A Dark Fall [ORIGINAL & UNEDITED VERSION]

Fourteen

The rest of the day I spend in a recurring daydream about hard muscles and tattoos, multiple orgasms and words of a sexual nature. I go for a run in the afternoon to try and expel some of the sexual tension that started building in my body since he left. I run fast and hard until I'm sore but when I get home, red as a beetroot, breathing hard and dripping with sweat I'm still groaning aloud thinking about his body and how he felt inside me. Sexual tension most certainly not expelled.

Okay, and so I think I might be obsessed with him. Every time I picture and remember how he smelled, sounded and felt, my eyes close over and a small moan comes from the back of my throat. After just one night with someone? Seriously? Is this what I signed up for with him? His smell literally seems to have imprinted itself on my brain because even though I shower for a lengthy period of time I can still smell him on me. I manage to exist in a Jake filled reverie for most of the day until 6pm when Robyn calls me for details on my date with Sam.

Sam, who I'd almost managed to disappear from existence.

"Hey babe, sorry I never called earlier - spent the whole day at Dan's mums talking everything wedding. I swear she drains any and every sort of excitement from it for me. I actually feel like just buggering off and doing it in secret after today. Vegas baby? Fancy it?"

"You'd regret it forever Rob," I smile. You'd cringe every time you looked at the photos of your Elvis impersonator reverend, but sure I'll come. I've always wanted to see Vegas,"

"Ugh you're right. I want my bloody castle! Damn that woman!" She says lightly. Her and Dan's mother don't always see eye to eye, but it's mainly because they have similar personalities rather than any real enmity for each other. They both love Dan fiercely and it's become competitive now. Since Rob and Dan got engaged I've listened to her complain about his mother pushing her way into the wedding arrangements every day. Actually no, she was complaining about her doing it before that.

"You know she's making such a big deal of this because of Mark's divorce and Dan's the baby." I say, hopefully sounding diplomatic.

"I know, I know. I just wish she would extract herself a little. She's still obsessing over the name cards and bloody seating plan and whether Dan's aunt Flora is close enough to the toilet because of her arthritis. We must have spent 4 hours re-arranging everyone only to go back to my original layout. It was pointless. Anyway," she takes a deep breath "- back to you. How was your appointment with the doctor?" she drawls. For a single moment I flirt with the idea of telling her about my appointment with Jake instead. It would certainly help take her mind off Dan's mother. My sleeping with the sexy nightclub owner is a pretty big deal; big deal that she'll think is terrible and ill advised and probably talk me out of ever doing again. I don't want the judgment right now. I don't need it. I'm enjoying basking in the sexual afterglow too much to swap it for anything else. No best to keep this on message for now.

"It was fine, Sam is really sweet, but I just don't think it's going to go anywhere. I don't think it can," mainly because I'm sleeping with someone else. A hot passionate fling that will end in tears. Robyn makes a disappointed noise and I decide to go on. "I just don't want the complication at work Rob, and I don't really think Douglas would approve of two of the potential partners sleeping together. It's unprofessional," I say, hoping that my tone in no way gives away anything. I wonder if sexual subterfuge is even a thing, and if so what tone of voice it has.

"Hmmmm yeah I guess it's not the ideal time to start something with him, when one of the two of you are going to be taking over the partnership spot. Well at least you tried. Maybe you can come back to it later?" Rob muses.

"Maybe. We get on so well as friends. I think it's best to keep things platonic for now," I add for good measure.

"Yeah, you're probably right. But I really want you to get back out there Al, meet someone. Someone who deserves you. Someone passionate and special and right for you," she sounds sad. I ignore the image of Jake that's being projected on the inside of my mind - passionate and special, and right for me. Two out of three wasn't bad I suppose.