ODFFA
Well-Known Member
~BHM ~FFA ~Romance ~Sex
Megan Jones stood at the bottom of the stage stairs, feeling the slight shivers up and down her back start to increase with her breathing. She took one last sip from her water bottle, knowing that the owner of the Oak Tree pub was getting ready to introduce her.
She was on the small wooden platform before she knew it. A canvas of heads and faces danced before her, blurred by the sharp light aimed directly at her face. It reflected off her long black hair and the sparsely sprinkled sequins on her red halter top. Grateful to hear a few claps timed to the beat of her second song and a few voices joining in, she eased into her performance and was soon enjoying each fleeting second of it.
“She’s really getting into it now. Look at those people over at that table, Martin,” Cecile said with an amused smile. Martin uttered a silent laugh. “They’ve certainly had a few! Seems to be working to her advantage, though.”
A mixed feeling of protectiveness and pride settled over Martin as he watched his little sister sing her heart out to the great enjoyment of some of the patrons.
“I’ll go and get us some drinks. What do you guys fancy?” he asked, turning back to face his three friends sitting across the table. Alan sat next to an enthusiastically smiling Cecile, looking half dead by comparison.
“I’ll grab the drinks, baby. You’ll probably need to keep a lookout for your friend, since you’re the only one who knows what he looks like.” Martin’s girlfriend, Sonia, sprang to her feet and started taking orders.
“Thanks, Nia,” he said, smiling up at her before she turned around and headed in the direction of the bar.
“Ben! Over here!” Martin called out a few minutes later as soon as his eye caught sight of a round, open face glancing from one table to another.
A scattered applause briefly filled the area near the stage from different angles. With her vision slightly cleared, Megan tried to focus surreptitiously on the table where she was sure her brother and friends were sitting. She stopped trying in the first few seconds of her next song and redirected her gaze to the spot on the back wall that had become a familiar comfort. She knew that Ben Kruger, whom she remembered with much fondness from her early high school days, was back in Bellville and would be joining Martin and the rest at some point.
Her stomach now made the same quick jump as it had a few weeks earlier when her brother had told her that Ben would be moving back. She hadn’t seen much of him in high school. He was a year her senior and was one of Martin’s good friends. Though there had always been an unspoken bond between the two siblings, they had spent most of their time apart in their teens.
Ben’s large, lavishly shaped body, gorgeous head of strawberry blond hair and handsome round face did, however, make an impression on Megan; one she had always tried to keep respectfully hidden.
He probably doesn’t even look the same anymore. she thought. She’d seen it once or twice before, a significant slim-down of someone that had once struck her fancy.
Only two more songs and the performance will have gone off without a hitch. Thank goodness. Megan breathed a silent sigh and resolved to reward her thinly spread, but enthusiastic audience with a worthy finish-off. Well warmed up by this time, her voice danced effortlessly around the crowd-pleaser, ‘We Found Love’, joined again by a few more voices and timed claps from below. Her eyes opened after one of the longer notes and her gaze landed on the remarkably good-looking man she immediately recognized as Ben Kruger.
He did look much as she remembered him. She was delighted to notice he had retained that wonderful softness. He was not looking in her direction as far as she could tell; it appeared he was trying to strike up a conversation with Alan, who was still looking vaguely disinterested by all his surroundings.
“So Martin, when’s your sister going up?” Ben asked, turning at last to face Martin, but looking towards the stage.
“That’s her up there, dude.”
“Seriously?!” he half-sniggered at himself for not recognizing her.
“Yup.”
“Oh! She really has… grown up.” Ben winced inwardly.
Megan forced her eyes to remain on the back wall as she worked her way through the last song. For a moment she was certain he’d looked in her direction, which, she reminded herself, should hardly have been surprising since she was standing on a platform and belting out one pub classic after another. The last note rang out with thankfulness and minimal effort, and drew applause from almost the entire audience this time. Megan carefully made her way back down the few steps to a congratulatory high five from the owner. She braced herself at the realization that the nerves hadn’t left her and made her way slowly to the table.
“Hi, guys!”
“Hey! You were brilliant, my friend!” Cecile almost screeched as she gave Megan a warm hug.
“You really were.” Martin added another embrace, followed closely by his girlfriend, Sonia.
“Thanks, guys! I really appreciate you all coming. This one was a nice confidence booster.”
“I’m glad you did it, Sis.” Martin motioned Ben forward. “You remember Ben, don’t you?”
“Of course,” Megan smiled at him with what she hoped was measured enthusiasm. “Ben, hi! It’s really good to see you again.”
He stretched out his hand and shook hers firmly. “Likewise. And you were great up there. I had no idea you sang like that.”
“Yeah, those that did know were sworn to secrecy and threatened with their lives for some time,” Martin teased.
“Shut up!” Megan shared in the amusement, lightly elbowing her big brother in the ribs.
“It’s true, Ben. You needn’t feel bad. I only found out after two years of knowing her,” Cecile chimed in and flashed a look of mock accusation in her direction. She motioned for Megan to scooch into the comfortably padded booth first, before doing the same. Ben carefully slid back into his own seat next to the two girls.
