A Gothic Lesson in Love

by Curtis Bennett

  A huge and gracious smile appeared on his face, although he was slightly embarrassed by all of the attention and her primal reaction.

  “I see that you are wearing my favorite color,” he mused.

  “I thought you would take notice,” she came back at him wearing a wide grin.

  Walking over to him, she embraced his warm and muscular body; her soft breasts pressed against his heaving bare chest. Wrapping their arms around each other’s small waist, they kissed over and over again. The feelings and sensations they were unleashing within each other felt new, adventurous, and like uncharted territory. Both decided it was time for that cool swim in the pond at the end of the running brook before things really heated up.

  “You can swim, right?” Andrew asked, partially in jest, as they walked towards the pond.

  “I am a certified lifeguard back home,” she said with pride.

  “Well, it doesn’t get any better than that,” he quipped, wearing a smile that displayed two rows of perfectly aligned teeth.

  “And just for the record, can you swim?” she asked gazing up into his dark green eyes, although she took the scenic route by way of his massive shoulders and arms and broad and muscular chest.

  “I was once a water safety instructor,” he answered rather nonchalantly.

  “You were once a W-S-I!” she cried. “You’re the ones who train lifeguards like me.”

  “That’s right,” he smiled.

  By now they had arrived at the pond’s edge. While Irene took a moment to remove her denim shirt and put on her skullcap, Andrew dipped his toes in the cold water.

  “Last one in has to give the other a massage when we’re through swimming,” she said dashing off into the pond.

  Andrew caught up to her, grabbed her from behind, and flung her around playfully, dunking her beneath the water’s cold surface. After a playful twenty minutes of fun, sun, and aquatic delight, the two retreated to two large beach blankets laying at the edge of the pond.

  The two dried one another off, then took turns rubbing sunscreen on each other’s bodies, front and back. Scooting next to his warm body, Irene faced him and smiled before closing her eyes. The two soaked in the rays of the early afternoon sun.

  “Andrew, I feel so happy, so at peace,” she said upon opening her eyes.

  “That makes two of us,” he said in agreement. “It’s been a long nine years for me and to have this kind of peace and happiness is worth your love and all of the risks involved. But like I said before, I know far too much, especially about the aborted baby.”

  “I am still very concerned about that Andrew,” she said rising up on her forearms and elbows. “By the way, exactly when was the last time you ventured off of the property?”

  “When I arrived here nine years ago,” he replied, still lying face down.

  “Nine years ago!” she shot back incredulously.

  “Nine years ago,” he echoed rising up.

  “Oh, you poor soul. How could you survive so long living like this?” she asked with benevolence in her voice. “And how could you remain imprisoned here so long?”

  “Well, I stayed because of my safety and because of my pact. Remember, I’m a moving target. I would not be a hard person to find outside of these gates, considering my unique tan, if you’ve noticed.”

  Irene smiled at that line, as Andrew had found himself doing.

  “Second of all, I’ve never considered this beautiful place a prison.”

  “I didn’t mean for it to come out that way,” she replied, her eyes averted. “I was just struck by the length of time you’ve been here.”

  “I know you didn’t mean it that way, Irene,” he said, reaching out and returning her gaze with his hand. The two merged into another embrace.

  Lying on her back she looked up at the pure blue cloudless sky.

  “Didn’t you get lonely at times?” she asked.

  “All of the time,” he replied. “There were times I contemplated drinking poison to end my misery. But I knew that was not the right thing to do. It wasn’t even close to being the right thing.”

  “It’s a sad predicament you found yourself in. I’m glad you did not remove yourself from your misery in the fashion you just described.”

  “I’m glad I didn’t either.”

  “Darling, I am just so afraid of losing you,” she said gazing up at him. “I’ve learned so much from being here with you. I can’t lose you now, especially now that everything is so right.”

  Lying on his side, he drew closer to her and levered up on one elbow, so he could lean over her. “You can never lose a love that is true, Irene,” he said as convincingly as he could as he stroked her face tenderly with his free hand. “I do not want you to spend your time worrying about my fate. I’m not a fatalist but if anything is going to happen to me it will happen. But our love will survive. So, do not disparage or diminish our love by thinking otherwise, okay?”

  “I’ll remember that, darling,” she said with moist eyes.

  “Hey, what do you say we go and have some lunch,” he suggested. “This time I promise to eat alongside of you, how’s that?”

  “I’d love that,” she quipped with a toothy smile. “Does this mean our lesson is over?”

  Andrew planted a kiss her on her rosy cheek before saying, “This is one lesson I am hoping will endure for quite some time, my precious one.”

  Irene’s searching eyes seemed to approve of his response for she wrapped her arms around his powerful neck and pulled him into another one of her fiery kisses.

  After showering, and dressing, and eating lunch, Andrew gave her a private jazz concert in his study on his Baldwin piano. Irene sat at his side swaying to the jazzy rhythms. Afterwards, she asked him to play her favorite Bizet classical tune. It was getting close to her departure time.

