Dear Readers:
I have always appreciated the feedback my stories have received – both good and bad – and while I am well aware that I’m definitely not the second coming of Hemingway, the amount of wonderful feedback I got for my very first story, “And Then She Was Gone,” was truly humbling and made me realize that putting my thoughts and ideas out there was at minimum a worthwhile endeavour.
Over the years, I’ve had many people reach out to me asking to write a follow-up to my maiden effort, but I never did for two reasons. First, I thought it was so perfectly “self-contained” that adding to it wouldn’t be true to the spirit in which it was written and second, I honestly couldn’t think of a plausible scenario – until recently.
So, at long last, here is a sequel, of sorts. For those who haven’t read the story on which this one is based – you can find it here: https://.com/s/and-then-she-was-gone-1. I honestly believe that the context it would bring would help you enjoy this story more. Either way, I hope you enjoy this effort and please rate it and offer your feedback and reviews – I truly enjoy reading them, both good and bad.
Finally, thank you to the amazing editing skills of 2soon2no. His attention to detail is amazing, his suggestions were on point and his turn-around time was next level – it was all incredibly appreciated.
Enjoy!
And Then She Came Back
It’s amazing how the brain works.
A simple visual reminder, or for that matter a smell or a sound can give you a myriad of crystal clear, visceral memories that flash through your mind in a split second, just like a newsreel.
This is precisely what happened to Bill Mitchell when he answered his doorbell to find his young neighbour smiling at him. He immediately flashed back to the day he spent in a hotel suite with this beautiful woman standing before him.
“Chelsea,” Bill exclaimed. “Wow, what a pleasant surprise! Come in!”
It had been a little over two years since Chelsea had approached him and asked him to take her virginity; more clearly stated, she asked him to show her how to properly have sex. After some major soul-searching, Bill had agreed and they spent a wonderful sex-filled day in a lovely hotel suite near her university campus. Bill had thought of that day often, despite seeing very little of Chelsea during that time, but now with her in his home the memories flooded over him and he instantly could feel himself starting to stiffen as they did. He quickly offered her a drink to distract himself from those very memories – this was definitely not the time.
“Yes, please, I’d love a coffee!” Chelsea enthused.
Once the coffees were brewed, they repaired to the Mitchell’s family room and sat opposite each other – Bill in his favorite chair and Chelsea on the couch.
“So, Chelsea, we haven’t seen much of you for a while, if I recall, your mom said that you’ve done some travelling I believe?”
She replied, “Well, yes and no. I did travel, but it was for school. I got a scholarship and an offer to do a year away, so I spent my Junior year in The Netherlands at Delft University.”
“That’s amazing! Good for you. It must have been an awesome experience!”
“Oh my gosh, yes. Life changing to be honest. I can’t tell you how much I grew up and matured during my year away. And how much I needed to grow up! Living at home during my first two years was great, but it did shelter me. I needed to get out on my own and fend for myself.”
Bill nodded, “I couldn’t agree more. There’s just something about making your own decisions – and your own mistakes – that’s just so valuable. And hopefully the mistakes you make are small ones! Although you have always had a level head on your shoulders, so I’m sure you did just fine.”
Chelsea giggled, “Well, I know I made a few doozies, but I think I survived them all. I had a great time over there and when I came back for my last year, I just couldn’t imagine subjecting mom and dad to the “new me” so when I was offered a job as a TA that would pay enough to cover my accommodations, I decided to live right by the campus. I know I could have lived at home, but I just knew it was time to be out on my own as much as I could.”
“Well, that explains why I haven’t seen you very much. Matter of fact, the last time I remember for sure seeing you was this past Thanksgiving at your parents’ party.”
“Yeah, I come home every couple of weeks for some “real food”, but for the most part I’m pretty much out of the house full-time now. I have a job lined up for when I graduate so I think that Mom and Dad can officially take me off the payroll in a couple of months!”
Bill was impressed, “That’s fantastic! Ken and Fiona must be so proud of you. Although I can’t say I’m surprised. You’ve always been an outstanding young woman in my books.”
Chelsea blushed, “Why, thank you, kind sir! How is everyone with your Otele Gelen Escort family? I’ve seen Emma and Daniel in passing when I’ve been home – they are getting so big!”
