"My pleasure," she said, and she took the dishes over to the sink and started washing them. When she was almost done Greg appeared in the kitchen again, adjusting his tie.
"Okay, I'm heading out. I'll see you tonight maybe?"
"Yeah, maybe. I'm not sure yet what I'm doing today."
"Ah," Greg said. He stood a bit back from her and, though Veronica was still focusing on the dishes in the sink, she had a feeling like he was watching her, wanting to say something. After a minute, though, he just said, "Okay, well, I guess I'm off then. Have a great day."
"You too," she replied, and he left, shutting the front door behind him.
Veronica finished the dishes in silence, letting the sink drain when she was done. Drying her hand on a dish towel, she walked over to a window and looked out. It was a beautiful day, one that shouldn't be wasted inside. And the house felt so big to her, so empty and encompassing.
Her mind went to her purse, where the scrap of paper containing Jason's phone number lay tucked away. She hadn't called him yet, not since he gave it to her. Biting her lip, she looked up at the clock — it was still kind of early. She decided to do a bit of gardening, perhaps until the middle of the day.
When noon rolled around Veronica came back inside, sweaty and with small smears of dirt on her forehead. Her stomach was rumbling and so she made herself a bit of a snack. While she ate it she looked at the clock again — half past twelve. She needed another shower after the work she'd just done, so when she finished eating she hopped in and gave herself a quick rinse.
Coming back out and getting dressed again, it was almost one o'clock. She looked over at her purse, perched on top of her dresser. Narrowing her eyes, she finally walked over to it and opened it up. She fished through and found the scrap of paper, open
ing it up and seeing the ten digits written upon it.
She took the paper with her down to the kitchen where she picked up the phone receiver. Taking a deep breath, she punched in the numbers and held the phone to her ear. It rang once. Twice. Three times. Just when she figured that he might not be home there was a click and Jason's voice came on the other end.
"Hello?" she heard him say, a tinnier version of himself.
"Hey Jason?" she replied. "It's Veronica."
"Veronica," she heard a smile coming through as he said her name and she felt herself relax. "How're you doing?"
"Um, not too bad," she said. "Are you … having a good morning?"
"Yeah. I'm in the middle of a job right now, so that's been keeping me busy."
"Oh, okay," Veronica said. "Um, well, if you had some free time today I was wondering if you wanted to get together?"
A pause on the other end. Veronica held her breath, unaware that she was doing so. Then Jason's voice came back on:
"Yeah, I should be able to do that." She let the breath out slowly. "Want to meet at the bluffs, say, in an hour?"
"I'd love to," Veronica responded. "I'll see you in an hour."
"See you then," he said, and she heard the phone click.
She hung her end up and leaned back against the wall. A smile crept over her face and, turning, she left the kitchen to go back upstairs.
~~~
The bluffs were beautiful at this time of day. The sky was clear and you could look out for miles over the water, watching the wind create waves, destroy them, their entire life cycle over in a second. The horizon went on forever, and the surface of the water was a ceaseless, ever-changing mass of blue and white.
The view, however, was currently being missed by two occupants in the back of Jason's car. Inside Veronica was facing the back, straddling Jason as the two locked lips, struggling to get their clothes off. Jason's hands ran up Veronica's sides, the sounds of heavy breathing and skin hitting skin punctuating the air. She shirked off her coat and let it fall to the floor, grabbing Jason's leather jacket and pulling it down off of his arms.
She stripped his t-shirt off and quickly dropped her head down, kissing his hard pecs, taking his nipple into her mouth. He held her there for a second before guiding her back up, their lips meeting once again. Veronica allowed herself to become naked at his hands, felt his strong grip on both of her breasts when her torso was bare.
It was Jason's turn to use his mouth. He pulled her body close and took a breast into her mouth, massaging it with his tongue, making her throw her head back. She felt the warmth channel all the way down her body, to the tips of her toes. He reached down and began undoing her pants, and she returned the favour.
Both zippers being pulled down, the couple took a second to shed themselves of the rest of their clothing. Once done, Veronica climbed back onto Jason's lap, finding his hardness pressing into the exact place she wanted it. She helped to guide it in, and when the two were together they made love, their bodies held close together, Veronica's head a foot above Jason's.
She could feel the heat glowing on his skin, his hard muscles in contrast to her own softness. His hands roamed wildly over her, his mouth exploring her frame like an animal. At some point he grabbed her and they flipped, so that she was lying on her back and he was on top of her.
She looked up and saw him through a hazy light. He moved into her with such passion, and as he did their eyes locked together. She saw him smile — the first actual smile she'd ever seen on his face, and she smiled back. He lowered his head to hers and they kissed. Veronica was lost for thought, all of her senses being wrapped up in this single moment.