A scene from the life of lovers

“We really are a lot alike you know,” he said to her across the kitchen table.

“Yeah, it’s quite scary actually.” She swirled the straight tequila around the ice in the squat glass, downed the last bit. “We have the same cat, the same education, the same interests, the same medical conditions, the same neuroses.”

She pushed back her chair, got up, walked around the table behind him. Put her arms on his shoulders, stroked his hair.

He reached up, stroked her arms. “And they say opposites attract.”

She leaned over, tonguing the inside of his right ear. “Maybe we’re not attracted.”

He squirmed, laughed. “That tickles.”

She sat in the chair next to him, turning to face him. He likewise turned to face her and said: “There was a line in Midsummer Night’s Dream, which was all about love, how it makes no sense at all, the went something like ‘Love and reason seldom company keep.’”

She mimicked the last few words with him and she unzipped her jeans. “Yeah.” She got up, stood before him pulling the zipper all the way down, wriggling the jeans down over her hips.

“Wait, I have to go pee first.” He got up, went to the second bathroom off the entrance hallway.

When he came out  she was in her bedroom’s bathroom, the door closed. He took off his sneakers and socks, put the socks inside the shoes and placed them under the living room coffee table. He removed his black jean shorts, folded them over the back of the kitchen chair. He went into the bedroom, lit a single candle, laid on the bed in his baggy boxers and maroon t-shirt.

She came out of the bathroom, her jeans still unzipped, the upper tip of her blonde public hair glowing in the dim light. “I see you don’t want the kitchen chair” she said and went into the kitchen, clanged for a moment, returned without pants and reclined next to him.

Lying on his side he draped his right leg over her upper thigh, she on her side facing him, her head snuggled on his chest up under his arm. She pulled up his t-shirt, ran her fingers through the scant hair on his chest.

“I never expected this, had given up in fact,” she said as she bit his nipple lightly.

His nipple swelled in her mouth. "I never planned for this to happen.”

Her head moved back and she looked up at him. “You said you thought you might come over to my apartment that first night.” Her hand circled down to his navel and abdomen, grazing the fine hair there.

“Yeah but I didn’t plan on making a move. I just intended to be dance partners. Why did you invite me over anyway?”

Her finger tips slipped inside the waistband of his underwear. “I’ve been after you for months my dear. I thought I made it rather obvious. You mean you didn’t notice?”

He stroked her hair, caressed her cheek, her neckline. “Of course I noticed, but I haven’t been interested in sex or a relationship in a while. I’ve been comfortable being celibate this last year. I’m not used to this.”

“I was celibate for far longer than you and I’ve had no problem adjusting,” she laughed, rolling on to her back, staring up at the ceiling.

“Well you must be far more advanced than I am then” he smiled.

“Yes, we women are far more evolved than you immature men.”  

He rolled up next to her, laying his leg over both of hers, hugging her close to him. He kissed first her upper lip, then the lower, the tip of his tongue brushing it. “So why were you celibate for so long?”

“Oh I don’t know,” she giggled.

“Um hmm, far more evolved. You sound like a little girl right now.” He tickled her ribs.

She shrieked, jumped up on one elbow, hovered over him. She mocked a frown and commanded: “Oh just shut up and fuck me already,”