“Yeah, everyone is doing well. Growing up, being simultaneously amazing and infuriating. But that goes with the territory. Thanks for asking about them.”
Although Bill was finding the conversation very pleasant, he couldn’t help but wonder why Chelsea had come to visit. Granted, she had been their baby sitter when she was younger, but this kind of innocuous chat was just not something that a twenty-three-year-old and a forty-eight-year-old typically have. That said, he didn’t want to assume anything so he just decided to let it play out and see where it led. As it turned out, if he had had fifty guesses on where, none of them would have been correct!
Chelsea looked at him and smiled, “So, if I don’t miss my guess, you’re wondering what I’m doing here.”
“Hehe, well, you’re mostly right. I’ve always enjoyed chatting with you, but I can’t help but think you’ve got lots of other things you could be doing.”
“Very true, I’ve got term papers and labs and all sorts of things on my plate, but I’m here for a couple of reasons.”
In the back of his mind, Bill was conflicted. They both agreed that the time they spent together was a one-off, and that’s how he justified it in his mind. He was dreading her asking him to join her again, not because he didn’t thoroughly enjoy his time with her, but more because he didn’t want to have to make the decision between wanting to and knowing that he shouldn’t.
He tried to sound more confident than he was when he replied, “And what are those reasons?”
“Well, the first reason is to truly say Thank you.”
Bill was puzzled, “Thank me for what?”
Chelsea’s knowing, shy smile immediately confirmed what he thought, but didn’t want to say, “Well, at the risk of sounding crass, for the gift of showing me how to properly have sex.”
Now it was Bill’s turn to be shy. He was sure he was blushing as well. “Oh, that.”
She teasingly flipped her hair back, put on a fake, dismissive expression on her face and said, “Yeah…just that.”
They both broke out laughing. The tension was broken and they both were able to relax.
“Bill, in all seriousness, I never was able to thank you properly. I know I pledged to you that our day together would forever stay between us and I would not say anything to anyone, and I swear to you that I’ve kept that promise.”
“Chelsea, I’ll tell you with complete sincerity that I believe you. If I had any doubts about that, our day at the Sherwood Inn would not have happened.”
“Well, I’m glad you feel that way. But honestly, it helped me so much. It’s not like I went out the next day and hopped into bed with the first guy that checked me out. Come to think of it, there’s no way I could have anyway – I was too damn sore!”
Bill laughed, “Well, I’ll bet you recovered more quickly than I did. I was feeling it for quite a few days after – but it hurt so good, I was not going to complain!”
“Hurt So Good… isn’t that an old song from way back in your day?” she teased.
“Listen here young lady, you’re still not so old that I can’t put you over my knee and give you a spanking!”
“Promises, promises! But seriously, when I did find a guy that I felt was worthy of sleeping with me, I was so much more relaxed. I knew what I wanted and I knew how to make him feel good as well. And there are four or five tall, strapping, blond Dutch boys that should be buying you a Grolsch as well!”
“That’s great. Honestly, I’m glad I was able to help you. And I should be thanking you as well. I had an amazing afternoon and it has given me memories that will last a lifetime. I think it was a win, win for both of us.”
“It was for sure!”
“Well, I appreciate you saying thank you – it really wasn’t necessary, but you said there were two reasons you wanted to talk to me. What was the second?”
Chelsea looked evenly into Bill’s eyes and said simply, “I’m hoping you’ll provide the same service to my friend Simran.”
Bill’s eyes immediately widened. He definitely had not seen that one coming. He gulped, stuttered and stammered and all he could think of saying was, “Um..ah..I’m sorry Chelsea, I’m going to have to get you to repeat that, I could have sworn you wanted me to have sex with a friend of yours.”
She giggled, enjoying his discomfort. “Oh, no, you heard me perfectly.”
“Um, ok, but you have me totally flummoxed at the moment.”
She took mercy on him, “I know, and I’m sorry. I really dropped this in your lap and I should have been more respectful of your feelings. But, oh my god, the look on your face!” And with that she threw her head back and laughed heartily.
“Ok, I’m so confused now,” Bill complained, “Are you shitting me or are you serious?”
“Oh, I’m very serious.”
“Well, then, you are going to have to Balgat Escort spell it out very, very clearly to me.”
“I know, and again, I’m sorry. I just couldn’t help myself. So, let me explain.”
