Why’d You Ever Have to Say Goodbye

"How did you end up here?" Lisa asked, her voice soft like the summer evening sun.

"Some crazy woman dragged me." I replied.

"No, I mean, personally. I could go first, if you like." I had a sudden panic about secrets and agreed with her decision.

Lisa sat up and I moved my hand and put it down to hold hers. "Ask me." she said.

"So, how come you are single?" I muttered, still worried about what would be disclosed by either of us.

"Oh, I am married." Somewhere in my head there was a large explosion and the disintegration of hope. I tried to ask more, but my mouth just hung open like a barn door long after the sound of hooves has vanished.

"Ok, was." I still couldn't say anything. "Was." she sighed.

"Oh, I'm sorry." I whispered and squeezed her hand.

"It's fine. We married young and then grew apart, usual story. We still talk, but... the love went and we both knew." She looked out over the river as the sound of a Saturday night drifted across.

"You mentioned losing your job, is that likely?" Lisa snorted a little and slowly turned to look at me.

"Possibly. It is my six month probation review on Monday. One reason I came here was to try and relax to take my mind off it. Luckily, I met a friendly local who helped me." There was a soft chuckle and her hand squeezed mine again.

"After my marriage broke up, I was single for a long while. Wasn't really interested in anything, just wanted to work. I met a guy at work and we started dating. It was, sort of, frowned upon to have any office romance, so we stayed secret, but that made things hard. I decided to leave the job and he put in a good word with the new place as I was very unsuitable for the role. He reckoned I would be ok, but I am struggling to keep my head above water at times." Lisa stared out as a large branch floated downstream. "Then we broke up anyway. I could have stayed being comfortable in a job, rather than feeling overwhelmed." She looked at me and there was a sadness in her eyes now, the first time they hadn't shone brightly. "What about you?"

I took a deep breath. "Similar, I guess. Except without the marriage. I was with someone for years, friends, then more. We went everywhere together. I wasn't interested in anyone else, but then I found I wasn't that interested in her either. It wasn't lack of love, just love taking a step aside. We are still friends and go places together, even on holiday sometimes."

"Do you share a room?" I nodded. "A bed?" I nodded again. "Fuck, that must be hard for any significant others to deal with." She gasped.

"You assume there are some." I laughed. and she stared at me.

"What's wrong with you? I mean, you are quite attractive, for a tour guide."

"Dunno, just terrible with women. I am the ultimate hopeless romantic, with a strong emphasis on the first part."

"Rubbish... well, you do need some prompting." Lisa then laughed, "I mean, I've never had to suggest to a man to touch my bum before."

"That's because you are a cheeky girl." I said, keeping a straight face. Lisa stared at me for a few seconds.

"Ohhhhhhh, that's good!" she then laughed loudly and I thought I saw some people across the river look at us.

"So, do many men touch your bum?" and Lisa took a while to answer as she was still laughing.

"No, not really. I mean, not ones I want to touch it."

"Maybe you should have told more men then, it might not just be me."

"I'd never thought of that." she chuckled. "Anyway, thank you for being a gentleman, it has been nice not to fight someone off and be able to relax. I am a bit stressed, so it's been a welcome tonic." She gave my hand a big squeeze, then lifted it and kissed the back of it.

The river gathered pace as it realised the goal was the sea and small waves lapped across and knocked against the slipway nearby. Lisa lifted my hand and moved it behind her shoulder and then snuggled against me as I squeezed her shoulder.

"What happened after the girl?" She asked.

"Not much. Some half hearted romances, mostly doomed from the start. I always fall for the wrong ones and they never fall for me."

"Funny how." She whispered.

"Then I had a reasonably serious relationship, but..." I paused and thought about what to say. Lisa stayed quiet. "I just messed it all up. So she left." Lisa stayed quiet and I breathed a huge sigh of relief deep inside.

"I'm sorry." She whispered so quietly it was almost lost in the songs of the blackbirds as they chorused around us.

The water was turning orange as the last of the day fell onto it. No one had walked by for thirty minutes or so. We hadn't spoken for at least fifteen. Lisa had a hand on my chest as we cuddled on the bench.

I needed to move. I was aching a bit and not just my legs. I looked at the top of her head and put my lips to it and she stirred. "I was miles away." she mumbled.

"The tide took you?" I said quietly.

