Erotic One Shot: Blast From the Past

“Oof!” Vanessa exclaimed, bumping straight into the back of a man at the train station. “Oh! I’m so sorry…!”

“Vanessa?”

Vanessa looked up at the unknown man and blinked, cocking her head to the side as she took in the man’s face.

It was familiar, and it only took a couple of seconds for it to click in her head. “Shane?”

Shane’s bright smile widened as he stepped back, holding Vanessa’s shoulders with straight arms to see her from arm’s length.

“Wow, it is you. Long time no see!”

Vanessa couldn’t help but return his contagious smile.

Without even thinking, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him in a quick, tight hug. “Wow, it’s been too long!”

His warm arms wrapped around her in reply to her embrace.

The sound of a horn sounded, interrupting them, and all the train doors shut in unison before the train rolled away, leaving Vanessa and Shane behind.

“Oh no! I missed my train!”

Together, they watched the train speed away from the station, and Vanessa sighed defeatedly.

“Damnit… I’m going to be late for class.”

Shane looked over and quirked an eyebrow. “Heading to university?”

Vanessa swung her bag over from one shoulder to the other, the weight of her books weighing heavily on her.

“Yeah, I only have a few classes this afternoon though, so I could probably skip today, to be honest.”

Vanessa inwardly winced, knowing she could’ve saved herself the trouble of coming here in the first place if she’d known she’d miss the train.

“Well, what university do you go to? Maybe I can give you a lift? Only if your enthusiasm hasn’t died yet, that is,” Shane offered with a slight chuckle.

He was dressed in a button-down shirt and slacks. He looked like he had just finished work, and Vanessa really didn’t want to put him out of his way.

Not only that, she and Shane probably hadn’t seen each other in five or so years since they worked together at the local grocery store as high school kids.

“Nah, I wouldn’t make you go through that hardship,” Vanessa declined. “Besides, I think I might just head over to the public library or something and study, maybe listen to the lecture online instead, then grab some dinner.”

Now that she mentioned it, it seemed like the much better option.

She didn’t really feel like waiting another half hour for the next train and then riding for an hour to her university.

Then, repeat this for the return trip.

Shane’s warm brown eyes rested on her before he gave her a shrug.

“I honestly wouldn’t mind. Besides”—he rubbed the back of his neck—“I’d love to catch up.”

A blush heated Vanessa’s cheeks.

Damnit… She had a bit of a crush on Shane back when they worked together, when one day he just stopped coming in to work—moved on to a new job, apparently.

She was young, shy, and naive back then, and he had been the first to reach out and befriend her.

Shane was older, seemed much more confident and knowledgeable too, so she used to have no problem with asking him for help.

But the day he left, that was it.

She didn’t have his number, it never occurred to her to ask for it, and social media was barely a thing back then.

Despite her warm cheeks, she smiled and bumped shoulders with him.

“How about I treat you to an early dinner? I’ll go study afterward. I’d love to catch up with what you’ve been up to.”

“It’s a date,” Shane laughed.

Switching his own work bag from one hand to the other, he wrapped his arm around Vanessa’s shoulders. “And, it’s my treat.”

They debated back and forth until they reached Shane’s car.

Vanessa couldn’t tell if she was feeling cold or if Shane just oozed warmth because the moment he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, she had the urge to snuggle in toward him.

She barely contained herself from doing just that.

He opened the car door for her and watched her slide in.

His eyes lingered on her cleavage that peeked from her low T-shirt and then her legs when her skirt slipped higher as she swiveled into the seat.

“So, what are you feeling for? I’m actually starving.”

“Honestly? I kind of feel like ice cream and just eating it at the park.” Vanessa beamed at Shane.

Shane laughed and turned at the light. “Ice cream? For dinner?”

Vanessa joined in with his laughter but raised her arms in a mock shrug.

“I am a grown woman, and I want ice cream for dinner!”

Shane slowly shook his head with humor but continued to drive.

“I know of a good place.”

The car ride was easy and comfortable, just like it always used to be.

Vanessa looked around his car and then went back to looking at his profile.

He hadn’t changed much since their local-grocery days together.

His face had leaned down from the baby face he had as a teenager yet filled out to look more mature and grown.

His once clean-shaven face held a bit of stubble now, and his hair was shorter.

She was being weird, she could just feel it, but he was still good-looking, and still kind; it was as though our friendship just continued from our last shift together.

“You’re staring,” he laughed. “It’s freaking me out.”

