Friday 13th.

It's a bit early for the challenge but I'm not going to be around later so if no one minds, I'll post it now....

“Jenna, don’t do it! You hardly even know the guy!”
“I do SO know him…I’ve known him all my life, remember?”
“Oh, come on... that was YEARS ago. People change, you know.”

Allison flopped back into the couch with a loud sigh, kicking off her shoes and putting her manicured feet on the table. Empty Chinese take-out boxes, two empty bottles of Merlot and an ashtray that Jenna had pinched from a Holiday Inn cluttered the small table.

Jenna wiped her mouth with her hands and seeing all the crumbs and bits of rice (eating Chinese isn’t easy when you’re pissed), she stood up off the couch, pushing herself up on her elbows. “Whoa,” she said, staggering a little, leaning on the armrest of the couch. “Damn…now I’ve got this stuff all over the furniture!” Allison threw her head back, laughing. “You are as drunk as a skunk!”

Jenna collapsed on her bed, not bothering to undress. Allison curled up on the couch, wrapping herself in the old, faded throw that was lying on the floor.

It was early afternoon by the time the two stirred. “My God, Allison…look at this place. Shit, my head hurts. Get up, will you? I’ve got to get this place ship-shape before he comes!” Pressing hard on her temples, trying in vain to stop the throbbing , Jenna shuffled off to the bathroom in search of some powerful and fast-acting pain relief. “Asprin...that’s not going to fix this head of mine anytime soon,” she mumbled, popping four at once; washing them down with water from the basin tap. The reflection she saw in the mirror horrified her. Long brown hair, looking like she just came through a bush backwards, make-up streaking down her cheeks, bluish rings under her eyes.

“This is not how I looked back then…what the hell happened to me?” She groaned as she splashed icy cold water on her face. Jenna remembered the girl in the photo. The girl she used to be. The girl he remembers. Dark blonde hair, skinny, clear skin, smile, not a worry in the world. And Jeff…he was a hunk. Tall, wild blonde hair, piercing deep-set pale blue eyes, strong square chin…but that was a long time ago, she reminded herself. “Just look what’s happened to me…”

Jeff and Jenna had had a “thing” for each other back in high school, but for some reason, it had never come to anything. They had shared a few meaningful gazes now and then, making puppy-dog eyes at each other. He had been the strong, silent type while Allison...she had loved to play the field.

“So you’re really going to see him, are you?” asked Allison, darting a cautionary glance Jenna’s way, as Allison made her way out the front door of the flat. “It’s Friday the 13th today. That can only mean bad luck. If you must see him, why don’t you postpone it till tomorrow?”

Jenna scoffed. “You’re a silly, superstitious cow. And you’re jealous. Now go, please...ouch, my head still hurts…I’ll call you tomorrow”. Jenna blew her a kiss as she shut the door.

The cracked enamel of the old steel bath was still icy cold, even with the bath filled with steaming hot water. “This is how I like my baths,” Jenna said to herself. “A G.I.S. bath…Get in Slowly”. Her pale skin turned pink before her eyes, as she lay back into the peach-scented bubbles. “Why did we never get together?” she wondered. Jeff had always seemed very shy and reserved when she was around. She had tried to draw him out of his shell a few times but he always drew back. This puzzled her. Those tactics always worked on all the other guys.

Jenna dressed herself quickly. It was quite warm that evening so she slipped a light cotton strappy dress over her head. Cocking her head to one side, she inspected herself in the mirror. “Yep, I still got it.” Moving closer to her reflection, she patted concealer under her eyes in an attempt to hide the dark shadows. “Thank God my head feels better.” she thought, clearing away all the debris from the previous night. She lit a few candles, puffed up the cushions on the couch, picked up the throw from the floor, tossing it casually over the couch. She emptied the ashtray and hid the dead soldiers and take-away boxes in the cupboard under the sink. Jenna looked at her watch nervously. “He’s late.” Jenna panicked for a moment. Had she given him the correct address? She had been so flabbergasted to hear from Jeff that she could hardly string two words together that made any sense at all.

Just then, a faint knock on the door. Jenna jumped. “Oh God, he’s here!”
Pulling her fingers through her hair and straightening her dress, she took a deep breath and flung the door open.

“Jeff! It’s great to see you! Come in.”
“Jenna, you look great! Wow, how long has it been? Don’t answer that…too long.”

Jeff had matured well. His boyish good looks had transformed into the Marlboro man look. His thick blonde hair was still visible through the streaks of grey at his temples; his strong chin cleanly shaven. “These are for you.” He handed her a small bunch of flowers wrapped in brown paper. “This is so like the way I remember him,” Jenna thought. “Understated, genuine.”

“Mmmmm, he smells good.” Jenna thought to herself as she admired his backside as he turned to take a seat.

The evening was a resounding success.

Relaxed in their own company, reminiscing about the old days, catching up on who is where and who’s doing what; Jenna found herself reverting to her old tactics of flirting with Jeff. “Maybe he’ll take the bait this time,” she hoped, pouring another glass of wine. As she handed him the glass, his hand touch hers. Taking the glass with his other hand and placing it carefully onto the table, Jeff look at her with those dreamy, pale blue eyes and whispered, “I’ve been waiting a very long time for this moment…” His voice trailed off. He took her hand and pulled her onto the couch beside him. Jenna giggled like a little school girl.

“Jeff! What are you doing?” She laughed, thinking it was a rhetorical question, but he answered anyway.

“Something you’ve wanted all along,” he said; his voice low and gravelly.

He easily lifted her small frame and lowered her onto the couch next to him, so that her head and shoulders were resting on his lap. She offered no resistance. He leaned down, lifting her head slightly with both hands and kissed her gently on the mouth, his lips ever so slightly parted. “More, I want more” Jenna groaned inwardly, shifting her body on his lap.

Jeff held her face close to his. “I’ve wanted to do this for the longest time…”

Jenna closed her eyes, waiting. Her whole body tingled in anticipation. His hands floated down her neck, her breasts, her stomach, her thighs and back again. Jenna felt the room spinning.

“I haven’t had THAT much wine,” she thought as Jeff’s strong hands gripped tighter and tighter around her throat.

“You have tormented me once too often. You never really wanted me, you little slut. I watched for years as you flitted from one guy to the next…getting your heart broken every time. I would never have done that to you. I love you” he said softly. “…always have, always will”.