12 comments/ 25149 views/ 46 favorites Like We Used To By: SAbitch Author's Notes: This story was inspired by the song Like We Used To by A Rocket To The Moon. I want to thank my editors, one of my best friends, Cassy and LaRascasse. Please vote and comment. Any comments would be appreciated. ******* Life changes after school, there was never anything to deny that. It just depended whether it changed for the better or the worse. Raegan's life was evenly balanced in that sense. She had progressed in her career faster than most people and was extremely accomplished for a twenty two year old. She was the branch manager of one of the most respected and distinguished furniture companies in South Africa. She already owned her own house and two cars, life was good in that sense. She was highly respected in the company and her branch always performed high above expectations. Raegan was also a professional MMA fighter and loved the sport. But the part where her life had changed for the worse was when her best friend broke their friendship. Raegan thought that she could share with her best friend something that defined her and scared her. They were studying when Raegan told her best friend that she was gay. She got the opposite reaction of she had expected. In short, Shae shouted at her, told her she revolting and that she never wanted to see her again. Raegan did as Shae asked. They never spoke again and as soon she had finished her exams, Raegan moved to Johannesburg and started working for this company. Four years later she was better off for it. Raegan never thought about it that much anymore, Shae had ripped her heart apart and Raegan had never fully recovered. She was thinking about it as she sat in her office, when she was interrupted by a knock. "Yes, Ben?" She asked the sales consultant. "I have customers who want the Devonshire dining table, but they want it within the next week, but the supplier will only deliver to DC in about 3 weeks. So they want the one on the floor," he knew that she hated when they even asked. It was against company policy. "Sorry, tell them to wait or choose another table," Raegan returned to her work at hand. "I tried to, but they insist on talking to you," Ben said, clearly having a tough time with these customers. "Where are they?" Raegan asked getting up. "Standing by the Devonshire setting," he said leading the way. Raegan approached the man standing there, "Hi, I am Raegan, the manager. How can I assist you?" He turned his attention to her, "I am Rick. I want this table but I can't wait three weeks. We have our engagement dinner in a week and I want this table." "I am sorry, but I cannot sell it to you off the floor. It is our company policy," Raegan replied simply. "I don't care about your policy, I am the customer and I insist on getting this table now," his tone got aggressive. "And I insist that you visit some other store that will do that. Unfortunately I can't," Raegan said in an even tone. "Then I will phone your boss," he said ignorantly. "I will give you the number. He will tell you the same thing," Raegan reached for a card in her shirt pocket and handed it to him. "I can't believe this pathetic service," he almost shouted. "If you want to shout, please leave my store. I will not tolerate this kind of behavior," Ben saw that Raegan was getting angry. "It's fine ,honey. Let's just get a different table," a sweet and familiar voice said walking up to him. Raegan felt her heart drop to the floor, she couldn't believe it. Before her stood Shae, still as beautiful as she remembered her. Her black hair falling below her shoulders, the piercing blue eyes staring right through her, the pixie, upturned nose still as perfect, her full lips in their usual Angelina Jolie pout. Her long legs, very prominent in the short jean skirt and black heels, led to a small, firm ass. Raegan figured she still worked out. Her legs were toned, her stomach flat and her full C cup breasts high on her chest, showing just the right amount of cleavage in her black halter neck top. 'This is just my day,' Raegan thought sarcastically. "Raegan?" the shocked voice asked. "Hi Shae," was all Raegan managed. Shae was just as surprised. Raegan looked different from what she remembered. Her hair was colored a platinum blonde, styled into a perfect mohawk, her green eyes still crystal clear and her button nose wrinkled in annoyance. Shae noticed Raegan's body and almost went limp. The sleeves of her white shirt stretched a bit over her biceps, her stomach was flat and the muscles in her legs pronounced through the black dress pants. Her full B cup breasts were visible, she still looked highly feminine though. She wore boots to finish the look. "Wow, I can't believe I bumped into you. We should catch up," Shae smiled broadly. "Well now is not a good time. Maybe some other time, so if there is nothing else I can do for you, I will be getting back to work," Raegan said flatly. "I still want this table," Rick said forcefully. "As I explained, I cannot sell it to you off the floor. You are more than welcome to phone head office and complain, go to another store or wait the allotted time," Raegan repeated again. "It's fine, honey. Let's look at other ones," Shae said again. "Ben will show you to them," Raegan said and walked to her office. The rest of the day was a blur. Shae kept popping up in her head, memories of the good old days where they were still good friends. Before Raegan knew it, she had to send the daily figures to head office and lock up. As usual, she drove straight to the gym. Raegan changed into her gym clothes, wrapped her hands and out her 4 ounce gloves on. She moved to the punching bag and started punching and kicking with force unknown even to her. Before long, she was covered in sweat, the hurt and anger still very clear. "RAE! ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL YOURSELF?" Kelly shouted to her. Raegan stopped and turned around, feeling the tiredness in her muscles. Like always, Kelly admired her friend in her shorts and sports bra. Her muscles were pumped and looked larger than usual, her six pack bulging. Kelly admired her friend's tattoos, she had a full sleeve on her left arm filled with mythical creatures, a large fire phoenix on her right ribcage and a paragraph in Hebrew on her back. Kelly still didn't know what it meant, "I think so," Raegan responded dryly. "What's wrong?" Kelly asked when Raegan slumped onto the bench. "Shae showed up at my work today with her fiancé," Raegan said without any emotion. "Wow, what are the odds?" Kelly asked more to herself. "Fuck knows. She acted like she never treated me like shit and told me to fuck off," Raegan felt the anger surge up in her again. "Rae, she is the one that missed out. God, look at you. You are doing great and you are amazing. You don't need people like her in your life," Kelly meant it. She remembered Shae from school and how badly she had hurt Raegan. "You are supposed to say that. You're my best friend," Raegan replied sarcastically. "You're right who am I kidding? You are hideous," Kelly laughed. Kelly unwrapped Raegan's hands and Raegan pulled her TapOut hoody over her head. They left for home together, Kelly following Raegan. They parked and went inside, "God you are sexy when you are sweaty," Kelly said wrapping her arms around Raegan's neck. "I thought I was hideous," Raegan smiled and kissed Kelly. "Hmmm, hideously sexy," Kelly kissed her friend again. They had been friends with benefits for a few months now and the sex was amazing. Especially when Raegan was angry, she was rough and urgent. Raegan kissed Kelly's neck, biting in between. Each bite made Kelly shriek. She wanted more and dug her nails into Raegan's back. Raegan led Kelly to the couch and removed her shirt and bra throwing it into the corner. Raegan fell on top of Kelly on the couch and kissed down to her breasts. She had beautiful breasts, full C cup with small nipples that were hard and ready. Raegan sucked a nipple into her mouth and ran her tongue over the roughness. Kelly pressed her harder to her chest and moaned when Raegan bit her nipples. Raegan gave both breasts equal attention and proceeded further down, nibbling and biting down Kelly's flat stomach. Kelly reached down and removed Raegan's shirt and bra in one swift motion, then she turned to get on top of Raegan and they tumbled down onto the floor. Kelly landed on Raegan and they never broke the kiss, not even on impact. Kelly sucked Reagan's neck while biting, proceeding to her nipple and taking it into her mouth with urgency. After a few minutes Raegan pulled her up and kissed her as she turned her over again to be on top. Once again she nibbled down and undid the button and zip of Kelly pants. She hooked her thumbs into the waist and pulled her underwear off with the pants. Without hesitation she dived into Kelly's pussy. She was wet and ready, and tasted heavenly. Kelly moaned the moment Raegan made contact with her sex. Her breathing became more labored with every stroke of Raegan's tongue. Raegan wrapped her arms around Kelly's thighs and drove her tongue as deep as it could go into Kelly's sex. "Oh God!" Kelly screamed, digging her fingers in Raegan's back while she raised her torso. Raegan removed her tongue and replaced it with two fingers and latched onto Kelly's clit. Her fingers pumped in and out, Kelly bucked her hips to meet each thrust and Raegan grazed Kelly's g-spot with each stroke. Before long, Kelly shouted incoherently as Raegan drove her over the edge. Never stopping, Kelly screamed while Raegan pushed her to new heights. When Raegan finally let up, Kelly jumped on her and finger and tongue fucked her hard until Raegan's voice was hoarse. "Holy fuck. You should be angry more often," Kelly panted next to Raegan. "Maybe I should," Raegan breathed in response. "But I have to go. I have to meet Carly at a club. She asked me out on a date. I have an hour to get ready and get there," Kelly breathed trying to get up. "Well go shower and get ready then. And here's to hoping she doesn't want to fuck you tonight," Raegan said smiling. "No fuck, I am way too sensitive right now. I don't even think I'll be able to walk properly," Raegan laughed and Kelly went to shower. She watched her hips sway and messed up blonde hair bounce up and down as she walked. Raegan go up and gathered the clothes. She passed a full length mirror and saw scratch marks running down her back and hickeys in her neck. "Shit, I'm working tomorrow!" Raegan said to her reflection. Kelly came down half an hour later and Raegan was dressed in her sweatpants and shirt again. "You do realize that you left marks, right?" Raegan said seriously to Kelly. "Shit! I am sorry. You were so rough and urgent I couldn't help it," Kelly said inspecting the marks. "Yeah, I will have to cover it up," Raegan said pointedly. "I'm sorry but I have to go," Kelly kissed Raegan on the cheek and ran out the door. Raegan walked up the stairs to her room. Shae was very present on her mind again. Those blue eyes and full lips, her sun-kissed skin and the thin, curvy body, her soft yet sultry voice, somehow she couldn't stop thinking of her. 