At his honesty, Vanessa laughed, quickly looking forward and ignoring the heat warming her face once again.

“I can’t help it! We don’t see each other for years, and suddenly I’m in your car, and we’re about to have ice cream for dinner together. It’s like a blast from the past, and I’m all for it! I’ve missed you…,” Vanessa admitted, her voice trailing off to a quiet tone.

“I’ve missed you too,” Shane replied. “And I mean that.”

They drove in comfortable silence when Shane spoke up slowly.

“So…no boyfriend of yours will find out about this catch-up and beat me to a pulp?”

Vanessa’s face heated, and she played with her fingers.

“Subtle question there, Shane.” She chuckled, going quiet a bit longer. “I do have a boyfriend.”

The comfortable silence between them grew long, but Shane simply nodded his head.

“Nice, nice…”

“And how about you? No girlfriend?” Vanessa probed.

Shane cleared his throat and smiled.

“I have a girlfriend. Together for a couple years now.”

Vanessa echoed his “nice, nice” comment back to him, and they fell into silence once more as he stopped at a red light. Dark clouds were beginning to loom overhead, the usual bright afternoon sun dulled and made it seem much later than it actually was.

She thought about her boyfriend, Eric, and felt her mood drop. They were having relationship problems lately… Not huge ones, but so many small problems that seemed to never end.

Nowadays, it just seemed that behind every comment was a snide remark or some passive-aggressive meaning. He’d also been ignoring her texts all day.

Shane parked at a small corner store, and while Vanessa bent down to grab her wallet, Shane had already hopped out and rounded the car to open her door for her.

“Forget it, Vanessa, it’s my treat.”

Vanessa rolled her eyes and took his offered hand to help her out of the car. “Fine, fine! Next one’s on me then!”

“I’ll hold you to it,” Shane winked at her.

She didn’t know why, but that small cheeky smile and wink made her heart flip. Was it the simple attention she was getting from him?

She shook her head and mentally chastised herself. She needed to get back in touch with Eric… She was obviously starving for attention if a simple wink was doing it for her.

When she got home, she would call him, she promised herself.

With ice cream on the menu for dinner but both feeling hungry, they ordered deluxe sundaes with all the works, and as they waited for their order, they stood outside in the cool air.

Skipping a meal for dessert wasn’t Vanessa’s usual style, but tonight just seemed like a night to be a little naughty and go for the sweet treat.

Luckily, Shane agreed and was feeling just as tempted as her…for the ice cream, that is. Just as Vanessa was about to speak, Shane’s phone rang.

“You can answer that, don’t mind me.” Vanessa smiled, nodding toward his phone.

Shane cleared his throat again and scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, I know… But… I’ll just send her a text. We usually just call to chat on the way home even if we don’t have anything to say.”

Shane looked straight into Vanessa’s eyes, almost as though trying to find an answer to a question she didn’t know.

She tilted her head and looked back at Shane. “Everything okay?”

Shane seemed to be deliberating on his answer before deciding on a curt one. “It’s a bit complicated.”

Vanessa knew that meant he didn’t really want to talk about it; after all, she was having a bit of a “complicated” issue with Eric too.

So, she backed off, not wanting to ruin the friendly atmosphere they’d had. “Sooo…,” she said to break the sudden awkwardness. “Hard to imagine the last time I saw you was when we worked together at our local grocer.”

Shane smiled. “It’s been ages, for sure. It’s been great to randomly bump into you.” He paused slightly before continuing. “Want to know a secret?”

Vanessa smiled. It almost sounded childish, the way he said it. “Sure. What secret?”

They were leaning on a railing, side by side, that faced an open grassy park. There was a lake just to the side of it and the sun was beginning to set, elongating shadows, and was starting to glow gold.

The golden-hour lighting painted their faces, and she turned to face Shane before he spoke again. “I had a crush on you back during that time. I used to get shit for it, but I didn’t care.”

Vanessa turned to him fully, eyes wide, and a surprised scoff unattractively blew out from her. “A crush? On me? As if.” She began to laugh; her heart was racing.

“It’s true! You were this hot little thing that joined our store and so easy to talk to. You would smile at me, and I was gone!”

Vanessa bit her bottom lip in deep thought. She had no idea…and it was crazy because… “I had a crush on you back then too,” she admitted.

Her cheeks burned, and she was sure they were beaming red right about now. She peeked at Shane from the side of her eye and saw he was as surprised as she was at his admission.