“Alan’s just gone to get us another round, but can I get you something to celebrate with, Megs?” Martin offered.
“Just a Coke, thanks. I’m too thirsty and high on adrenaline for anything stronger.”
“Figures.” Martin teasingly rolled his eyes.
Ben was still surprised at how much Megan had changed over the past four years; though, at the same time, she was still in essence exactly as he had remembered her. Nothing about her had particularly struck him at the age of 16, or perhaps he had not allowed it to. She was merely Martin’s cute, untouchable little sister.
Cecile happily kept most of the conversation going between the three of them on one side of the table before getting into an in-depth discussion with Sonia about tutoring first-year students. Turning her attention to Ben, Megan asked him some standard catch up questions about his studies and his family, relieved that her tongue was not completely stuck to her palate.
“My dad’s not doing too badly. He’s actually been in Jo’burg for a few months now. Started to build up quite a client base there since that one big case first got referred to him a few years ago.” Ben shifted uncomfortably in his seat for a brief moment.
“Oh yes, I remember hearing about that. And does your mom still run that guest house Martin told me so much about?”
“Yeah, she really enjoys it. So did I. Those breakfast spreads are quite something. I’d gotten a bit used to that every morning,” he chuckled. Megan couldn’t help but be grateful for the sight and sound of it. “I’m so sorry, Martin probably has told me what you’re studying, but I’ve completely forgotten.”
“No worries,” she reassured. “If I had to memorize all that Latin, I’d forget that kind of thing too. I’m doing the mainstream social sciences thing.”
A sheepish, but infectious smile crossed her face. “Hoping to go the psychology route career-wise.”
“I can really see you being very good at that. I’d actually like to eventually be a judge at some point down the line if I can, although I know that’s a pretty high aim. It’s just a job that I think I’d be quite passionate about.”
“Ben, that sounds brilliant. I think you’d stand a very good chance to, from what Martin tells me about your work ethic.”
“Ah yes, I think my new nickname is over-achiever. Has been for a while actually,” he laughed.
“That’s just jealousy talking.”
With each passing second Megan’s butterflies gradually started to decrease until she could have sworn Ben had always been her own long-time school buddy.
The evening passed with much continued laughter and discussion, though, to her, it seemed to go by way too quickly. She guessed she had probably never talked to Ben as much as she did then. She also guessed that keeping her mind clear of snapshots from the evening would prove difficult. Two days had since passed and Megan no longer needed to guess.
Wordless Rehabilitation
by ODFFA
by ODFFA
Megan Jones stood at the bottom of the stage stairs, feeling the slight shivers up and down her back start to increase with her breathing. She took one last sip from her water bottle, knowing that the owner of the Oak Tree pub was getting ready to introduce her.
She was on the small wooden platform before she knew it. A canvas of heads and faces danced before her, blurred by the sharp light aimed directly at her face. It reflected off her long black hair and the sparsely sprinkled sequins on her red halter top. Grateful to hear a few claps timed to the beat of her second song and a few voices joining in, she eased into her performance and was soon enjoying each fleeting second of it.
“She’s really getting into it now. Look at those people over at that table, Martin,” Cecile said with an amused smile. Martin uttered a silent laugh. “They’ve certainly had a few! Seems to be working to her advantage, though.”
A mixed feeling of protectiveness and pride settled over Martin as he watched his little sister sing her heart out to the great enjoyment of some of the patrons.
“I’ll go and get us some drinks. What do you guys fancy?” he asked, turning back to face his three friends sitting across the table. Alan sat next to an enthusiastically smiling Cecile, looking half dead by comparison.
“I’ll grab the drinks, baby. You’ll probably need to keep a lookout for your friend, since you’re the only one who knows what he looks like.” Martin’s girlfriend, Sonia, sprang to her feet and started taking orders.
“Thanks, Nia,” he said, smiling up at her before she turned around and headed in the direction of the bar.
“Ben! Over here!” Martin called out a few minutes later as soon as his eye caught sight of a round, open face glancing from one table to another.
A scattered applause briefly filled the area near the stage from different angles. With her vision slightly cleared, Megan tried to focus surreptitiously on the table where she was sure her brother and friends were sitting. She stopped trying in the first few seconds of her next song and redirected her gaze to the spot on the back wall that had become a familiar comfort. She knew that Ben Kruger, whom she remembered with much fondness from her early high school days, was back in Bellville and would be joining Martin and the rest at some point.
Her stomach now made the same quick jump as it had a few weeks earlier when her brother had told her that Ben would be moving back. She hadn’t seen much of him in high school. He was a year her senior and was one of Martin’s good friends. Though there had always been an unspoken bond between the two siblings, they had spent most of their time apart in their teens.
Ben’s large, lavishly shaped body, gorgeous head of strawberry blond hair and handsome round face did, however, make an impression on Megan; one she had always tried to keep respectfully hidden.