'Get her out of your head, Rae. She hurt you once and now she's getting married. Forget about her, she only represents hurt.' Raegan undressed and got in the shower, the hot water soothing the scratch marks on her back. She wanted to get in bed and forget about Shae. She wanted that beautiful face to stop haunting her. The only upside of this day was that she was no longer sexually frustrated. ************ I can feel her breath as she's sleeping next to me, sharing pillows and cold feet. She can feel my heart, fell asleep to its beat. Under blankets and warm sheets. If only I can be in that bed again, if only it were me instead of him. *********** Raegan was at work the next day and, to her surprise, Shae returned. She was in her office responding to an e-mail when a soft knock on her door made her look up, "Oh, Shae, uhm hi. How can I help you?" Raegan asked shocked. "Hi Rae," Shae started nervously, "I wanted to apologize for Rick's behavior yesterday." Shae sat down after closing the door, "It's fine," Raegan replied dryly. "No it's not. He was being a dick. He's not always like that," Shae was looking at her hands in her lap as she spoke. "Shae, why are you really here?" Raegan asked wishing to get this over with. Shae looked up suddenly, "I wanted to apologize... for my behavior all those years ago. I was shocked and didn't know how to react. I took the cowardly way out and have regretted it ever since. I tried to apologize but that friend of yours always kept me away." "Her name is Kelly and she stuck by me after you tore me apart. We were supposed to be friends and you simply kicked me out and screamed hateful things, Shae. You know what? it doesn't matter anymore. It's a long time ago and I have moved on," Raegan looked at Shae intently. "Well, I was wondering if you could forgive me and we could be friends again?" Shae asked nervously. Raegan looked at her, she figured it was time to bury the hatchet, "I don't know if we can, but I do forgive you." "Then let us catch up please? I want to prove to you that I am truly sorry," Shae begged. "Yeah sure," Raegan reluctantly agreed. They arranged a time and place and left the office. Raegan was walking her out when Riley, the assistant manager, gave her an odd look. "What happened in your neck?" Riley asked wanting to laugh. Raegan slapped her hand over the hickey and blushed, "I uh... had a disagreement with the vacuum cleaner." Riley burst out laughing unable to control herself, "You mean with Kelly?" she asked between laughs. Shae looked shocked and felt jealous for some unknown reason. She found herself wishing that it had been her giving Raegan the hickeys. "Riley, shut up," Raegan said, still red. It was as if she was cued to walk in. Kelly smiled and kissed Raegan a hallo, "Hey, hon." "Hey babe," Raegan smiled, "you remember Shae right?" Kelly couldn't believe she didn't notice her, "Hey Shae." "Hi, Kelly," Shae responded half-heartedly. They all caught up for a while until a customer insisted on getting Raegan's attention. Raegan finished work and went home to get ready for drinks with Shae. She jumped through the shower and got dressed. She gave herself a once over before leaving. She wore her favorite green dress shirt and tight black jeans with her DC sneakers, her hair styled to her liking and she figured she looked good enough and left. Shae was already waiting when Raegan arrived, "Sorry I'm late." "I was early. I was a little nervous," Shae admitted shyly. "Why nervous?" Raegan asked after ordering her drink. "I guess I realized that things won't go back to normal. I kept thinking back to school days and how we'd spend time together and share a bed at sleepovers. You would always keep my feet warm and we'd end up sharing a pillow," Shae smiled at the memory looking into the red liquid in her glass. "It was a lifetime ago," Raegan said, finding the memories fond for different reasons. That was a time when she could hold Shae close without revealing anything. "Yeah it was. I wondered how different life could have been if I had never done what I did," Shae said fighting back tears. "I honestly don't know. But you should be happy. You're getting married," Raegan looked searchingly at her, searching for what she didn't know. "Yeah I am. I want to invite you to the wedding. It's in a month's time," Shae smiled. "I don't think I can watch you get married," Raegan responded after a minute. "Why?" Shae asked concerned. "Because I was in love with you, Shae. I always thought that the day we got married it would be to each other and right now, I don't feel the best friend's duty to smile and pretend that I am happy for you. Go get married and live your happily after. I just can't be there," Raegan said truthfully. "You were in love with me?" Shae asked, shocked. "Yes I was," Raegan said 'I still am,' she thought. They changed the subject and caught up for a few hours, Raegan agreed after Shae begged to spend more time with her and try to rebuild the friendship. Raegan went home, wishing that she was the one to cuddle up to Shae at night. Wishing that they could share cold feet and warm sheets again. *********** Shae invited Raegan over when Rick went on a business trip. She had rented a few DVDs and made popcorn. It was raining like crazy outside and Shae brought a blanket and threw it over the both of them and settled into Raegan's arm like old