  She could not have asked for a better time or memory or man. This had definitely turned out to be a wonderful and joyous day. If only she could pick up in her dreams tonight where she was getting off now in her awaken state, she thought. She would give it a try.

  Andrew escorted her to the front entrance.

  With a tender cry of exultation, she wrapped her arms around his neck for the final time that day. Without pause, she pulled him closer and tighter, as she rose upward on her tiptoe and pressed her moist lips to his.

  An electrical current passed through them, much like when electricity flows through a wire.

  Irene sighed after a few seconds, his lips moving on hers, coaxing her, arousing her. The passion between them was like a short fuse that had been lit. A few more rounds of his probing kisses and she knew she would no longer be able to resist him. After all, she knew enough about the physiological dynamics of the human body when in an excited state, especially when brought on by pent-up desire. Yes, desire. It was something that touched every human being, even philosophers and other men of virtue.

  The moment they both began to sigh and bubble with passion, she told herself that it was time to step back and call it a day….literally.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow, my love,” she said backing away slowly and gingerly waving goodbye.

  Andrew stood in the doorway smiling and studying her quietly. What a fine specimen of a woman, he thought. Inside he was torn apart. He did not want her to leave. Adding to his dampened mood, she had announced that she had less than two weeks left before she was scheduled to return to the states. They had been so lost in the here and now that they never got around to talking about the future. He wasn’t ready for marriage but he wasn’t ready to lose her either. It was something they would have to talk about and soon.

  Andrew woke up the following day feeling a tab more cheerful knowing that each passing moment brought Irene’s arrival closer to his front door. Though she had asked him the day before to take a ride into the countryside with her upon her next visit he had been noncommittal in his response. But the moment she appeared at his entrance sporting a radiant smile and a loving gaze, he knew there
was no place in the universe he would not follow her to.

  Though it had been some years since he rode a scooter, it only took him only a few minutes to reclaim his skills, his nerve and his confidence. Dazzled by the images of passing cars, colorful landscapes, blue lakes, and new communities, none of which he had seen in over nine years, Andrew could barely contain his excitement. The wind blowing across his face and body felt as refreshing and exciting and as soothing as the love he and Irene shared for one another. With Irene holding tightly onto him, her face nestled against his broad shoulder blade, the two entered the city of Nottingham.

  The outing was an experience he would remember for a lifetime. The sights, the sounds, the aromas and the hustle and bustle of city life were close to overwhelming. Irene was mindful to bring along a photo camera she had borrowed from her aunt. She wanted to leave Nottingham with a photographic record of the memories they were to create that day.

  Stealing away to a more subdue area of town, the two enjoyed a delicious seafood meal followed by dessert. Trading gazes, he took time to enjoy a fresh slice of Spiced Pumpkin Cake while she indulged in a slice of Apple Pie à la Mode. Mounting the scooter, they headed over to the busy business district where they walked through numerous shops and clothing stores, hand in hand. Periodically, she’d get him to pose for the camera or ask a passing stranger to take pictures of them hugging and kissing or just embracing. In a short while they happened upon a quaint bookstore where the two browsed over anything and everything of interest to them.

  Leaving her momentarily to seek out a nearby pub for use of their restroom, Andrew returned later to find Irene in the company of three young men whom appeared to be asking for directions. One lad, he noticed, seemed to be looking for more than directions. It was obvious he was pouring on the charm and serving up the most generous of smiles.

  “Are you ready, my love?” Andrew asked as he ended his approach with a warm and cozy embrace and tenderly placed kiss on Irene’s lips.

  “I was just telling these kind gentlemen that I was waiting on my fiancé to return,” she replied as she gave the men a polite and courteous goodbye.

  “Lost, huh?” Andrew asked as he and Irene left the area.

  “They said they were from Liverpool and wanted to know if I knew the best route to get to London from here.”

  “Well, that’s mighty odd,” Andrew murmured.

  “What is, baby?” Irene asked, puzzled.

  “Anybody over sixteen years of age from Liverpool knows that there are two main roads to get to London from Nottingham.”

  “Think one of them may have recognized you?”

  “I’m not sure. They didn’t appear to. Did they ask you where you were from?”

  “Well, they recognized my accent right off the bat and knew that I was an American. But they did ask me if I was a tourist or exchanged student.”

  “What did you tell them?”

  “I told them I was visiting with my aunt in Ashbury Point.”

  Andrew pondered her words for a moment before saying, “Look, I’m sure they were just being flirtatious. But just the same, we ought to be getting on our way.”

  “Andrew,” Irene began soberly. “I’d blame myself for the rest of my life if anything happened to you after this outing. After all, it was my idea to get you to come along.”

  Andrew threw a glance over her shoulder as he pondered her words before turning his full gaze to hers. Locking her fingers with his, he curled his hand towards him until it rested against his heart. There was so much he wanted and needed to say to her, but right now he needed to reassure her that whatever ill fate might await him, she was not the blame.

  “Irene,” he began. “Trouble not your heart nor burden your soul with matters that are out of both of our hands. I could not have asked for a more wonderful experience than the one I am sharing with you right now, and right here. So put your mind at ease, my dear. My love for you is eternal. And believe me; no one can take that away from you. Ever.”

