It Had Been Years Read Online Free Page A

couldn’t place it as she started to turn, brushing against this man’s thighs, Donna thought to herself how she hated these occasional but all too awkward mornings after a late night. 
    At least she was in her own place, “Wait that could be worse, if he’s a nut he knows where I live.” In the few seconds of outright panic the voice asked “Coffee? Venti Mocha hot or cold?   I’ll go get it.”
    As she finished her turn it was her gentleman Corn Husker, he had never spent the night before, she had never asked him to and he never had offered or asked if he could.  Their liaisons were not hidden encounters in D.C. hotels all too familiar with the men and women whose secrets they did their best to keep. They were both markedly available.  The only awkwardness came because they were crossing party lines.  He was a boring conservative and she was party lawyer for the other slightly less overtly warlike side.  It was worse than a stranger, at first she couldn’t remember and felt unsure, uncomfortable and dirty. What had happened? What had been said?  It was not often and had been years since she felt dirty, she was no longer a poor little country whore on her knees behind the bleachers after the football game in the back woods of some god forsaken place.  The trashy little sorority girl at the lower end of the state college system fucking every fraternity boy and jock that she thought might fill whatever gap, whatever seemed to be missing.  She was in control now.  It was always her choice, she knew the rules and chose more carefully.  He stretched in a cat like manner, staining against his own limits tensing his legs and lower back, twisting his waist to try to get some level of flexibility in to his body. Donna tried not to move, laying there lifelessly.  In the mean time, he found his way to the edge of the bed.  He walked shamelessly and naked through her loft to the bathroom.
    She thought, The freak is already brushing his teeth. Then he moved to the living room, stopped to find his gym bag by the door.  He slipped into a pair of worn out Levi’s, a faded red t-shirt, sandals and that damn hat with the red N on it.  He grabbed his wallet, phone and sun glasses and left with a, “I’ll be back.  Hot or cold?”
    “Surprise me.” she answered. And with that he left snatching her keys from the table and headed out the door like it was something he had done it a million times before.
    She sat up slowly allowing the sensations of a long night out catch up with her brain, the buzz had faded and her body hurt, her breasts were tender and her nipples were beyond sore and she could tell without speaking that her throat was raw.  She started to put the pieces together of the night before, but not too quickly her head was pounding.  The first give away as to why, the three empty wine bottles she could see from bed.
     
     
     
     
     
    The Husker Takes a Walk
     
    As Robert exited Donnas’ building, he fumbled to find a place for his phone and her keys as his wallet was already in place. He stepped out into the bright light and sticky heat of the day his shades already covering his bright blue eyes.  He loved the sun, but most often had to wear shades to avoid getting headaches.  His stride more shuffling and uncalculated dragging his lean 6’2” physique down a bright city street when his phone rings.
    “Where are you?”  the voice asked.
    “Are you my mother?  I didn’t realize it was your turn to watch me, Christy.” 
    “It’s not, but when you don’t show up people start asking questions.” 
    He laughed, “When I don’t show up? For what, brunch?   So there’ll be an uneaten order of poached eggs with hollandaise sauce and the questions they’re asking?  Did he get a life?  Is he stuck in a corn field somewhere?” 
    Christy meant well, she chased him from meeting to meeting and event to event for a living, typically Sundays were a late morning brunch in the DuPont Circle at