"The tide and your heartbeat." and she lifted her head. Dark green, I thought.

I ran my hand over her cheek, letting the fingertips brush her soft skin and she moved to press onto it. I sat up and pulled my other hand back from her shoulder and put it to her face, holding her by the pads on my fingers. She smiled at me and her perfect lips parted. I stared into her eyes.

"I like your eyes." She whispered and it threw me. "They are lovely and dark. So warm too. A girl could get used to looking at them."

"I hope you do." I said quietly, feeling slightly choked up.

"Me too." She said under her breath.

My brain was screaming instructions, but the evening air and crepuscular light slowed everything as the river flowed like molasses now, it's earlier enthusiasm gone as it lolled around midstream. I held Lisa's face as we just looked into each other's eyes. I was still unsure, this felt different. We both adjusted our position on the bench, preparing at the inevitability of events. My brain stopped screaming as I moved forward slightly and Lisa reacted by not moving away.

The chink of glasses and fake laughter over the water was drowned out as my lips touched Lisa's. my brain cheering at the fact I had finally acted. I tilted my head slightly and she did the same, but the opposite way to allow our lips to connect and open perfectly. My hands moved down to her neck, fingers still splayed to caress a wide an area as possible. I felt her hands on me, stroking up over my shoulders and one sliding to the back of my head. I licked along her lips and her soft moan filled my mouth and her hand pulled me closer. I put my tongue between her open lips and felt the soft tip of hers find it and lick over my taste buds. My fingers went to the back of her neck to hold her closer as my mouth went wide to inhale Lisa and taste her sweet lips as she sucked me in. A hand went down my back as one of mine felt the bumps of her spine through cotton, nudging the bra strap as it went lower. My moans filled her lungs as her sighs were breathed in.

I moved back only to take Lisa's tongue into my lips and suck it gently, my mouth then opening as she kept still and the tongue went into me to find mine. Our faces moved and the kiss would be broken for an instant as we gasped and then reconnected having shifted which side out noses would rub together. I moved my legs to get closer, wanting her body on mine and I felt one of Lisa's legs drape over me as she tried to do the same.

A dog barked and we jumped. It was getting dark now and the sound of footprints on the ground made me look around. A strange light weaved down the path before the dog appeared with an illuminated collar, the owner jogging behind, the head torch blinking white in the shadows. We were tangled together, our legs over each other's in our quest to be close. I put my nose to Lisa's as the dog walker shuffled past and we giggled.

"That was close." She whispered. "They almost saw us snogging."

"I'm pretty sure I heard some people walk past earlier, they might have seen us."

"Oh no, you might get in trouble with the tour guide office." Lisa laughed

"I will just call it customer service."

"Excellent customer service, I might add." she replied and giggled and I put my lips to hers again and she pulled my head closer.

"I guess we should call it a night." Lisa said. It was quite dark now, the light chased away by stars and the moon.

"Can I walk you to the bus stop?" I asked.

"Yes please, or maybe take me a few times around the block." Lisa added and I laughed. "Oh, that sounded quite rude." she giggled.

"I'll happily take you around the block, young lady." I laughed.

"Let's go then." she sighed and we stood and then sat again. "Fuck, my legs have stopped working!" she laughed as I rubbed my thighs to try and get mine to work too. Several minutes later we were stumbling down the path, the night wrapping around us as I put my arm around Lisa's waist.

"Just helping you walk." I said.

"You are THE BEST tour guide." she laughed.

The streetlights made us blink as we staggered up the slope to the road. No one was around. We walked quietly, our feet padding down on the cooling pavement, our shadow now a two headed human as Lisa threaded an arm around me, "To help you walk" she explained.

"Show me where you live." She said as we were about to turn towards her place and we almost fell as we changed direction and I quickly grabbed Lisa and pulled her to me. "Good save. Or was that just a ploy to get a kiss and grope my bum?"

Our lips opened together again and my hand went down and stroked over her bottom as we stood on a corner, a bus briefly tooting its horn as it passed.

"I am SO glad you never take advantage of all these precarious situations we get in to just feel me up." Lisa laughed as I guided her towards my flat.

"Well, if there's anything else you don't want me to touch, just tell me." I giggled.

"Some things need to wait." she said softly and her hand squeezed mine.

