"Tell me a story, Tom."
"What sort of story, beautiful girl?"
"Tell me about our first date," Cora said softly.
"You mean our only date?" He chuckled, lines crinkling around his eyes as he smiled, remembering a few years back. "Well, when I finally convinced you...
I picked you up at your house. It was September and still warm, and I was wearing jeans and a button shirt but I'd rolled the sleeves up. I was so nervous, I was sweating so much I thought I'd have to change my shirt. And my god damned hair, I ended up getting Emma to do it because I looked like a scarecrow."
"She must have done a good job because I remember you looking so sexy, I just wanted to run my fingers through it, all blond and curly. Like noodles."
"So I get to your door, and you answer it, and I just about... uh... fell over. You were wearing a dress, which didn't happen often. It was blue if I remember correctly, and it came all the way to your feet. The top had a big V in the middle and I never told you at the time, but your breasts just looked fucking amazing. And the way it hugged your waist, and those tiny straps."
He shuddered visibly and Cora giggled.
"So we went out for Italian because I knew that was safe, and I downed the first glass of wine so quickly because I was nervous."
"Hold on, we'd been friends for years by then. Why were you so nervous?"
"I had been waiting so long for that date. I had it all planned in my head, and then you got sick and I thought I'd missed my chance. It was absolutely perfect, the food was delicious, and then we strolled home like we had all the time in the world. I walked you to your door and then didn't know if I should kiss you. I mean, ever inch of me was on fire because I wanted to kiss you so badly. So I looked in to your eyes, and I leaned in very slowly. When I knew you weren't pulling away I ran my tongue over my lips, had a mild panic because my mouth was so dry, and then I kissed you. On your beautiful soft lips, gently just in case you changed your mind. And you tasted like raspberries and chocolate. I will never as long as I live forget that kiss. Best first and only date I've ever had."
A single tear spilled from the corner of Cora's eye and she swiped it away. Tom rubbed his thumb over her cheek and leaned down to her lips, kissing them softly.
"I knew that first time I kissed you, that I loved you and I'd never stop."
Cora closed her eyes again, stroking his palm with her fingertips.
"I wasn't nervous, but I was so excited. And if I didn't think you'd think less of me I'd have taken you inside that night, dating conventions be damned. You were so gorgeous, I always loved you with your sleeves rolled up. And that lavender shirt, and your noodly hair. And you smelled amazing, just as you do now, but different. I wish I had, now."
"Had what?"
"Taken you to bed."
"Well, if I'm honest... so do I. And I did at the time but I knew that wasn't your style."
Cora chuckled. "My style has changed a little since then, if you offered again now I'd be on top of you before you had another thought."
"When you get out of here I'm taking you up on that."
"Tom-"
"You will get out of here, Cora. It will work out. And we'll go home and do all the things we didn't get a chance to. Have sex, get married, have lots more sex and then babies, lots of babies, a house and a few pets."
Even though it wasn't possible, even though she had accepted the inevitable, Cora smiled and allowed herself to imagine what that would be like. To go home, with Tom. To be his, in every way, to wake up next to him in bed every morning. She drifted off to sleep with him stroking her hair, dreaming about what their children might have been like.
Tom sat next to her, watching her sleep and admiring the smile on her face, running his fingers softly through her long auburn hair. He so often wished things were different, wished he could go back and start over with Cora and get it right. But there were moments, like now, like their first kiss, that would always remain perfect in his mind.
