Mum couldn’t stop smiling throughout dinner. Dad looked proud as punch either. Then my sister asked, “When’s the wedding?”
Stephanie blushed, taking my right hand in her left. “I’ll need to propose properly, not just leave a ring behind,” I replied.
“I wouldn’t have gone if you’d proposed that same morning,” Stephanie whispered, “We had talked about it but I thought you would have waited until I’d finished university.”
“Comes back to what I said earlier,” I said, squeezing her hand, “We both have regrets, Steph. We’ve lost ten years.”
“But you can make up for lost time,” Mum said.
We did that evening. Mum and Dad disappeared off to bed early, leaving Stephanie and I in the living room, mostly listening to my stories about life in France and in the service. She told me she’d visited Paris on her round the world trip. I’d landed in Paris, and had taken a day to see some of the sights, but I’d been focused on joining up.
As soon as she sat up to straddle my lap, our mouths quickly found each other, and I knew there’d be no holding back that evening. I made her giggle as I easily stood up, feeling her limbs wrap tightly around me, as I carried her to the bedroom. As soon as the door was closed, clothing was ripped off as quickly as possible. For the first time in over ten years, we made love. It was even better than I could remember. Hearing Stephanie orgasm was a thrill, and when I finally came inside her, she needed a little cry, and I happily held her in my arms.
The next week passed in a blur. We were both busy with work, but I called her each lunchtime, and I could hear the excitement in her voice every time she answered her phone. I was receiving messages from all our friends, asking for updates on the situation. I didn’t give too much away, suggesting we were taking things slowly. I didn’t know what Stephanie was telling them but could only assume it was all good news.
She went out with her girlfriends on Friday night, insisting I catch up with my friends, and we’d agreed our first date would be on Saturday night. Despite the fact we were with our friends, we didn’t stop messaging each other all night. She sent me more than one selfie, and I’m fairly sure my three mates felt ignored from time to time. They assured me it was fine.
“Trust me,” Mark said, “We haven’t seen Stephanie this excited and happy since before the day you left.”
“When are you going to propose?” Brett asked.
“You think it would be too quick if I was already looking for a ring?”
The three of them laughed, more than likely at me for asking such a question. “Mate, she’s been ready to hear a proposal from you since the moment you walked into that function room,” Mark replied.
I remembered what Stephanie used to enjoy for a night out, but tastes obviously change as you get older, so I’d asked plenty of questions since our reunion. Picking her up from her house on Saturday evening, she left me speechless for a moment, dressed in a gorgeous red sundress with white patterns, her legs bare but with a pair of small red heels. A touch of make-up was all she needed otherwise, a necklace that disappeared into her cleavage, a small purse her only other accessory.
Stephanie had always enjoyed food with an Asian influence, whether it be spices or just general flavouring. Sydney, being as multicultural as it was, always had more options than you could poke a stick at, so we ended up enjoying a fantastic meal at a Vietnamese restaurant. After eating our fill, we took the tram to Circular Quay and walked through The Rocks, stopping for a drink, before walking to the harbour itself.
We’d been chatting away as always, still sharing stories from the past decade, reminiscing about our four years together before I’d left, and just occasionally hinting at a future together. It was only when we stopped walking, Stephanie leaning back against the railing by the water as I stood in front of her, that I finally asked, “What do you want in the next five years?”
I figured being blunt would help. At least I’d know where we both stood. She took my hands in hers and met my eyes. “I want to get married and start a family, John. Is that what you want?”
“I wanted it…” I stopped and sighed. No point raking over old ground any longer, and to be honest, I was all talked out about what happened. The only thing that mattered now as the future. “Yes, that’s what I want too, Steph.”
“With me?” she whispered. I answered that one by kissing her. It made her smile, which caused me to grin in return. “I love you,” she added softly, “I have all of my life. My best friend. My boyfriend… Soon my fiancé and maybe my husband?”
“I’m fairly sure I can organise that.” I pulled her into my chest, feeling her arms wrap around me in return. “I’m sorry for leaving, Stephanie. I think we’ve both matured a lot in the last ten years.”
“All I know is that I missed you so much, John. But now you’re back, and it feels even better than it did before. Now that I’m a little bit older, I certainly appreciate what we had a lot more now.”
“So do I, Steph. So do I.”
We woke up together again the next morning, Stephanie unable to stop smiling as we snuggled. Which turned into tickling and giggling. Which would have turned into lovemaking if my mother didn’t announce breakfast after a light tap on the door. Still, my parents couldn’t stop smiling. Their son was home, and they’d always loved Stephanie. She’d explained to them everything that happened, and simply repeated what I’d told her. We’re not exactly fully functioning adults at eighteen, and bound to make mistakes.
For the next month, we’d see each other nearly every evening. She’d visit me for dinner. I’d visit her for dinner. Sometimes we’d go out. Friday or Saturday, we’d go out for a date ourselves, the other night we’d catch up with our friends, four couples joining up at a restaurant or a bar. The other six always insisted they hadn’t seen her so happy in a long time. I had to ask why she didn’t want to at least date. All she said was that another man simply never caught her eye, and as she was kept up to date with what I was doing, she was close to flying to France more than once to track me down.
“Fairly sure I’ve seen a movie like that,” I joked. It made her giggle before cuddling into me, “Not sure how I would have reacted though. As I’ve said, part of me still loved you. Always had, always would, no matter what.”
Mark organised a barbecue for the next weekend after that night. I’d already found a ring to propose, and I’m fairly sure he’d already figured out my intention, though I hadn’t let anyone know what I planned. Managed to keep Stephanie in the dark the entire week after I’d picked the ring I wanted to propose with, and made sure we didn’t spend the Friday night together.
My three best mates were happily married to Stephanie’s three best friends. They’d started families of their own. Mark lived in your typical suburban home see in the western edges of the city. Not a massive area but enough to have a decent sized pool and some decking. A large awning provided shade and relief from the constant sun. Showing up alongside Stephanie, we were greeted with hugs and handshakes, Stephanie carrying in a plate of some food, as one never attended a barbecue without bringing their own plate of food and a bottle of wine, or at least some grog. Having lived in Europe for ten years, I was now a ‘beer connoisseur’. In other words, I didn’t tolerate the piss-water often on sale.