  A small smile curved her lips, lips that anxiously parted as the two shared a long and passionate kiss.

  “Fiancé, huh,” Andrew smiled.

  Irene tossed him a wishful gaze.

  Mounting the scooter, they rode off into the countryside.

  It was raining the next day when Irene and Andrew met for lunch and to spend the day together. Wanting to look her best for him, she had taken time to get her hair done. She also put on make-up, and for the first time, all on her own. Yes, this feeling called love was something she could get used to, she had told herself on the way over to his place. No man had ever made her feel this way before, to fly so high emotionally, and without the benefit of wings.

  “You think about me last night?” she asked as she sat cradled in his arms on the sofa, their legs extended the length.

  “Every other thought and then some,” he answered as he planted a kiss on her neck, just below her right ear. He found her lightly scented skin intoxicating.

  “I cannot get you off of my mind, either,” she said with dreamy eyes.

  “God knows, my heart skips a beat whenever I am near you Irene,” he professed as he clasped his hands together loosely around her mid-section. “Frankly speaking, I have an urge, a longing, to take you into my arms whenever I am near you. And when you are not here with me, I long for your touch and I long to hear your voice, both which bring comfort to me.”

  “Your words are touching and just as poetic, my love,” she said as she covered his warm hands with her own. “Have you ever written any poetry?”

  “Just a handful of them; perhaps six or seven,” he answered.

  “What are they about?”

  “Mainly introspective and philosophical prose about life, destiny, and nature.”

  “No romantic material?”

  “None, as of yet,” he said softly from behind her.

  “None, my love?” she pressed him again.

  “None, but now that I’m madly in love with you, I probably could write enough poems to fill a six hundred page book,” he smiled handsomely.

  Sitting up, Irene turned and faced him smiling, her eyes searching his as though a light bulb had gone off in her head.

  “I am not going to ask you to write me a book of poetry, that would be asking too much, but I’d love for you to write just one special poem, though not necessarily about me, but for me and preferably romantic in content. You see, no man has ever written a poem for me. Yours will be my very first Andrew.”

  “Shame on those who claimed to have ever loved you in the past. Know that any romantic poetry I write will necessarily be about you and only about you,” he quipped with a warm tender smile. “I would not have it any other way. Besides, no man in love, or who claims to be in love or have passion, can ever consider himself a romantic if he has never proposed, written, or dedicated a special poem to his love interest.”

  Touched by his words and sincerity she agreed then pressed her moist lips to his as the two reveled in the bubbling passion their fiery kiss released.

  “I will have it for you the next time you stop by,” he promised after coming up for air.

  “I cannot wait, my love.”

  The two embraced.

  After she had left, he immediately went to work on her poem. More than a decade had passed since he’d last written one, though never a romantic one. Thirty minutes later he found himself putting the final touches on an original. He gave it a title, then read it as though he was reading it for the first time.

  The Compliment

  Diamonds, mink, and gold

  Rare treasures for your lovely

  eyes to behold. And that’s all good.

  Just remember you are all the

  treasure my eyes long to behold

  Waterfalls, running brooks and streams

  Beauty of nature that you are, forever flowing

  throughout my mind, and in and out of my dreams

  Celestial skies, across the vast Milky Way />
  Your personality sparkles, your lovely

  lips glitters, making my day. Your cool

  mint breath – refreshing as a swim in

  the enchanting waters of Moon Light Bay

  So warm your gaze, so gentle your touch,

  so hungry your kiss. All monumental gifts,

  fragrant desires, sensations and bliss. Should we

  not surrender our lonely hearts now? Or remain

  at arm’s length, forever remiss

  Your charm, your sense of humor, your quiet

  sensitivity, so comforting…so unique. More

  soothing than ocean waves caressing my sun-

  bronzed body, your vibrant and shapely physique.

  So it is, these things from the heart that rings so true

  Should I have kind words to share again, from me to

  you, don’t fuss. Just smile and imagine

  that I think the world of you.

  It may not mean much but my love is true

  Another wonderful day had passed for Andrew and Irene. Her highlight moment came when he put on a romantic jazz tune and presented her with the first poem any man had ever written and dedicated to her. So special an occasion it was, and so beautiful a poem, she promised to frame it and cherish it forever.

  The following day held much of the same excitement, bewilderment, endless joy and breathless delight. It was a love affair so vibrant, alive, fresh and new; a day filled with music, swimming, a romantic picnic in the garden, conversation, and a lot of laughing, hugging, and passionate kissing.

  It was not all play though. The two worked together in the garden, in the kitchen, and around the house. By special request, he rounded out their fun-filled day by playing a medley of piano jazz tunes. At one point, the two put a LP record disc on the turntable and danced to a few romantic Sinatra tunes. There was nothing that they did she did not find joy in taking part in. Everything a couple could do that day, outside of the bedroom, they did except discuss their future. It was as if they were afraid to speak for fear of what the other might be thinking or might say. After all, Irene was just visiting the area and hailed from a country far across the pond with just under a week left before she was scheduled to return to America.