times. She pressed play and Pearl Harbor started on screen. This had always been Shae's favorite movie. She said the lines with Kate Beckinsale while she was on the train telling the nurses how she had met Ben Affleck. Raegan smiled at this, her voice was sensual and Raegan could listen to her talk all day. As the movie progressed Shae cried and laughed, Raegan held her and wiped her eyes, it felt like she was back in school again. Shae stretched her arm around Raegan's torso and held her close while she sniffed during the war scenes. Shae felt her heart beat uncontrollably and she didn't understand why she had butterflies in her stomach. She soon realized that she always had that feeling when Raegan was near. The movie ended and Shae sniffed a few more times before switching it off. "Why didn't you ever tell me you were in love with me?" Shae asked suddenly. "I tried to, but you freaked out on me after I said I was gay and kicked me out," Raegan winced at the pain of the memory. "I regret doing that so much," Shae said looking up at Raegan. "You are happy now, Shae. That's all that matters," Raegan said. "I guess so," Shae was quiet for a few seconds, "Why do you like women?" That surprised Raegan, "It's the way she fits into my arms, the softness of her skin, the way she smells and always takes too long to get ready. How she hardly ever believes me when I say she looks beautiful, the way her hair falls around her face when she sleeps and how utterly beautiful she is when she cries. The softness of her lips against mine when we kiss and how she always knows what I am thinking. It's the small things like how her eyes would sparkle when you do something special or how she would complain about nothing in particular to get a hug. The way she seeks comfort when she's had a bad day and the way that simply seeing me brightens her day," Raegan replied, imagining Shae's full lips on hers. "Wow, are you talking about Kelly?" Shae asked, barely whisper. Raegan looked confused for a few seconds before laughing, "No, Kelly and I are just friends." "But she gave you hickeys and kissed you that day," Shae said confused. "What? Oh that, we are friends with benefits. We just uhm, help each other out sometimes. But that ended after she and Carly got together," Raegan was still laughing but understood where the misconception came from. "Oh, sorry. I just thought..." Shae trailed off. "I understand," Raegan smiled at Shae. "Who were you talking about Rae?" Shae asked after a few moments of silence. "You..." Raegan voice was a whisper. Before Shae knew what she was doing she leaned in and kissed Raegan. Her lips were soft and searching, her tongues sliding over Raegan's lips, begging for entrance. Raegan parted her lips and felt Shae's tongue exploring her mouth, their tongues met in a dance. Raegan thought her heart was going to explode the moment Shae's lips met hers. Shae reveled in the kiss, she couldn't believe how soft Raegan's lips were, nor how much she enjoyed the kiss. She found herself wishing it would never end. Finally they parted for a breath and Shae realized that the kiss and being with Raegan was everything she had described. Like We Used To "Their shadows searching in the niiiiiight," Ava sang out as she taped down name tags onto her student tables. She had six more days to get her classroom organized until Open House Night. To a looker on, she seemed carefree as she quietly sang along as Pandora sounded softly in the background. Ava was anything but. This was her first year teaching first grade. She'd been teaching fifth grade for the past five years and loved it, even though it hadn't been her first choice. She wanted to work with younger children but after graduating college, she found herself in a fifth grade class. She was excited but nervous. She had heard many horror stories about children having bathroom accidents and crying out for their mommies and daddies, but she felt she could handle it. She had been the source of many crushes with her fifth graders, because at that age they were beginning to get bitten by the love bug. First graders seemed so innocent and pure. They were babies eager to learn and have their minds molded and turned into something great. After placing down all the name tags on the tables, she moved to the carpet. She wanted her students to sit in a large circle. She wrote the numbers one to twenty-one on an assortment of colorful paper shape cutouts. When she was done, she labeled the cubbies. She was interrupted by the melodic sound of her phone. She smiled brightly as Labrinth and Emeli Sande sang in unison, "We ain't perfect, we ain't perfect. Would you let me see beneath your beautiful tonight?" "Hey baby," she answered softly. "Hey beautiful." She adored the sound of his baritone voice. "Do you know what time is it?" Ava spun around quickly and glanced up at the clock on the monitor. "Crap. I'm sorry baby. I lost track of time." She had promised Adriano that she would be home by 4:30 so that she'd have enough time to get ready for their movie and dinner date. It was now 15 minutes past 5. "It's okay, princess. I know how wrapped and tied you get into your teaching stuff." Ava smiled. "I'll start cleaning up and I'll be right there." "No need," he said simply. "What? Baby, no. I'll clean up right now. Matter of fact, I'll just leave it. I'll finish up tomorrow." "Ava, amore mio. I said there is no need." Ava began to pout. Her thin and perfectly arched brows furrowed. Her mouth became smaller as her lower lip