Silent Exit by Julie Rollins Page A

she missed Stefan. Her heart
flipped thinking about him. He had been the love of her life. Their year-long
romance had been on and off, but she had loved him. His job took him overseas
often, as did hers. She had been a flight attendant for some years. They met on
one of her flights. He had flirted and chatted with her. She instantly loved
his dark chocolate eyes, and his tall, well-proportioned body. As he left the
aircraft, he slipped her his boarding card. He had written his phone number on
it.
         'I hope this is OK? I don't
normally do this.' He smiled, as he handed it to her.
        
The first date was in a country pub, just outside London. It was very romantic.
They sat by the open fire, it was a particularly quiet weekday evening. They
had the place to themselves. They laughed and chatted for hours, until the
landlord told them he was locking up. Outside, Stefan walked her to her car. He
made idle chat whilst he waited for the moment to kiss her. He didn't ask, he
just grabbed her hand and pulled her into him. He kissed her passionately. He

 
    pressed himself hard against her. His
lips were soft and moist. She felt a surge of pleasure as she pushed herself
into him. They clung together and kissed each other’s lips. He slid his tongue
into her mouth and relished in the pleasure of meeting hers. The lush warmth of
this moment was too much to handle and he broke off.
         'Sorry, I could feel myself getting
out of control.' He let out a deep breath.
         'You are amazing.'
         'Wow! That was some kiss.' Tess
confessed.
         'Let’s do this again. Like
tomorrow.' He said.
         Tess laughed.
         'I'm flying tomorrow. Back Saturday
though.'
         'You mean, I've got to wait three
days to kiss you again?'
         'Well, perhaps you should ask me if
I actually want to see you?' She teased.
         'Do you?'
         '…. Yes.'
         Stefan and Tess messaged each other
constantly. Tess had no doubt that they were meant to be together and couldn't wait
to see him. She didn't go home after her flight had landed. She continued
straight to Stefan's apartment in central London and fell straight into his
arms, as he opened the door.
         His smell was hypnotic and his kiss
was sweet, something that had been missing in her life. It excited her whole
being. He showed her how to be a little more daring and she showed him how to
be tender. Things were always on and off. They would argue sometimes and then
kiss and make up. They would play the game, because neither admitted that it
was love. 
        
Stefan was increasingly spending more time overseas on business and Tess was
given an opportunity to move to the Middle East permanently, to work on a
private jet. It was every flight attendant's dream. Tess had hoped that Stefan
would beg her not to go and that finally he would tell her, that he loved her.
Instead, he told her it was a great opportunity and encouraged her. Tess was

 
     
        
    secretly devastated and realized that he
had not been serious about her at all. She wanted desperately to tell him she
loved him, but she knew now that he did not feel the same.
         They grew apart after she
relocated. She didn't really bother with him as much and presumed he would be
seeing other women by now. He was an extremely sought after man, but she pushed
this thought to the back of her mind.
         When she met David, Stefan took the
news politely. He had instantly disliked David. From her description, he
thought that David sounded arrogant and cocky. He stepped aside, but they continued
to email from time to time.
         This new man in her life had been a
breath of fresh air. The constant flying all over the world was fun, but very
lonely. She had met David at a BBQ restaurant on the compound she was based at,
in Saudi Arabia. He was cheeky, gregarious Australian and always got what he
wanted. The attraction was instant. They both had something in