's dangerous here." I said, trying to catch my breath from the kiss.

"You better believe it." She said, her face straight, but her eyes shining with laughter.

We reached the mud puddle again and Lisa looked at me. "Same as before?" she laughed.

"I have another plan." I said and she laughed more.

"It better be good, not that the previous one wasn't."

"Ok, you stand on my feet, facing away and I just walk us across." She looked at me and blinked.

"What could possibly go wrong?" She said after blinking several more times.

Lisa backed up against me and lifted a foot onto each of mine and I wrapped my arms around her waist. "This isn't just some devious plot to grope me is it?"

"No, that was the last plan, remember?"

"Yeah, but this time the stakes are higher, too high." and her eyes went down and I realised what she meant.

"Well, we could try this with you facing me, but then remember what happened last time."

"Yeah, but I'll risk it." Lisa laughed and then turned to face me as she stood on my feet. "Those boots have worked hard today, good footwear choice." she giggled.

"Ready?" I asked as I prepared to walk over the mud with Lisa on my feet and her arms around me.

"Let's go and remember, this better not just be a ploy to kiss me and touch my bum."

"I promise." I laughed in reply and began to shuffle forward as several people walked past and across the mud with barely a splash.

"They have special footwear that repels mud." Lisa commented. "I don't, carry on, brave guide."

"Almost there." I laughed as we staggered around on the slightly wet surface.

"Good, well done. Although..." She looked up and her face moved as her lips widened and brushed over mine, her breath soft on my skin. "I still think this is a ploy to just touch my bum."

"What about the kissing part?" I said quietly and moved so my lips grazed across hers.

"Possibly." she whispered as her mouth widened and took my lower lip between her lips, pulling gently on it. "Very possibly."

"But I am a respectable tour guide." I protested as I moved my mouth to hers and our lips widened. I held her close to me as I ran my tongue along her open lips before her tongue pressed against it.

"Oh yeah, so you are." she mumbled, just before her tongue moved between my lips and I sucked on it for a second or two, "Highly respected." she said, "Too respected to ever take advantage of a situation and kiss a woman, let alone touch her bottom." I slid a hand down and there was the softest giggle before Lisa's lips opened to mine again. I gave the firm buttock a little squeeze and her moan filled my mouth.

"I think we're almost across the mud." I said as Lisa's lips touched to my cheek.

"You sure?" she said, without looking where we were, "I mean, there seems to be so much mud and so much more chance of my bum getting touched." I slid the other hand down and held her close to me as I squeezed both her buttocks through the lightweight material. I could feel the line of elastic of her knickers and gave one side a little nudge with a finger. "Oh" she mumbled and she wiggled her behind slightly as I held it. Her eyes sparkled as I squeezed again and then they closed as her mouth opened wide to press to mine.

"We are going to make it." Lisa shrieked as she looked behind to see the edge of the mud. My footprints showed our meandering journey across and around the mud as we smooched and my hands stroked over her lovely bottom, much to the bemusement and, possible, disgust of other walkers. "I think there's about three more seconds for the possibility of my bum getting groped and that's it." She said, her lips almost on mine.

"One..." I kissed her and she returned it and our mouths moved together for several minutes as my hands held her bottom.

"Two...". Lisa pressed her lips to mine and her tongue slipped into my open mouth as I squeezed her buttocks for a few more minutes.

"Three..." I caressed her bottom and gave her knicker elastic another little ping through the trousers as we rubbed our noses together, our lips gently touching as we just enjoyed the touch of each other for ten or so minutes.

"Three..." I kissed the tip of Lisa's nose and she giggled, then moved her mouth down and sucked on my lower lip as she licked over it. My hands squeezed her bum and pulled her to me as a hand went to the back of my head to keep me pressed to her mouth.

"That was lucky, I mean, anything could have happened with us so close together." Lisa said and then gave me the quickest of tender kisses and jumped from my feet onto the firm path. "Come on respectable tour guide, let's go!" and her hand reached back for mine.

We were back to the shops too soon and she looked at me nervously as we weaved through the crowd that where drinking.

"Are you hungry?" I asked as we walked down a street to avoid the melee.

"A little." she said, her voice edgy. "Do you know anywhere?" and then she laughed, "Well, you should, you're the tour guide."

"There's a good pizza place." I suggested.

"I'll need to go back to mine first." She muttered.

"Why?" I had already started to guide her in the direction of the restaurant.

"I have no money, or proper clothes." She said and blushed.

"My treat." I squeezed her hand and she smiled, but looked down.

"It's not too snazzy is it?"

"They let me in." I replied and she laughed.

"Take me to the pizza palace, dear tour guide." She giggled. "Oh and it's my turn next time." and my legs almost gave way as I figured that meant another date was going to happen.

Lisa looked at the menu in the window and then turned, "Looks good." she said and I opened the door for her to step inside. There was only two other people there, the evening was young.

