Again, she must have put all her weight into it...it felt like every bit of her mass was driving my arm into the ground. I almost groaned out loud but...caught myself. Then she did the same thing to my other arm. The whole time my eyes were closed, my head facing straight up, my body still. When she was finished I felt as though both my arms had been staked to the ground...and yet, again, I felt supremely centered, at one with the earth.And, at some point while she was working with me, my penis. It was a self-help book on flirting. Me: Err, thanks. Gail: You’ve been single long enough. Me: It’s not for the want of trying. Gail: I’ve seen you trying. Trust me, you need this book. Gail’s older than me. She’s already had the big four-0, owns her own flat, has never lived with anyone and has a cat. But last month she met Aiden. Until Aiden came along single was sexy and anyone who needed a man, needed a life. Now it’s just me. But while she epitomised the Bridget Jones’s, I was always. He was done eating, now he was watching me. ‘Wanna listen to some records?’ ‘Yeah.’ Perfect make-out plan. He waited for me to finish, I ate agonizingly slow, he wasn’t anxious or impatient. I told him I was done and he cleared our plates and took a minute to wash and dry the plates and silverware and placed them in the box. The last of the kitchenware to go in. I washed my hands and made sure there wasn’t any food in my teeth or on my face. I should of put more lipstick on when he went to get. He was home. New Hampshire will always be his home. It didn’t matter if he lived in California until he died, New Hampshire would always be his home. He told Alyssa she just wrote the wrong date on the calendar. Still, if Thomas was in town a week ago she wished she had known before now. Thomas said there was big news. Alyssa wondered if he and his wife were pregnant? She wondered if Thomas made Partner at the Agency? It seemed she would know soon enough. They’re meeting for lunch today..