AUTHOR'S NOTE: Special thanks to ariestess for the quick beta. Dedicated to my girl.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
FEEDBACK: To carson_fletcher[at]ymail.com
The First Time...
By Carson Fletcher
The first time they met was at a party thrown by a mutual friend. Well, 'met' may be too strong of a word. Someone called off names and pointed at various people around the room. Each person had nodded in response to their name being called. Beyond that, Traci and Diana had no interaction that night.
Over the course of a few months, Traci and Diana kept running into each other at group get-togethers with their friends. They didn't converse very much, but they did observe each other... a lot. Despite the fact that neither woman was 'looking' for anything, they found themselves inexorably drawn to each other.
The first time they ran into each other, other than at a friend's place, was at the book store in the local mall. They both smiled shyly and decided to have a coffee together. They ended up talking until the mall closed several hours later.
After that day, they gravitated to each other at the get-togethers, often sitting and talking until they were the last two to leave. When some of their friends noticed, Traci and Diana both brushed off any comments by saying they were just friends. They both made a point to only see each other when part of the group... after all, neither of them were looking for a relationship.
The first time they went out on a date, they were both nervous. They were friends, but they had been dancing around each other, and their deeper feelings for one another, for months. Traci and Diana had both been deeply hurt in the past and were gun-shy as a result. However, neither one could continue to deny that their friendship was more than a friendship.
They didn't go anywhere fancy, since that wasn't their style – a casual dinner at a beachside café. Afterwards, they strolled along the boardwalk, simply holding hands. They ended up sitting on the beach and talking for hours, reluctantly calling it a night only after watching the sunrise. More dates followed – movies, outdoor concerts, picnics. But Traci and Diana found their favorite dates were when they stayed in rather going out, simply sharing a quiet evening together.
The first time they made love, they were both apprehensive, concerned that the passing of time and the inevitable signs of aging would disappoint. Breasts were no longer perky, bodies were softer and rounder, and hot flashes were a fact of life.
But with age come understanding and wisdom... and appreciation. Neither Traci nor Diana need have worried, since they both understood that a woman's beauty is about what's in her heart, her mind, and her soul.
The End