pushed outward and the edges lowered. She and Adriano never missed movie and dinner night. She felt horrible. "Pick up your lip baby. I hate it when you pout," he commented. She quickly straightened up. "Wait...how'd you know I was pouting?" "Because, I know you. And I'm standing right outside your door. Open up." Ava beamed and looked out the narrow glass window on her door. She touched the end button on her phone and sprinted towards the door. She opened it to find her man bearing bags of Chinese food. "Baby!" she exclaimed excitedly. Adriano gave her a sheepish smile that melted her heart. "I brought the food to you. Let's eat and then I'll try to help you on whatever you were working on here." Ava watched in awe as Adriano moved past her and placed the bags down on the table. "Baby you didn't have to do this," she stated. "But I did," he said grabbing her by the waist and placing a kiss on her forehead. "Now let's eat Sweet cheeks." The two sat on the carpet, ate, and talked about their day. It had been a relatively slow day down at the shop him and his family owned. Nothing exciting. Adriano complimented her on how well the room looked. It looked much different than her 5th grade classroom. He even offered to help her place her alphabet posters on the wall. Being only a couple inches over 5 foot, it was nearly impossible to post things up high without the help of a ladder or someone much taller than her. But what she couldn't reach, Adriano could. He stood at 6 foot 2 inches and was so beautiful to her. He was everything she dreamed of. He was her fairly tall, kinda dark, and oh so handsome. His grandparents had moved to America from Campania, Italy many years ago. Being of Italian descent, Adriano had inherited olive skin that covered his lean and taut body. He had a perfect head of dark, short, and wavy hair that was styled depending on his mood. He had thick and prominent eyebrows that she was secretly jealous of. His Greek nose sat flawlessly between two dark deep eyes with long, dark lashes. His strong cheekbones and full soft lips added to his perfection. He was her perfection. God-like even. Beautiful, but every bit of man. Ava looked down at her left ring finger and gazed at the beautiful 14 carrot white gold Zeghani diamond ring he had placed on her finger months before. She loved him more and more every day. "It's beautiful but not as beautiful as you," Adriano cooed. "I don't know baby. Have you checked out this bad boy?" "Of course I have. I had it made especially for you." Yep. She absolutely adored her man. He was beautiful, inside and out. She smiled and crawled over to him, kissing him on his soft, full lips. "What do you say, we get outta here? I got some stuff I wanna talk to you about," she said as she smiled seductively. "Sei la mia vita," he purred. "Baby, you know I don't know what that means!" "It means, my dear, that you are my life. What about the movie?" "Would you rather watch a movie, or watch alllll of this?" she joked. Adriano pretended to ponder over the questioned. He gave a long drawn out "hmmm" as he rubbed his chin. "Really?! You have to think about it?" "I was only kidding, baby," he smiled. "Let's get out of here. I got some stuff I wanna talk to you about too." ************************* She had watched him sleep long enough. Her left elbow propped on the mattress and she rested her face on her palm. She watched his naked chest slowly rise and fall. She watched as his eyes roll beneath his closed eyelids. She watched as the sun barely broke through the dark, mostly cloudy, morning sky and peep through their bedroom blinds, causing light to stream across his face. It scared her how long she had watched him. An onlooker would've sworn she was so creep. But he was so beautiful to her, even when he slept. "Baby," she said quietly. She knew he was a light sleeper, but she also knew that wouldn't wake him up. "Baby," she said a little louder. She smiled as he stirred a bit before becoming still again. "Babyyyyy," she sang. She watched as he stirred again, this time lazily opening his eyes. First one, then the other. He didn't say anything. He just stared sleepily at her. "Good morning baby," she said innocently. He groaned and closed his eyes again. She took this opportunity to straddle him and place kisses on his sweet neck. He groaned again, this time in a different way. "Mmmm, what time is it dolce cuoro?" he asked after grabbing handfuls of her breasts. "Early enough. We have time," she said while grinding on his naked body. "Good," was all he said before uncapping her breasts and grabbing her ass instead. He lifted her enough for her to grasp and position his dick so that she could slide onto it. She let out a sigh as he thrust into her swiftly. A sigh of relief. Or maybe it was a gasp or surprise. Either way, she loved it. She loved the way his member was thick enough to stretch and fill her. She loved the way he was long enough to touch spots she didn't even know existed. Sex with Adriano was vitalizing. There was always pain-laced pleasure. Just the way she liked it. He showed her no mercy as his hands slid up to her waist and he forced her on his dick. "Oh my God," she whined. "Not God. Just me," he barked, enunciating each syllable as he pounded into her. "Fuck me baby. Fuck me" she pleaded. And he did. He assaulted her body for nearly an hour before they both plopped down onto the mattress. "You deserve breakfast," she said, giggling. "I'd rather eat you," he said smiling and reaching for her. "Oh