Bill let out an audible sigh, “Oh, god, please do.”
Chelsea smiled at him. “So, I have this friend, Simran.”
“Obviously.”
“And I told her about you.”
With that Bill’s eyes flew up and he sputtered at her, “But..but…what about our agreement? We agreed this was strictly between us!”
Chelsea threw her hands up in a token of submission. “Bill, please, let me explain. And please, trust me. I’ve not betrayed your confidence.”
Bill relaxed slightly, but his emotions were still on high alert.
“I met Simran when I was in my sophomore year. She is a friend of a friend and we met at a party and just hit it off. She’s from India and came here specifically because the university has some great reputation in what she’s studying. I have no idea what it is – some kind of molecular something or other. Anyway, we just kind of stayed in touch through social media while I was in The Netherlands and when I got back, I was looking for a place to stay for my senior year. Simran was looking for a new roommate, as hers had graduated and moved out so it was a perfect solution for both of us.
“Ok, fair enough Chelsea – but I’m still not seeing what this has to do with me?”
“I’m getting to that – please, just trust me. So, I have a boyfriend. I don’t think either of us thinks it’s going to go beyond that, but Travis is a great guy, totally respectful of me and, well, given the history between the two of us, I feel comfortable saying to you that he’s a great fuck!”
With that, Bill couldn’t help but smile and say, “Well, I know from first-hand experience that Travis is a lucky man!”
Now it was Chelsea’s turn to blush, “Well, thank you – thanks to you! Anyway, Simran doesn’t have a boyfriend here- I’ll let her tell you her situation if it gets that far – but I always want to respect her and never put her in an awkward position. So, a couple of weeks ago, Travis and I had some…ahhh…. free time and because I knew Simran was in class, he and I went to the apartment to have some fun. When we were done, we cleaned up and he left and after I closed the door, I turned around to see Simran standing there with this totally shocked expression on her face. I was so embarrassed and apologized over and over to her. Turns out her class got cancelled for some reason and she decided to come home and have a nap. And I guess, we…I mean, I… kind of interrupted her sleep. I guess I can be quite, as Travis puts it, ‘vocally appreciative’ of his efforts and I was pretty loud that day.”
Bill laughed, “Wow, that must have been pretty awkward.”
Chelsea smiled, “I wasn’t so embarrassed about the fact that I was loud. Thanks to you, I’ve learned that there’s nothing wrong with expressing my enjoyment. I was more embarrassed that I put Simran in an awkward position. I mean, Travis has slept over plenty of times, but we’ve always been totally respectful of the fact that she’s there and before that day she’s never had to witness me screaming, “Fuck me harder, you stud!”
“Oh god, really? I can just imagine what that scene was like.”
“Actually, she was amazing. She’s such a “BAMF”, I love her to death. She has this crazy combination of being uber smart, but so naïve in some ways, but she knows it and is so curious about learning stuff. So, after she assured me that all was okay, she said to me, ‘Do you enjoy sex that much every time’? I told her that maybe not every time, but Travis pretty much rocks my world and I’m pretty sure I do the same for him.”
Bill was pleased, happy with the knowledge that a good chunk of that enjoyment came out of the lessons she had learned during their time together.
Chelsea continued, “So Simran says to me, ‘Tell me Chels’ – that’s what she likes to call me – ‘how did you get so good at sex at such a young age? I have never been close to feeling the kind of pleasure you seemed to be experiencing!’ I looked at her and she was just so honest and curious and non-judgemental, I couldn’t help myself, Bill. I’m sorry, but it was the first time I’ve ever breathed a word of our day together to anyone – I swear to you. I looked at her and I said, ‘Well, a few years ago I took a chance and asked a wonderful older gentleman to take my virginity and show me not only how to please a man, but also how to communicate to a man on how I wanted to be pleasured. We met only once, but he was patient and fun and amazingly sexy and it was the absolute best way I could have imagined to learn about the pleasures of sex.”
She looked up at Bill and gauged his reaction. He seemed… okay, not upset and kind of caught up in the whole story. So, she continued, “I promise you I gave her no details on who you are, on how I know you or where you live. I just told her that it was an older gentleman.”
Bill Büyükesat Escort gulped, feeling better now, and said, “I believe you Chelsea. Like I said at the time, if I didn’t think you were trustworthy, we wouldn’t have gotten together in the first place. But, I’m still confused. If that’s all that you told her, what does this have to do with me?”