He probably doesn’t even look the same anymore. she thought. She’d seen it once or twice before, a significant slim-down of someone that had once struck her fancy.
Only two more songs and the performance will have gone off without a hitch. Thank goodness. Megan breathed a silent sigh and resolved to reward her thinly spread, but enthusiastic audience with a worthy finish-off. Well warmed up by this time, her voice danced effortlessly around the crowd-pleaser, ‘We Found Love’, joined again by a few more voices and timed claps from below. Her eyes opened after one of the longer notes and her gaze landed on the remarkably good-looking man she immediately recognized as Ben Kruger.
He did look much as she remembered him. She was delighted to notice he had retained that wonderful softness. He was not looking in her direction as far as she could tell; it appeared he was trying to strike up a conversation with Alan, who was still looking vaguely disinterested by all his surroundings.
“So Martin, when’s your sister going up?” Ben asked, turning at last to face Martin, but looking towards the stage.
“That’s her up there, dude.”
“Seriously?!” he half-sniggered at himself for not recognizing her.
“Yup.”
“Oh! She really has… grown up.” Ben winced inwardly.
Megan forced her eyes to remain on the back wall as she worked her way through the last song. For a moment she was certain he’d looked in her direction, which, she reminded herself, should hardly have been surprising since she was standing on a platform and belting out one pub classic after another. The last note rang out with thankfulness and minimal effort, and drew applause from almost the entire audience this time. Megan carefully made her way back down the few steps to a congratulatory high five from the owner. She braced herself at the realization that the nerves hadn’t left her and made her way slowly to the table.
“Hi, guys!”
“Hey! You were brilliant, my friend!” Cecile almost screeched as she gave Megan a warm hug.
“You really were.” Martin added another embrace, followed closely by his girlfriend, Sonia.
“Thanks, guys! I really appreciate you all coming. This one was a nice confidence booster.”
“I’m glad you did it, Sis.” Martin motioned Ben forward. “You remember Ben, don’t you?”
“Of course,” Megan smiled at him with what she hoped was measured enthusiasm. “Ben, hi! It’s really good to see you again.”
He stretched out his hand and shook hers firmly. “Likewise. And you were great up there. I had no idea you sang like that.”
“Yeah, those that did know were sworn to secrecy and threatened with their lives for some time,” Martin teased.
“Shut up!” Megan shared in the amusement, lightly elbowing her big brother in the ribs.
“It’s true, Ben. You needn’t feel bad. I only found out after two years of knowing her,” Cecile chimed in and flashed a look of mock accusation in her direction. She motioned for Megan to scooch into the comfortably padded booth first, before doing the same. Ben carefully slid back into his own seat next to the two girls.
“Alan’s just gone to get us another round, but can I get you something to celebrate with, Megs?” Martin offered.
“Just a Coke, thanks. I’m too thirsty and high on adrenaline for anything stronger.”
“Figures.” Martin teasingly rolled his eyes.
Ben was still surprised at how much Megan had changed over the past four years; though, at the same time, she was still in essence exactly as he had remembered her. Nothing about her had particularly struck him at the age of 16, or perhaps he had not allowed it to. She was merely Martin’s cute, untouchable little sister.
Cecile happily kept most of the conversation going between the three of them on one side of the table before getting into an in-depth discussion with Sonia about tutoring first-year students. Turning her attention to Ben, Megan asked him some standard catch up questions about his studies and his family, relieved that her tongue was not completely stuck to her palate.
“My dad’s not doing too badly. He’s actually been in Jo’burg for a few months now. Started to build up quite a client base there since that one big case first got referred to him a few years ago.” Ben shifted uncomfortably in his seat for a brief moment.
“Oh yes, I remember hearing about that. And does your mom still run that guest house Martin told me so much about?”
“Yeah, she really enjoys it. So did I. Those breakfast spreads are quite something. I’d gotten a bit used to that every morning,” he chuckled. Megan couldn’t help but be grateful for the sight and sound of it. “I’m so sorry, Martin probably has told me what you’re studying, but I’ve completely forgotten.”
“No worries,” she reassured. “If I had to memorize all that Latin, I’d forget that kind of thing too. I’m doing the mainstream social sciences thing.”
A sheepish, but infectious smile crossed her face. “Hoping to go the psychology route career-wise.”
“I can really see you being very good at that. I’d actually like to eventually be a judge at some point down the line if I can, although I know that’s a pretty high aim. It’s just a job that I think I’d be quite passionate about.”
“Ben, that sounds brilliant. I think you’d stand a very good chance to, from what Martin tells me about your work ethic.”
“Ah yes, I think my new nickname is over-achiever. Has been for a while actually,” he laughed.
“That’s just jealousy talking.”
With each passing second Megan’s butterflies gradually started to decrease until she could have sworn Ben had always been her own long-time school buddy.
The evening passed with much continued laughter and discussion, though, to her, it seemed to go by way too quickly. She guessed she had probably never talked to Ben as much as she did then. She also guessed that keeping her mind clear of snapshots from the evening would prove difficult. Two days had since passed and Megan no longer needed to guess.
