by Lisa Lace
“Then that’s all that matters now, isn’t it?”
“Absolutely.”
I enter the living room with a pitcher of lemonade and three plastic tumblers. I pour each of us a drink and sit down beside Sophie on the wicker-and-floral furniture that Dad has had since forever.
“I wish Anna could see you now.”
A pang of regret courses through me. My mother had adored Sophie and had been thrilled when I’d brought a fiancée home. I think she’d been hoping that Sophie would keep me in the States—close to home, and close to Mom.
When I left Sophie, I left them, too.
“I heard she passed—I’m so sorry.”
“It seemed too soon, but I guess the time comes for us all.”
Silence envelops the room. I decide to break it. “I saw Sophie’s sister last night.”
“Lena! How is she?”
“She’s not my biggest fan.”
Sophie laughs lightly. “Lena has a very one-sided perspective on our relationship, but things are never that simple, are they? There are always two sides to every story. Cole had his dreams, and I had mine.”
“You two are back together,” Dad says. “That’s what matters now.”
Sophie grins. “I think so.”
“I couldn’t believe it when Cole said you’d run into each other again. He said you’d met on the cellphone. On an app, he said. What was it called again, Cole?”
“Tinder. And that’s not how we got back in touch, Dad. You’re getting a bit confused.”
“Cole was playing the field,” Sophie explains, casting me a cheeky glance. “He met a woman called Sophia on Tinder and messaged me by mistake when he tried to contact her on his cell.”
Dad holds his hands up in the air and makes a face. “It’s bunk, all this technology. Back in my day, you met in real life. I met Cole’s mother when we worked at a chip factory. She salted the chips, and I loaded the vans.”
Sophie and I exchange amused glances. Even in the short time that Sophie and I were together in the US, she had the chance to hear this story at least a dozen times.
“It’s a very sweet story.”
“Better than Cole sending a text to the wrong woman! My son; hardly Romeo. You know, I had to court Anna for months. I used to take her to the flicks on a Saturday afternoon. Her brother came with us the first three times because she was only fifteen.”
“And you asked her father before you took her to a local dance,” I finish. “Things have come a long way since then.”
“How are your parents, Sophie?”
“Well.” Sophie nods. “Thank you. They’re both doing really well.”
“What do they make of all this Tinder business, and you and Cole?”
Sophie looks down at her lemonade with a guilty laugh. “I haven’t told them yet. I’m not sure how they’d take it. My mom, in particular, was against the marriage in the first place.”
“I remember. Anna and I were thrilled. We both believed that Cole needed a down-to-earth girl to get his feet planted back on solid ground.”
“You make it sound like I was some listless dreamer,” I object. “I won awards, you know.”
Dad scoffs and gestures to Sophie. “And look at what you lost.”
Sophie’s cheeks flame, and she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear shyly. “Cole’s very talented, Michael. I never resented him for that—I simply wasn’t ready for how far it would take him. His success came on very suddenly, and I wasn’t prepared.”
Dad pats the back of Sophie’s hand. “You’re a very sweet girl.” He turns to me. “She believes in you, you know.”
“I know. She always did.”
I catch Sophie’s eye and feel another swell of regret. Although Sophie never wanted me to leave her to pursue my own ambition, she never doubted for a second that I’d make it. My parents had always thought photography was a pipe dream, but Sophie had proclaimed my talent to everyone who would listen from day one. She loved and supported my career one-hundred percent until she started to feel it taking me away from her. Even now that I’m a washed-up once-was, she’s full of praise for me. She’s the most loyal woman I know.
“What’s for you two now?”
Sophie and I look at each other, and matching smiles spread across our faces. She smiles and offers a small shrug.
“One day at a time.”
“We want to give it another go,” I say. “We know that things went wrong the first time around, but we’re older and wiser and ready to give it another shot.”
“Good.” Dad nods. He turns to Sophie. “The women he’s dated since you have been airheads and floozies.”
“Dad!”
