Love Is A Waiting Game

Chapter 4

Her words hung in the air for a few seconds, their eyes locked together through the screens before she continued "Urgh Honey I wish we could do this in person, technology is great, especially in these crazy times, but right now I want to give you a hug and I can't."

David held out his arms towards the screen saying "Virtual hug until the real thing?"

Jen giggled as she held out her arms towards him in response as she replied "You always gave the best hugs."

"You always gave the best kisses..... sorry, beer talking..... but it's true, you did" David raised his bottle and drained the last few drops.

"Our kisses were pretty special" Jen couldn't help feeling this was dangerous territory. Were they really flirting just like old times? It certainly seemed that way. She felt a familiar flutter in the pit of her stomach as she raised an eyebrow at him. He watched as she picked up her phone, fiddled with something and then creased with laughter as the familiar strains of "Baby Got Back" filled the air.

"I can't tell you how much I love that Santa you gifted me" she said as she leapt to her feet and started dancing around the sofa, shaking her ass towards the screen "Come on, join in!" she commanded, her eyes shining with amusement.

The 3 dogs looked on with amazement and confusion as the two friends shimmied and shook in tandem. The laughter got even louder when Lord Chesterfield decided to get in on the act too and stood up on his back paws, leaning his front ones on Jen's shoulders like a dance partner, as she swirled him around the room. After a few more minutes of musical madness David collapsed into his chair, almost bent double from laughing so hard.

"This almost feels like old times" he said, his eyes still bright with tears of laughter.

"We really did have the best job in the world back then" she replied as she sunk back onto the sofa, wrapping her arms tightly around the increasingly large white dog who had flopped on top of her. "I'm not sure any of us fully appreciated how special it was until we didn't have it any more.... and I know that I was the one who asked to call it quits, and I know it had to end sometime, but man there are times when I long for those days."

"I think it would have finished pretty soon anyway" he responded gently, "All good things must come to an end, so the saying goes."

"Well our good thing certainly did." She gazed into his eyes and could see her own uncertainties and questions seemingly reflected back at her.

"Maybe it paused for a while, but this is pretty good don't you think?" he said quietly, almost afraid to voice what their eyes appeared to be communicating. "At least it feels like it to me."

"It feels good to me too." There was a soft smile on her face. "I wish you weren't so far away."

"Well maybe I could come and see you....... when it's safe. Only if you want me to of course?"

"I'd love that" came her instant reply, "I'd really love that."

"OK well I'm due to bring Cleo to see my folks for a few days in March, before we film the reunion show. Maybe we could get together then? I'd like to see you before the shoot. And I know Ben wants it to be authentic and emotional when we arrive back at the set but....."

"..... but maybe we have shared enough of our lives with Ross and Rachel already and it would be nice to have that moment away from the cameras?" she interjected, instantly understanding and agreeing with what he had to say. "Oh, please say you'll bring Cleo too, I'm dying to meet her."

A flash of disappointment washed over David's face, just for a milli-second. Of course he wanted his daughter to meet Jen, he had simply envisaged a slightly more private reunion between the two of them beforehand.

Jen noticed. She was always quick to notice everything about him, and quickly added "Of course if you'd rather not I totally understand" mistakenly assuming David was not ready to introduce her to his daughter yet.

"On God no, it's not that, I am dying for you to meet her and I know she'll be over the moon to meet you. I just hoped......" his voice faltered as his head tried to fight the urge from his heart to voice his deepening feelings for the woman who had captivated him in the same way she had done some 27 years earlier. "I just wanted to be alone with you" he sighed, his heart winning the internal battle.

Jen's eyes filled with tears as she instinctively reached out towards the man in the screen. "Oh honey, trust me, I want that too, more than you can possibly imagine."

"Then we'll make it happen" he replied simply, the smile on his face spreading seemingly beyond his ears it was that wide. "It's a date!"