DISCLAIMER: I don't own the rights and sadly I won't profit from this.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is my first time writing FoL fiction so if I get some things off don't shoot the bard. J
CHALLENGE: Written as part of the Fact of Life fanfic month challenge.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
The Reunion
By Calliope
I knew it would happen. I knew she would come, but I wasn't prepared for what seeing her again would do to me. Sweet Jesus, she was absolutely stunning. She stood there defiantly at the top of the steps in her worn jeans and button down white shirt looking out over the crowd. She removed her shades and slipped them into the inside pocket of her black leather jacket before sliding her thumbs into the pockets of her jeans. My God, it was hard to believe she was the same ponytail wearing juvenile delinquent that drove up that day at Eastland.
I swear that my knees buckled when her blue eyes finally landed on me. That trademark smirk pinned me in place as she swaggered down the steps. Only Joanna Marie Polniaczek could get away with showing up in worn out jeans at a high school reunion. The rest of us, mere imitations of sexual intimidation, paled in comparison to Jo. Even our designer dresses and Jimmy Choo shoes couldn't compete with the languid nonchalance of Jo. She oozed sex and didn't even realize it. I think I actually started sweating as she came closer to me wondering what the hell I had gotten myself into.
"Hiya, Princess," she didn't bother to hide her appreciation of my low cut dress.
"Hey," my voice cracked.
Anything else I wanted to say died in my throat. More than anything I wanted to tell her what seeing her again did to me, that I wanted more than anything to call her a million times, that I was sorry for leaving Langley and never telling her the truth, that if she didn't stop looking at me that way that I was going to do something to scandalize the New York gossip rags. The mischievous glint in her eyes told me she knew this.
She slipped a hand inside her jacket and produced a very familiar looking card, which she waved before my eyes, "You begged me to come. Told me that you needed to see me again, not wanted to see me, but needed to. You said you had something to tell me."
This beautiful woman, my former best friend, had stepped closer into my personal space taking my breath away. She leaned down close to my ear, brushing my hair aside, "Wanna get outta here and…talk?"
All I could do was nod. She still wore the same cologne and my head spun with the remembered sensations and emotions it brought back. If only I could have told her then that she haunted my dreams, what would have been? Would we have shown up here tonight together instead of all of those wasted years alone?
She grabbed my hand. Tonight there would be no more regrets and no more wasted time. I was oblivious to everything, even the sneers and stares by our former classmates and their spouses. Everything disappeared, except Jo's warm skin against mine. I wanted to feel more of that and I wanted to feel it everywhere. Years ago, I was loath to admit that I had these feelings for Jo. Now, I couldn't think of a time when they weren't there just beneath the surface. Looking back, I could now see that all of the fighting and bickering was the only way we could show our feelings. It was easier to argue than to love.
Somehow we ended up outside, walking along the lakefront, holding hands. It wasn't cold out but I couldn't stop myself from shivering. Jo turned and without warning took me in her arms. Her warmth enveloped me and I felt the first hint of deeper, darker heat being restrained.
"I missed you, Blair," her arms tightened around me and I buried my face in her neck, smelling her scent, drinking in every second of this.
The words tumbled out unbidden, "I want you, Jo. God, I want you." Tears that I didn't realize I had been holding back fell onto her shoulder.
She leaned back and tipped my chin towards her, "I wish you'd told me that years ago."
"Me too," I pulled her hips to me as I watched her eyelids close and a small sigh escape her lips, "but it's never too late to start."
I leaned in, feeling her warm breath on my face. I no longer had the fear of running from this exquisite woman, but whether I would lose myself in this uncontrollable heat that was burning me from the inside out. In all of my travels and in all of the finest clothiers, I had never found a silk as perfect as Jo's lips. The kiss was everything I had dreamed it would be…soft yet raw. Years of pent up emotions and desires erupted like a volcano between us, unrestrained and uncontrollable. Her mouth was as sweet as I had imagined, but it was the sounds she made and the feel of her breasts brushing against mine, her hips pushing hard against me, that took me over the edge.
The park was no place for this. Not for the first time. With effort I broke the kiss. I had never seen Jo look so beautiful. Her skin was flushed standing in stark contrast to her white shirt and her lips were bruised and moist from our kisses. When she was able to open her eyes, they danced with a joy I thought I'd never see again.
I took her hand in mind, "Now you know."
She smirked looking up from under her dark bangs, "Maybe you should try telling me again. I think I missed it the first time."
We kissed again, slowly, savoring the moment of second chances.
The End