“What? You know it’s true.” Dad leans forward towards Sophie conspiratorially and lowers his voice as if I won’t be able to hear him. “One woman he brought to meet me tripped over her heels on the way in and on the way out. She was like a newborn calf. God knows how many others I didn’t get to meet at all. If a woman isn’t someone you want to bring home to meet your old man, that should tell you something about her. I hardly get to meet his recent women, let alone having him waltz through the door with a huge grin and the declaration that he’s getting married.”
“You’re hardly selling me to her, Dad. You’re making it sound like I’m out with a different woman every night of the week.”
“I wouldn’t know if you were.” He leans in towards Sophie. “He’s very hush-hush about his lady friends.”
“Jesus Christ.”
Sophie’s not offended. She throws her head back and laughs. “I forgot how funny you were, Michael!”
I glance at my watch. “Right, Dad. Sophie and I have a lunch reservation, so we’ve got to get going.”
“All right, I get it. You two need your ‘alone time.’” Dad rises from his chair and embraces Sophie. “Wonderful to see you again, my dear. Don’t be a stranger now.”
“I’ll see you soon.”
I say goodbye too, and we leave my dad’s house, starting to walk toward the nearby restaurant.
Sophie has the giggles. “He knows exactly how to embarrass you! I’ve never known anyone to make you blush, but your dad’s a pro.”
“A different experience from when I saw Lena! My parents always adored you and were crushed when we split up. They thought I made the biggest mistake of my life.” I sigh, then look across at Sophie and smile. “In hindsight, maybe they were right.”
Sophie comes to a stop and takes both my hands in hers. She looks up at me with wide, adoring eyes. “I think everyone’s been a bit hard on you, myself included. You had a talent, a dream, and you went for it. It took courage. If anything, I was holding you back. At the time, I was devastated, but if you’d stayed, you would only have grown to resent me, and we’d have faced a messy, bitter divorce a few years later. I want to put the past behind us. No bitterness, no resentment, no blame. Yes, you left. But if you’d stayed, I’d have been the villain instead. It was a no-win situation. Things are different now. Let’s be grateful that we don’t have to make that choice again. It’s just me and you, simple and easy.”
“That’s all I want,” I say. “These last couple of weeks have been incredible. All those simple things—eating dinner together, making breakfast, laughing, joking, sleeping in the same bed. That’s everything I want.”
She looks up at me and smiles. “It’s enough for you?”
“You, Sophie Ellis, are far more than enough. I’m happy with you. I hope you’re happy with me.”
“Happier than I’ve been in the longest time.”
She takes my hand, and we start walking again. There’s a spring in my step. It feels like everything has fallen into place. After years of failure and rejection, I’ve circled back to the woman who makes me feel whole.
Sophie
I’ve been talking to Lena on the phone for about an hour, but I still have so much left to say. I’m lying on my bed still wrapped in the towel I stepped into after my shower, kicking my
legs up into my air as I fill Lena in on the past week’s events.
“It was a jazz bar and restaurant, and, oh my God, it was so lovely! I’ve never heard a jazz flute in my life before. It was kind of annoying at first, but then I got into it, and now I kind of love jazz flute. I couldn’t stop talking about it all the way home, and when I saw Cole last night, guess what he got me?”
“A jazz flute?”
I laugh. “Close! An album from the band that was playing. I’ve had it on loop while he’s been out shooting today. It’s put me in such a good mood! Everyone in the jazz bar was vaping, and when it’s playing in the background, I swear I can smell strawberry steam. Guess what we ate?”
Lena chuckles. “Tell me.”
“I had the most amazing venison steak, and Cole had a rack of ribs with this gourmet barbeque sauce. The fries came in tiny guitar cases! It was fantastic. I took pictures. I’ll show you when I see you.”
“Which will be when?” she asks. “Since you’ve been back with Cole, I’ve hardly seen you. It must have been three months since we last got coffee. If we don’t get down to Latte Latte soon, it’ll go out of business. We were their best customers.”