no, no, no!" She quickly diverted from his grasp by rolling off the bed onto the floor, still giggling. "Baby! What are you doing? Get your ass up here," he demanded, trying to keep a straight face. He couldn't see her from where he was on the bed. She appeared and grabbed his blue tailored shirt before putting it on. "I'm going to go make pancakes. And fruit salad. If I stay in here with you my kids will be asking why I'm walking funny and the parents would look at me in disgust. Today's a big day. I gotta go let me cooch heal." "No they wouldn't. You're exaggerating. I'll go run you some warm water for you to soak in and I'll make breakfast. Come on." She watched as he got out of bed and sauntered toward the adjacent bathroom. He was so good to her. ************************* He had filled the tub with hot water and bubble bath. Ava felt comfortable in her bed of soapy bubbles. She thought about the day ahead of her. It was the day she had spent the last week preparing for: Open House. She was excited to meet her smiling first graders who were eager to learn. She was also excited to meet the parents who would be trusting her with their babies. Ava smiled, but it wasn't a sincere one. It was more of an instinctive one. She was 30 years old. She wasn't getting any younger, yet she didn't have any children she could call her own. She was more than ready. Adriano was not. He wanted to take things one step at a time. They were engaged to be married. They already had a beautiful home together. Only after the wedding would he consider having children. He loved her and had faith in their relationship. He just wanted to make sure that they were both financially stable first. She sighed loudly before climbing out of the tub. She allowed the water to run down the drain as she put his shirt back on. She walked back into the bedroom and fetched a bra and panties before walking out into the kitchen. "Yum. Something smells really good," she said happily. "Pancakes and fruit salad, right? That's what you wanted?" he asked over his shoulder. "God, you are incredible," she cooed as she padded over to him, kissing him. The two talked over breakfast. He went over a timeline of what he expected his day to be and she did too. After a while, he dressed and headed off to work. After doing the dishes, Ava flopped down onto the La-Z-Boy with her phone. She called her mom but of course she didn't answer. "Fuck it, she said to herself, before going to get dressed herself. ************************* She gave her classroom one more glance over. She grabbed her compact mirror, smoothed her shoulder-length hair, and applied more Chapstick to her lips. She double checked to make sure her cream blouse was tucked neatly into her black, knee-length, pencil skirt. She was beginning to regret deciding to wear it because of the way it hugged her hips and ass, but Adriano had assured her she looked classy and professional. She quickly put her mirror away and headed towards the doorway as she heard voices. She put on her charming smile and greeted her student and her parents at the door. "Well hello there," she said enthusiastically to the cute little girl that stood shyly between her parents. As soon as they entered, her eyes focused on the little girl. The little girl only smiled. "Hello, Ms. Herring. It's nice to meet you. This is Lizzie," the girl's mother said. "Nice to meet you all. Lizzie, I'm Ms. Herring and we're going to have a super year. Do you think you can find your nametag?" The little girl nodded and wandered off. Ava took this opportunity to give the girl's parents a packet and information on things Lizzie would be learning this year. The parents seemed very sweet and cooperative. The mother had told Ava that she'd be willing to sign up as a volunteer and to bring things for parties. After writing down their information on the sign-in sheet, they were off. The night was going so well. Ava knew that she would have an awesome year with her first graders. She had a bunch of sweet and kind parents and children with smiling faces. There was one that she might have to keep an eye on, but she was ready to take on a challenge. She heard more voices and she headed towards the door again. "Hello there," she said just as enthusiastically as she had at the beginning of the night. The cutest little curly-headed mixed boy stared back at her. "Hello Ms. Herring," Tyler said sweetly. Ava looked up to greet the parents and her words got caught in her throat. She quickly recovered and plastered on a fake smile. Emotions swarmed through her. She was surprised, shocked, angry, hurt, and a little sad. The mother spoke first. "He was so excited that he got you as a teacher. He said that he would see you with the big kids last year and that he would wave at you and you always waved back," she laughed genuinely. Ava smiled as she looked at the woman. Really looked at her. She couldn't help it. "Well, if a handsome man waves at you, you wave back," Ava joked. She fought hard not to look at the boy's father but she lost when the mother introduced him. "Ms. Herring, I'm Kisha and this is Daniel." "Very nice to meet you both. Tyler, do you think you can find your nametag?" The little boy made a mad dash for the student tables and Ava took the opportunity to explain to the parents how the year would go. Kisha did most of the talking. Daniel just stood there, avoiding eye contact. He did, however watch closely as Ava handed Kisha the packet to fill out and send back to school through Tyler. When the three left, Ava let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She looked up at the clock. 