He opened his mouth to reply when the clerk called out their orders. Vanessa shot up and turned inside. “Oh, perfect timing.”

Vanessa rushed inside, using the dessert as the perfect excuse to turn away from Shane and gather her thoughts.

She held her deliciously heavy sundae by the paper cup and held the barely-cool paper to her cheek. Shane smirked at her and brought the ice cream up to lick at the melting drips on the cup.

“Come on, let’s go for a walk, and you can tell me all about this crush you have on me.”

Vanessa laughed in embarrassment and swatted Shane on the shoulder. “Shut up, that was years ago, just like yours.”

Shane quirked an eyebrow. “Who said my crush ever disappeared?” That earned him another playful swat on the shoulder.

They scooped at their ice cream as they walked around the lake. The farther they walked, the quieter their surroundings became.

Their shoulders bumped as they walked, and each was sending looks to the other that began to linger longer and longer.

It was a beautiful park hidden by woods, and on the other side of the lake, it was populated by families, exercising office workers, and tradespeople clocking off.

As the sun fully set, the temperature dropped slightly, and Vanessa unconsciously moved closer, seeking Shane’s warmth again.

They somehow managed to find a deserted area, slightly more unkempt than the newer part of the grounds, with old, graffitied picnic tables.

Old, yellow street lamps were their main source of light, almost as though trying to keep them in a hushed bubble.

Quietly, they decided to take a seat at one of the picnic tables closest to the woods. Rather than sitting on the bench seats, they both stepped up to sit on the table and rest their feet on the bench.

As they sat, a loud whistling caught their attention. They both looked up just as a firework exploded in the now night sky. “What the hell?”

“Some sort of fireworks competition, according to the store’s flyers,” Shane replied. “So… you had a crush on me huh?”

Vanessa ignored his question, a little smile pulling at the corner of her lips. She scooped up the chocolate fudge ice cream from her cup and held it out for him to try.

“Taste this one. It’s so good!” Vanessa turned to offer her spoon to Shane, and his eyes caught hers.

He bent down to try the ice cream while keeping eye contact, and then his eyes flicked down to her lips.

“Like it?” Vanessa whispered.

The fireworks continued as each competitor showed off their dazzling displays. Colors danced across their faces, and soon they were no longer pretending to look away, tiny fireworks exploding in the reflections of their eyes.

At some point, their light and friendly atmosphere turned electric, the slight current buzzing under their skin. A cool wind blew around them, swishing Vanessa’s skirt around her legs, and she couldn’t tell if that was the reason her nipples hardened or…something else.

“I like the sounds you make when you eat it,” Shane murmured.

Vanessa shuddered a light sigh. “Sounds I make?”

“Yeah…sounds like little moans of pleasure when you eat it.” Shane scooped some of his caramel vanilla ice cream and held it to Vanessa.

Rather than wait for her to taste it, he traced the ice cream across her bottom lip, watching as her small, breathy gasps melted the dessert. His eyes honed in on her pink tongue that darted out and slid across her lip to taste it, and he bit his lip at the sound she unconsciously made.

“Yeah…that sound.”

They were so close. They were leaning in toward one another and as another firework exploded in the sky, Vanessa blinked and pulled back.

“I’m…I’m sorry, Shane. I…I have a boyfriend. And…and you have a girlfrie—”

Her words were cut off when Shane leaned forward and captured her lips with his. Vanessa’s heart was racing in her chest.

This was wrong. She can’t do this. She can’t kiss Shane… They were both taken and…and… There was a point to this… What was her point?

Thoughts battled in her mind, and she couldn’t make heads or tails of what the hell they were. All she knew was that Shane’s kisses, which she was fervently returning, were causing brighter fireworks within her body than the ones in the sky.

He tasted like vanilla, caramel, cashews, and chocolate. He pushed his tongue past her lips and cupped the back of her head as her hands gripped the bottom of his shirt.

Their tongues caressed one another as they tasted and probed, and his other hand slid down to her lower back to pull her closer. Their lips broke apart as they gasped for air, and while Vanessa attempted to catch her breath and make sense of what they were doing, Shane’s lips latched to her neck, sucking and licking at the column.

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” Vanessa weakly whispered. “We totally shouldn’t be doing this…!”

Shane’s hand tugged at Vanessa’s hair to tilt her head up. He answered her in a staccato between kisses on her neck. “Then why is your hand under my shirt, Vanessa? If you don’t want this, I’ll stop. Just tell me and I’ll back off.”