I wedge the phone between my ear and shoulder as I paint my nails a shimmering rose-gold. “I’m sorry! I know I’ve not been around. It’s just been so great spending time with Cole again. We never got the chance to really be together on US soil before. It’s like I’m discovering New York for the first time. And when we’re not out having dinner or seeing a show, we’re snuggled up here, watching a movie or talking for hours. I’ll never get tired of him. It’s amazing. I’m so happy right now.”
“I can tell. I can’t remember the last time you were this excitable—probably the first time you met Cole.”
“It’s like the universe made a mistake when we split, and now it’s being put right. Everything’s simply perfect. All my favorite parts of Cole are still there—he’s still spontaneous, funny and sexy as hell—but there’s a different side to him now, too. He’s reliable. He does all these little things to show he cares. Last night, he drew a bath for me. He’d brought home bubble bath with him, and it was coconut-scented which is my favorite. It was the sweetest thing. We got in the bath together, and—”
“—Woah!” Lena’s laughter echoes down the line.
“I was going to say we talked and talked and talked. I was wrinkly by the time we got out, and there wasn’t even any fooling around. We were simply absorbed in each other.”
“I’m glad things are going well for you.”
“They are! I’m spending every second I can with him. It’s a bit tough with the weddings—a lot of late nights—but I don’t mind waiting up. If I go a day without seeing him, it feels like years.”
“You’re sounding pretty head-over-heels again.”
“I know, I know. You want me to go in with my eyes open and expect something to give. I should be thinking ahead to when he inevitably ditches me and leaves, right?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You’re thinking it.”
“Actually, I’m not. You’re happy, and I’m happy for you. It sounds like Cole is treating you right.”
“He is. He really is. Speaking of, I’ve got to go, Lena. He’s coming over in a bit, and I’m not ready. Coffee this weekend?”
“I’ll hold you to that. No canceling. Tell Cole it’s my turn to see you.”
I laugh. “I will. I’ll speak to you soon, Lena. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
I hang up, that silly smile still on my face. I feel bubbly and light inside. For the last three months, everything has been more than perfect. Cole has been attentive and present, and I feel like we’re really working together. I miss him every time he’s gone, and every time he’s near, I get excited like a kid at Disneyland. I can’t remember the last time I felt so giddy with love.
Love.
My nails are painted now. I hold them up to the light and watch them gleam. I let my hair down from the curlers it was in, then put on a dark purple lipstick. I remove my towel and step into the new black lace lingerie one-piece with stockings and garters that I bought specially to surprise Cole. I complete the look by putting on a pair of heels, then look in the mirror. I look like a movie star and feel sexy as hell.
I gave Cole the key to my apartment a week ago, so I get on the bed and wait.
He’s home right on time—just past midnight.
My body trembles when I hear him pull into the driveway and the sound of his engine dies. I stand up with urgency and readjust my black corset. My fingers comb through my hair, and I pull it over my shoulder, sitting back down on the arm of the couch, facing the front door. I try to control my breathing and push my hair back off my shoulder. I cross my legs seductively, leaning back as I hear him walk up the steps toward the door. As the lock clicks into place and he opens the door, a tingle slams into me.
He looks at me, a smile forming on his lips. “I could get used to this. Maybe I should work late more often.”
“How was your day, baby?” I slide my fingertips along the tops of my swelled breasts and lean toward him, securing my three-inch stilettos on the floor and opening my legs to him.
He closes the door, sets his camera equipment on the floor, and walks toward me without another word. He unbuttons his trench coat but doesn’t take it off, his hands still in leather gloves. He cups my face as I stand up in front of him. I feel my heart race out of control as he kisses me, a hint of whiskey on his breath. The thought of it, rugged and dirty, makes my body respond. He kisses my neck, runs his leathered hands over my bare skin, and removes the corset wrapped around me.