“Well,” Chelsea continued, “After I told her she asked me for details. I gave her the ‘Coles Notes’ version of our day together and just said that you were wonderful, patient and kind and that you totally rocked my world. Bill, I’m not saying this to make you uncomfortable, but since our day together, I’ve, shall we say, made up for lost time, and I took advantage of my freedom in The Netherlands. While I’m certainly not a slut, I’m also certainly not a prude and with the exception of Travis who comes pretty close, you have been the best lover I’ve had so far. No wonder Joanne always seems to have a smile on her face!”
Bill turned crimson and smiled, “Well, thank you Chelsea, I have cherished our day together since it happened.”
“So, getting back to why I’m here. After we talked, we just kind of dropped it and I had more or less totally forgotten about it, except for telling Travis, who was totally mortified – mostly anyway! – and he apologized to Simran as well. He is, now that I think of it, a real gentleman – maybe there might be something there after all! I thought it was over until a couple of nights ago and Simran came home and I could tell that something was on her mind. She seemed really out-of-sorts and it was beyond the kind of mood we all get into when we get overwhelmed with school so I asked her about it. She sat down on the couch with me and said, ‘Chels, please don’t think I’m crazy, but I can’t get the day I heard you and Travis out of my mind. I think about it all the time. I have agonized over talking to you about this, but decided I’m not going back to India with any “what if’s” so I’m just going to ask you…. Do you think that there is any chance your older gentleman would consider providing the same service for me as he did for you?'”
Truth be told, Bill could kind of see this coming given the build up, but hearing it was like having a bucket of water thrown on his face. He stammered, “You’re kidding, right? You can’t be serious?”
“Serious as a heart attack, my friend.”
“How did you answer her?”
“I simply told her the only thing I could do would be to talk to you and ask. And, obviously, that’s why I’m here. So, do you have any interest?”
“Holy crap, I have no idea how to answer that question. I’m being totally honest when I tell you that I fully considered our day together a one-off. Never to be repeated and I was completely fine about that. I didn’t want, nor did I ever look for, a repeat. It was just a wonderful ‘thing’, a great memory and that was it. This is totally out of left field for me.”
Chelsea nodded, “Oh, I was pretty sure I was going to freak your freak. Before you answer at all, can I just say a couple of things?”
“Of course you can – anything that would give me some clarity would be very, very welcome, believe me.”
“Ok, first. You don’t know Simran and she doesn’t know you. Although, interestingly you HAVE been in each other’s company.”
Bill’s eyes widened, “How, wha..what do you mean? If she knows who…”
“Bill, relax, you would not have even noticed her and she, for sure, didn’t notice you. I brought her to my parent’s Thanksgiving party last year and while you were busy with all the old fogies, we were with my sister and friends. Besides, while Simran might not have learned her way around a man’s body while she’s been here, she has certainly learned her way around a liquor cabinet! That girl can party when she allows herself to let her hair down and on that day, she toured the world and decided that Mexican Tequila was her favorite! By the time you guys got to our house she was pretty blotto so don’t ever worry that she will connect you to this area.”
“Anyway,” she continued, “I know you both don’t know each other, but Simran has become one of my best friends. She is kind and caring and curious and open and so thirsty to experience life and wants to drink it all in. And you, you’re wonderful and kind and patient. If I thought for a second that you two spending a day together would be anything but as wonderful as our day together, I wouldn’t be sitting here. Of course I’m not saying you wouldn’t have to work through some emotional stuff, just like you did with me, but I am saying I’m completely confident that you wouldn’t regret meeting with her. She’s just that lovely.”
“Ok, Chelsea, I get that, and thank you for your confidence in me. And for being such a good friend to this Simran girl – I hope she understands how lucky she is to have you.”
“Thanks, Bill, I appreciate it. So, one last thought that I’ll leave you with, because I KNOW you are going to have to bounce this one around in your head for a while. I want you to feel completely comfortable with the whole discretion thing. I can tell you that Simran is on track to graduate in about 6 weeks. She already has a job lined up back in India and will be leaving to go home shortly after graduation. I’m going to die without her, but I understand. So, I want to take your comfort with this whole thing a step further.”