We chatted about silly things as we waited for our food, sipping water and lemonade to quench our thirst, built up from our big adventure earlier. We discussed favourite television shows and films, still not disclosing much personal information, I still only knew her first name and no more.

The pizzas steamed in front of us, the smell of fresh tomato, cheese and basil rising to fill our nose. We had ordered different ones, one with Buffalo Mozzarella, the other with mushrooms and we put them to the side of us to make swapping easier. The clatter of knives and forks soon mixed with our satisfied sounds. We weren't being elegant, Lisa laughed as I scooped a blob of mozzarella from her chin and then ate it and as she stared longingly as one succulent piece, I took a bite, then offered her the other bit, which she gladly munched down.

There was only one thing left to do after the pizzas. Coffee.

"I did think some cake would be good." Lisa huffed, "But I had loads earlier."

"Do you want cake?" She shook her head reluctantly.

"Need to watch my figure." She sighed. I glanced down, the t-shirt hid her shape, but she was slim.

"Tell you what, you have cake and I'll watch your figure."

"DEAL!" she laughed and soon a slab of dessert was in front of her.

The evening was quiet and so were we. The food and coffee long gone, the staff in no rush to usher us out into the warm air, still bright enough to make it hard to hide.

"We should go." Lisa whispered, "Plus, I need to walk off that cake."

"Yes and I need to watch your figure." I added and she blushed.

"It's not a great watch, it's very average." I glanced down and she sat back and blushed.

"Way above average, but definitely needs watching closely." I laughed.

We strode into the outside world with renewed vigour and then looked both ways to decide where to go.

"I know a nice bench we could sit on," Lisa suggested.

"Lead on, young lady." I replied and her hand took mine and pulled.

"Thank you for dinner, I owe you one now." Lisa said as we walked down side streets towards the river. "That's if I still have a job." She added quietly and I turned to stare at her. "I'll tell you later." she mumbled. and we carried on walking, the air heavier now.

The river path was cooler, the trees having shielded it from the worst of the sun and the breeze that weaved through the trunks keeping it fresh. The bench was empty, but Lisa took no chances and her hand left mine as she started to run at it. I just stood and laughed as her heels kicked up the dust as she sprinted, before scuddering to a halt to lie down on the bench. "Quick, quick," she called and waved me to hurry, so I walked a little faster as she scowled at me, the grin making it very ineffectual.

"That was close!" she gasped, "Anyone could have sat here."

"Good job you can run fast." I added.

"Yeah, you were such a slowcoach, we almost lost the bench." She said, wagging a finger at me. I looked around to see no one else.

"Sorry, thank you for saving us." I said, "It was a darn close call." I put my arm out and my hand had touched Lisa's shoulder before I realised what I was doing, but she moved to me and her head rested on my shoulder. I glanced down and noticed her breasts as they rose and fell with her quick breathing. I only meant to have a quick peek, but the movement mesmerised me. They weren't big, but not small. I hadn't really noticed them before, the bagginess of her shirt covering their size, as it still did, but the movement gave more of a clue.

"Earth to John, Earth to John." She whispered, "Stop looking at her tits before she notices." I blushed and my spare hand slapped against my face. Lisa laughed. "It's fine, I think you got away with it."

"Sorry, sorry, I was...." I was flustered, but Lisa was just laughing, still resting against me, her face turned up to look into mine as I kept my hand over it.

"Looking at my tits?" she giggled.

"Yeah, it's a fair cop. I mean, you were breathing hard..."

"Oh, concern for my respiratory system, not just looking at my tits?"

"Yeah, that's it. It was in the name of science." I laughed.

Lisa sat up and pushed her chest out and looked down. "I think the breathing looks ok to me, what do you think?" and she turned her body to me. I looked at her chest, then up to see her eyes laughing.

"They look perfect. I mean, the breathing does, that's just first impressions, it may need a more detailed study." I giggled.

"Hmmmm. You may be right, but due to waiting lists there is a slight delay, but more tests might be available next year." Lisa giggled.

"Next year?"

"Well, it's early days, sometimes a vacancy pops up and... you know how science is." I nodded and Lisa pushed herself out again and looked down and laughed.

"Yes, probably earlier than next year." She looked up and smiled and I feared for the state of my underwear. I wouldn't be standing up anytime soon, that I knew.

Lisa settled back against me and we watched the river flow. It seemed sticky today, unsure where to go as it lapped a few feet down from the bank.

"Can you swim?" she asked.

"A little, why?"

"Worried in case it gets higher." she laughed.

"Think it's reached high tide, it'll start to drop soon."

"Phew, the tour guide has saved me again. How can I repay you?" My mind just rattled with ideas and my eyes flicked down to Lisa's chest again.

"Sure some payment can be found." I giggled and she gave my chest a gentle slap.

The water lever started to drop after the uncertain state sorted itself, the current fighting itself as upstream decided it wanted to go to the sea and the bit in the middle just spiralled slowly until it made up its mind. I realised we hadn't moved much, yet a whole water system had done an about turn.