I swallow hard, taking in his clothed frame. When the last of my lingerie is removed and discarded on the floor, he pulls his coat open and invites me in, wrapping it around me, pressing his body against mine. His gloves are rough against me as he slides his hand between my legs, rubbing back and forth. My arousal quickly escalates until it teeters on the edge of orgasm. He steps back, slides his coat off, and runs his hands over my hips one more time before removing his gloves.
“So delicious,” he says, licking his lips. His clothes fall away from his body as I breathe deeply at the anticipation of what he’ll do to me. He approaches me, naked and very aroused, enveloping me. My hands can’t stop touching him, and I want to smell like him, like the whiskey on his breath, like the musk from his arousal, like the smell of leather from his gloves. I grind against him, burying my hands into his hair, my tongue sliding into his mouth. The taste of his whiskey spreads across my tongue, making me hungrier for more. I moan, thrusting my tongue deeper, slamming my body against him, wanting to crawl inside him and stay forever.
“Make love to me, Cole.” I am breathless, wanting, needing. We lower our bodies to the floor, his trench coat bunched up underneath me. The feel of the buttons and coarse material dig into my back as I open my legs for him. He drops down on me, crushing me with the weight of his body and he enters me almost immediately. The anticipation that built during my wait for him, the aggression he used against me the moment he walked through the front door, my want for him, all let my arousal overwhelm me.
I hold on to him, pulling him into me, pushing my hips up against him so that the transition from lovemaking to feeling the orgasm hit blend together. He rocks into me, caressing me and kissing me until the soft waves of arousal finish crashing over me. I feel him continue after my body quiets. I feel his pace pick up. I’m patient, smiling softly, watching him work toward his own pleasure, and when he gets there, I feel myself growing closer to him—mind, body, and soul.
Cole
I wake up with one leg hanging off the edge of the mattress. While Sophie is a bombshell in bed, as soon as she’s asleep, she’s a nightmare. She’s managed to nudge me within an inch of the edge. I kiss her neck to wake her.
She makes a little whimper and sighs. “Mmm?”
“You’ve pushed me to the edge of the bed agai
n.”
Lifting myself on one elbow, I see her lips curving into a mischievous smile, even though she doesn’t open her eyes. She murmurs, “I wouldn’t have to chase you if you didn’t keep squirming away.”
“You’re like a campfire, Sophie. It’s unbelievable how much heat you produce.”
She scooches towards the middle of the bed, all without opening her eyes. She throws an arm out behind her, blindly searching for me. Her fingers close around my wrist and pull my arm around her. Then she backs up her whole body against mine so that we’re spooning. Her cheeky smile becomes one of contentment. She finally opens her eyes, then blinks a few times to wake herself up.
“Good morning.”
“Morning, trouble. Considering how tired you said you were, you were fidgeting like hell in your sleep. Were you dreaming you were in the Olympics?”
“No. I did dream I was a goldfish, though. I fell out of my bowl and couldn’t breathe, but then it started raining, and I swam down the street, and it turned out to be pretty great. Turns out goldfish get pretty claustrophobic.”
“Ah, so you were swimming, then.”
“Must have been.”
I grin and press my fingers into her ribcage, tickling her until she squirms, screams with giggles, and kicks out her legs. “That’s a pretty accurate impression of how you slept last night.”
She rolls toward me and buries her head in my chest. “I’m sorry! When I get overtired, I don’t sleep well.”
I wrap my arms around her and kiss the top of her head. “Is waiting up for me all the time getting a bit much?”
Sophie cranes her neck back to look at me. There are dark circles under her eyes. “I want to wait up for you. You work practically every weekend, so if I can’t hold out in the evenings, I’d hardly ever see you.”
“I know it’s tough, but it’s better than before, isn’t it?”
“A hundred times better than before. At least you’re in the same country, and I know where you are and when you’re coming home. You can tell me ahead of time what your plans are. I’m not afraid you’re going to vanish last minute because something came up. It’s great. I just wish I could see more of you. I feel like we have lost time to make up for.”