We turned onto my street, the rumble of buses fading as we moved away from the main road. It was quiet, mostly family homes, but a small block of flats sitting incongruously at the end. "That's it." I pointed and we kept on walking. "The second floor is where I live."

"I like the balcony" Lisa said. "You can sit there and watch the foxes at night. Make sure they behave."

"That's what I do most nights." I said.

"I wish I could join you." She replied.

"I would like that." I said, possibly too quickly and she turned and smiled at me. "You can have a sneak look now if you like, try for size."

"Will the flatmate mind some crazy woman fox watching?"

"He works evenings most of the time and spends weekends with his girlfriend, so he won't be there." I held my breath.

"Well, I could check out the view of the neighbourhood." She laughed in the darkness that was covering us. I breathed again.

"Sorry, it's a mess, I didn't realise I'd have a guest. Ever." I mumbled as I clicked the hall light on. I waved my hand to the left, "Those are the bedrooms, down there is the toilet and bathroom, the kitchen to the right." I muttered, getting even more nervous by Lisa's silence. I turned and there was a huge smile from her and I relaxed a bit. "And this is the living room and the balcony."

"You can show me your bedroom another time." She whispered and the room span. We were standing in the gloom as I had completely forgot to turn on the light in the room and she was now backlit from the hall. I hoped she couldn't see clearly as I was shaking.

I unlocked the door and held out my hand to welcome her to the balcony. There were some plants in boxes hanging from the railing and a few more in pots on the floor, but there was enough room for two chairs and a little table. Lisa still hadn't said much, just made 'hmmm' noises as she moved. We sat and her hand reached for mine and squeezed it and then pulled it to rest on her leg.

"Nice." she whispered and I heard the nerves, so squeezed her knee and saw the smile in the corner of my eye. "Very nice." she said, louder now. Then the silence closed in as tight and warm as the summer night.

"There!" Lisa whispered as she sat up straight and a russet figure moved from shadow to shadow, the white tip of the tail bright when the streetlight hit it. It stopped, maybe sensing four eyes were watching it and then sniffed the air. "Hey foxy." Lisa murmured. I barely heard her, but I saw its ears twitch and turn before it looked up. She waved. I waved. The fox stared and tilted its head and then looked down to check for anyone or thing on the road ahead and continued it patrol, its tail bouncing as it padded along the midnight street.

"Oh, this is great!" She said and bounced a little in the chair and then stood slowly, not wanting to disturb the world. "It's a good view too." she said and I peered into the darkness and laughed quietly inside, then glanced at her bottom a few inches away and agreed.

"You can see the area over the nature reserve, all the birds swirling around. When it's daytime, obviously." I added. trying not to stare at her behind.

"Obviously." she giggled. "I will have to come back and see. If you let me."

"Why would I not?" I replied and I saw her bottom wiggle a little as she laughed. It was so close I could lean and kiss it and I studied the curve, even in the low light it looked so soft, but firm and my mind flashed to when I had put my hands on it, feeling the way it bent down from her back, small, but with just enough size to feel wonderful to touch. I imagined kissing it, feeling the soft skin on my lips as my mouth moved over it and down to the top of her legs, the transition of skin looking smooth under the material of her trousers.

"Earth to John, Earth to John." she whispered, "You're staring at her bum." I glanced up, blushing and even in the dark her eyes were shining bright, eclipsing the moon.

"Oh, yeah, sorry, was just checking for... stuff."

"Ohhhhh, stuff. That can be bad to have on a bum." and she moved to push her bottom closer to me. "Check away, tour guide." She wiggled a little and I laughed, possibly too loudly for the quiet night.

I 'ummed' and 'ahhhed' as I looked at her very cute bottom, which she kept wiggling slowly.

"Is everything ok back there?" She whispered as she looked out at the scenery. "I mean, it may need a manual check." I lifted a hand and saw the fingers tremble and then slowly ran them over the curved behind.

"Seems to be." I spluttered, my voice croaking a little and making Lisa giggle.

"Sure? I mean, that was a very basic check, you can't be too careful." I stroked her bottom again as she chuckled and then I continued to caress it as she moved slowly against my hands.

"One final check." I said, feeling stupidly brave now and she mumbled a 'uh huh' into the dark air. I put my hands on the sides of her lovely bottom and then gave her left buttock a quick kiss. There was a giggle and a wiggle, so I kissed the right one.

