Friend with Benefits

Time had been kind to Max. He hadn't yet spotted her across the bar, so she took the opportunity to take in his appearance. His tousled hair and beard now flecked with silver, his eyes now bracketed by fine laughter lines. Yes, time has definitely been kind. He was still broad across the shoulders, maybe slightly softer at the waist, but still lean for his six-foot frame.

Lou was conscious of her now softer figure, her hips and belly more rounded than eight years ago when she had last seen him. Her hair also now highlighted with greys and silvers, she had come to embrace growing older. She felt more comfortable in her own skin, more like the woman she always was but tried to stifle.

She wondered if he would still recognise her.

She allowed her finger to trace the rim of her now empty tumbler, that first bourbon not taking the edge off her nerves. She let out a long, slow exhale before extending her gaze across the bar again.

He had seen her, and for a moment, they remained frozen in time, eyes locked. That familiar tension in her abdomen stirred as he began making his way around the bar toward her table. She stood from her stool as he drew closer, hoping the unsteadiness she felt wasn’t visible to him. She watched as his eyes appraised her, travelling from the heels she was wearing, up her legs, across her simple black shift dress to her shoulders...