6:00. Almost time to go. A few more students and parents came through, but when 7:00 came, she packed up her things, said goodbye to her coworkers, and walked briskly to her car. Old emotions started to flare up. Feelings that she thought she had buried deep, deep down, never to retrieve again, resurfaced. Her drive home was silent. She heard her phone vibrate, but she didn't even glance at it. She wanted to go home and be held by her man. She arrived home in no time. She took the opportunity to check her phone. She saw a notification in the top left corner. She touched it to retrieve it. Her heart stopped when she saw his face pop up on her screen. Daniel. He had found and messaged her on Facebook. "So, you're getting married now," it read. Like We Used To Can you do all these things? Will you do all these things... like we used to? Oh, like we used to... ************** Tina and Gayle could see that something was different. Both Shae and Raegan looked at each other with so much love that they felt it and on the entire trip home Shae was holding onto Raegan for dear life. Shae knew that she would likely not see Raegan again after the weekend and found herself fighting back tears the entire trip home. Gayle and Tina left immediately when they reached Shae's house. Raegan helped her take her bags inside and made for the door. "Rae, please wait," Shae said in tears. "Don't make this difficult Shae. We can never be and we both know it, last night was great but it was a mistake. Go get married. Live happily ever after and have tons of babies. He can offer you more than I will ever be able to," Raegan smiled half-heartedly and then she was gone. Shae knew that Raegan felt the same way she did, that she never meant what she said when she left, but the words echoed in her mind. She spent the rest of the time crying and when Rick returned, she didn't know what to tell him. The week went by and Shae fought hard not to go to Raegan's work, fall on her knees and beg Raegan to be with her. The days flew by and before she knew it, it was Friday, the day before her wedding. This was supposed to be the one of the happiest days of her life, preparing the final arrangements, but all she thought about was Raegan and the way she had made love to her. Raegan made her feel things, physically and emotionally, that she never thought was possible. Her family wrote her mood off as nerves and went by making the final arrangements. Raegan was moody and no one at work wanted to come close to her. Kelly had fled from their shared apartment because she couldn't live with the moodiness. Raegan was standing at the airport, going through security to board her flight to Cape Town so she could make her MMA bout. She boarded the plane and thanked whatever God there was that she was not going to be in the same city that Shae was getting married in the following day. Raegan's flight landed and she checked into her hotel along with her coach and team. He had been telling her all week that she had to get her head in the fight if she wanted to win. Raegan simply tuned his voice out and traveled back to the most magical night of her life. She went to bed early and slept the sleep of the dead. ***************** Shae was wearing Raegan's hoody the night before her wedding, absorbing the smell that was so distinctly Raegan. She spent the night alone, looking through the pictures of the previous weekend. She fell asleep clinging to the hoody and a picture of her and Raegan pressed against her chest. Tina woke her the following morning, the wedding day. They helped her get ready and right before Shae was bound to walk down the aisle Tina spoke, "A woman who is getting married never looks that depressed. You love Raegan and if you do this you will be unhappy forever." "She doesn't love me, otherwise she would have been here instead of Cape Town for a stupid fight for some stupid title. She would have asked me to not get married and be with her instead, but she's not," Shae said angrily. Tina and Gayle lined up and followed the flower girls down the aisle as the march started. Shae's father kissed his daughter and she hooked her arm in his. Shae looked amazing in her white dress, her olive skin glowing and her black hair done up in a lose bun. The dress was bare around the shoulders and she carried a bouquet of white lilies. They approached the alter and he kissed his daughter and took his seat next to his wife. He placed his daughter's hand in Rick's, kissed her and took his seat. Shae's thoughts were far removed from where she was. It was time to say her vows when she realized that if she loved Raegan she would have to fight for her. Raegan loved her enough to walk away and let her make her own decision. Did she love Raegan enough to walk away from Rick? The priest started the ceremony, Shae found herself wishing that Raegan would storm in and yell that she objects to this union. The priest rambled on and when it was time to say her vows Shae voiced what she felt. "I can't do this, I'm sorry," everyone gasped when Shae turned to face them. "I fell in love with someone else. She is amazing and if I want to be with her I have to fight for her, that means that I cannot get married now," Shae pulled up her dress and started running back down the aisle, Tina followed. "I got you a ticket in case you changed your mind, but we need to hurry," Tina said jogging beside the runaway bride. Shae laughed