"You are very thorough. I like that." She said as she half turned and her hand reached to my face to stroke me and guide me to stand, her arm going around my waist as I moved next to her, my arm around her shoulder.

"Was this just a ploy to kiss my bum?" She said softly, her eyes flicking to mine for a second as she smiled.

"Obviously. Even the fox was in on the plan."

"Oh, so they are not scared of you, they are friends with you?" She said as soft as the stars overhead, "This makes so much more sense."

"Does it change anything?"

"No. Well, now I feel safer with the foxes as they know I am with you." She said, quite logically. "The cats on the other hand..."

"Yeah, you can't do anything about the cats." I added and her hand squeezed me closer.

"Hey, I need the loo. I assume you have one that I can use." Lisa said later, time a long forgotten concept.

"There is a small charge for visitors." I added.

"Will a quick grope of my bum be enough?" She chuckled, "It's all I have with me right now." She turned to face me and my eyes tried to look down without her noticing, but failed. "Sorry, they're not available yet." she whispered and then put her lips to mine. I put my hands down and squeezed her firm behind and she giggled into my mouth.

"This way for the loo." I said and she took my hand and followed.

"Are you going to stand outside and guard me from evil?" She asked. "I mean, that's nice, but..."

"I'll wait in there." I pointed to the living room and she smiled and then closed the toilet door.

I heard the door open and Lisa's footsteps pad to the bathroom.

"Ooooooooooh, you have a bath!" Lisa called as she washed her hands. "I love having a bath, it's so relaxing." I walked in and she turned and pressed her wet hands to my face. "Cute hand dryer too." she laughed.

"Do you have a bath?"

"No. Well, No. There was one when I viewed the flat and the landlady mentioned something about renovating the bathroom, but I really liked the place I didn't pay much attention and missed the bit about ripping out the bath to replace it with a snazzy shower." She pouted a little and turned to look at the tub longingly. "I mean, it's a great shower, big enough for you to grow tomato plants in and still get clean, but..." Her eyes went back to the tub again.

"Well, for a small fee we rent out the bath to locals who only have a shower. There is a waiting list until next year, but we do accept bribes."

"Hmmm, I mean, it cost a bum grope to use the loo, what the hell will a bath cost?"

"Usually one of us will have to sit with the person, to make sure they behave."

"That sounds fair, but won't you get upset at your flatmate seeing me take a bath?" I stared at her as we both tried to keep straight faces, her eyes laughing causing me to break first.

"You could wear a swimming costume." I added, when we had stopped laughing enough to speak.

"I only have an itsy bitsy teeny weeny..." She giggled.

"Is it yellow with polka dots?"

Lisa gasped, "Have you been watching me in the shower?"

"You wear it in the shower?" I said, trying not to laugh too loud for the sake of the neighbours.

"Yeah, I mean, don't want to make the tomato plants feel awkward." Lisa's logic was the best.

We went back to the balcony for a final look out over the neighbourhood and then Lisa asked me to walk her home.

"I like your place." She said as we walked quietly down the stairs and into the night. No one else was around, it was our night alone.

"Any plans for tomorrow, I mean, today?" I asked as we passed the empty bus stop.

"No, apart from panic about my review meeting on Monday. I might need distracting."

"What kind of distracting?" I asked, my mind racing now.

"The shoving cake into my mouth kind."

"Sounds good. Meanwhile, I will keep a careful eye on your figure." I added.

"What a considerate tour guide you are. I am pretty sure you'll notice any changes in the size of my bum."

"I will have to check regularly." I chuckled.

"Get to it." She laughed and I put my hand on her rear as we walked. "Wait." and she stopped walking and reached behind her and there was the sound of a zip opening. "That will help things along." and I slipped my hand into the now open pocket and gave her bottom a squeeze.

"Oh yeah, this is super scientific now."

"Come on super scientific tour guide, the cats might get us if we hang around too much." and we walked slowly down the road, my left hand squashed into the pocket and pressed to her bottom.

Lisa turned as we reached the area we had parted the night before and I let out a little yelp, my hand trapped in her pocket and we both had to stifle our laughter as we stood in the street at one thirty in the morning, the world still around us.

"See you tomorrow?" I asked after I had pulled my hand free, with a final squeeze of her shapely behind.

"No." My heart sank. "See you later today." she corrected me. and her smile lit up the city.