as she ran outside, feeling free. *********** Raegan looked so beat up, she had a deep cut above her eye and her lip was split, but she still looked beautiful to Shae. Without a word Shae ran to Raegan and kissed her. She was still wearing her wedding dress and knew that she must have been some sight in the world of serious fighting as a sport standing in her wedding dress. "Marry me, Rae," Shae said against Raegan's lips. Raegan cried right there, she couldn't believe how her life changed that day. ********** Shae was jolted out of her trance and brought back to reality when Rick said "I do." Shae repeated her vows and followed it by her own "I do," tears streaking her face. Everyone assumed it was tears of happiness, but Shae cried because she was too cowardly to fight for what she truly wanted in life. "You may kiss the bride," Rick kissed her and Shae realized that the love that she and Raegan shared that night was too good to ever be true. ********** Raegan was warming up, getting ready for the fight. Ten minutes before the fight started that night, she forced herself to block out all thought of Shae. Her coach helped her secure her chest guard, wrapped her hands and pulled her gloves on. He carried the mouth guard and threw the TapOut robe over Raegan's shoulders. "This is the fight for the world champion title, Misha Tate vs our very own Raegan Shaw! Weighing in at 140 pounds of pure muscle please welcome Misha Tate!" The announcer shouted to the crowd. Raegan's opponent walked out toward the ring to cheer of the crowd, "The challenger, weighing in at 135pounds, Raegan Shaw!" The crowd shouted and Raegan walked to the ring. The ref went through the rules. Raegan secured her mouth guard and the bell rang. They circled each other, waiting for the first impact. Raegan moved, faked a right jab and landed a left one Misha's jaw. It went downhill for Raegan from there, she was distracted. Misha landed punch after punch, splitting Raegan's lip and eye. The bell rang for the end of round one. After some pep talk and Vaseline applied to her cuts Raegan stepped back in. Round two went eerily similar, Kelly approached the coach, "Let me have a word with her." Raegan deemed the fight lost, she was tired and hurting. She wanted to tap out and give in. "Rae, you can do better! Come on, stop being so distracted. Think Shae, think of how she ripped your heart out for the second time. Go get that fucking title," Kelly shouted at Raegan. The bell sounded and Raegan felt the hurt of love lost surging through her. She found her centre and landed punch after punch, weakening Misha's defences, when her arms went down Raegan reacted quickly and landed a spinning kick to Misha's head, knocking her out cold. Kelly ran into the ring and Raegan collapsed from tiredness, "the winner of this round and our new world champion, Raegan Shaw!" The ref held her arm up in victory and Kelly secured the belt around her waist. Kelly took Raegan's face in her hands and kissed her passionately. "I love you Raegan Shaw, I always have." Raegan looked at Kelly in shock, but she knew that Kelly was the only one that was ever there for her and she did indeed hold a soft spot in Raegan's heart, "I love you too." They sealed it with another kiss and the crowd cheered. Raegan fell into bed that night, holding Kelly tightly. Raegan felt in content with her life, Kelly wasn't her dream girl but in the end she was a dream come true. **************** A few months later Raegan and Kelly were packing up their lives to move to America. After Raegan's win she had become a sports celebrity and was offered numerous sponsorships in America. That night they had a farewell party, they both dressed and left for the party. Raegan and Kelly walked in hand in hand, everyone was there, all of Raegan's colleagues and Kelly's friends. They walked and greeted everyone and Raegan was shocked to see Shae standing between the crowd. "Hi, I uhm heard from Riley that you were immigrating and just felt like I had to say goodbye," Shae was on the verge of tears. She wished she was the one going with Raegan. "Hi, uhm yeah. Didn't think you'd be interested. How is married life?" Raegan asked with a smile. "Okay I guess. Sometimes I wish I was strong enough to have walked away and fought for you," Shae let a tear slip and as if on cue Rick and Kelly came over. "Hey Shae, Rick," Kelly greeted warmly. Raegan placed her arm around Kelly's waist, "Hi," Shae and Rick responded. They talked for a while longer and Raegan just wanted to escape the conversation. "Oh, honey. Riley and some other people are looking for you," Kelly said feeling Raegan's distress. Raegan excused herself and Rick talked to some other people, "Look after her, Kelly. She's one of a kind," Shae said. "I will, I really love her," Kelly smiled and joined Raegan. The party droned on and when they said their goodbyes the DJ played them a sad song. He played Bok van Blerk's Tyd Om Te Trek (Time To Move.) Raegan and Kelly cried as the song continued to play. They hugged and kissed everyone goodbye and made their way to their hotel room. ************ Raegan and Kelly made love that night, the room bathed in the yellow dancing light of candles. Raegan got up and walked to the bathroom, her tattoo in Hebrew glistening in the flickering flames of the candles and the sweat on her back. "What does your tattoo mean baby?" Kelly asked after years of wondering. "Love lost, love found, love unfulfilled, a myth meant for fairy tales only," Raegan said with a smile.