Chapter 3

Friday had flown by and Cory had enjoyed her day, she’d found herself drifting off occasionally a distant memory of her dream reoccurring at odd times. She had images of bright blue eyes gazing into hers and of the smell of brass and leather. If she closed her eyes she could picture a fur rug and the sounds of birds chattering on a spring morning but she had no idea why these images kept recurring. She’d had the same dream for the past three nights and she’d woken feeling relaxed and happy with the world.

It was late afternoon and she was on her way to the gym with Rachel. They’d both moaned so much in July about their expanding waist lines and sagging parts that they’d spent a lot of the holidays running and lifting the odd weights and there had been definite signs off improvement and the chance to gossip and relax after work was good. Rachel was also a great listener and would listen to Cory’s difficulties with Sam and in return she would listen to Rachel moan about her own love life and the difficulties she was having with her teenage daughter and son. Cory’s favourite part of their workout was the running. She’d never liked running in college and she still found the start of the run difficult but after 10 minutes her body would begin to relax and she just focussed on building up the speed. She’d been working on relaxation techniques and ways to keep her concentration focussed and now she was nearly running 3 miles in 20 minutes.

Thirty minutes later, her mind was focussed on what she was going to do when she got home. She’d had a brief message in her inbox that morning off JJ saying that she had been busy the previous evening but that she’d write a more detailed e-mail when she arrived at work. That would mean that Cory would get it when she arrived home and for some reason her pulse was racing, it had to be the after effects of her run, right? She glanced at Rachel who seemed to have recovered from the race and was now relaxing into her stomach exercises. Cory took a deep breath and settled into her own routine.

Sam was waiting for her as she stepped outside of the gym, the cool winter’s night air was bracing and she found herself wishing she’d put her jogging bottoms back on. She jumped into the passenger seat and settled next to Sam. The journey back to the house was brief and Sam and Cory settled into a comfortable silence, each of them lost in their own thoughts.

Her life over the past few months had settled into a routine, she’d download in the morning before school and her mailbox was always brimming with so many diverse mails, questions, stories and information from home and away. She’d spend her day at school and then either go to the gym or do an after school club or meeting but as always the first thing she did when she stepped through the door was to boot up her computer and check her mail. Sam would spend this time walking the dog or cooking the tea and Cory would just sit quietly reading, deleting and replying to messages.

Tonight she was more psyched than usual, she’d spent her time on the way home just daydreaming but she did notice that her thoughts always came back to JJ. As she thought of the name it appeared on the screen before her. The mail had been sent only 5 minutes before.

JJ Matthews My name

Hey Cory,

What can I tell you about me that won't put you back to sleep!! Well I told you I am 32 (an older woman!) I am an only child, spoiled, as any only child should be. Well my life is very settled at the moment. I have a partner; her name is Sarah. We live near Boston, in Massachusetts, in a small but cozy ranch house. As for the initials they stand for Jessica Jane but well it’s a bit of a wimpy name. The only person who calls me that still is my father. All my friends call me JJ so I hope you will!

I have lived in Germany, for 3 years. I never got to go to England. I have lived in Houston, Texas. I have also lived in California. I moved back home to be with my father after my mother died.

We, my partner Sarah and I bought this house a few years ago. We have been lucky the things we do to the house are because we want to do them. I am in the middle of re-decorating and furnishing the computer room. So picture me sitting in my guest bedroom filled with piles of junk. My monitor for the computer is on a plastic file cabinet and I am sitting cross-legged with the keyboard on my lap. Not very comfortable I might add my bum is numb.

I grew up in a small town and I went to a college for four years -- Providence College. I love sports; I played softball (baseball for women) and Ice Hockey. I love ice hockey. I did try soccer but I wasn't that great at it.

We don't have any pets; Sarah is allergic to the fur. We have been together for 5 years. We are somewhat opposites.

I hope that my relationship with Sarah doesn’t bother you. I didn't want to lie, that is not the way friendships are made. This is always hard for me, not knowing if somebody will dislike me just because of my lifestyle. I mean if they don't like me because they think I am a jerk ok - that I can handle.

Thanks for posting a report this morning – you write well – but then again you’re a teacher and you’re supposed to know these things!

So what kinds of things do you like besides fan-fiction and Xena? I’m assuming you’re a Xena fan as you’re on the list. I have to admit that I’m not really a fan at all. Haven’t actually seen much of the program, my girlfriend was told that this list was a good source of stories based around lesbian romance and I sort of got into it that way.

If you write down what to do about the ‘war’ we can work out a report and then maybe we can chat over the weekend. It seems Saturday is a good day. Let me know your thoughts.

Okay time for me to ask a question you said you had a partner called Sam and I’m assuming you’re a female although Cory could be for a boy or a girl. Is Sam male or female?

Hope to hear from you soon,

JJ

Cory read the mail twice, digesting the information and then she hit the reply button.

Cory Williams Re; My name

JJ,

Have to say I like the name JJ, I guess we all have names we hate; my middle name is Elizabeth and well it kind of embarrasses me at times when mum wants to get my attention and calls me Cory Elizabeth. As for your partner why would I have a problem with it? We met on a list that features stories and topics about same sex relationships, I believe that there is little love in the world as it is and so if you find it you should go for it – doesn’t matter what colour, gender or language they speak. Love is rare so you ought to treasure it.

Sam is my husband; we’ve been together 5 years. He’s my best friend and we get on great most of the time, although if I’m honest we’re more the best of friends than anything else.

I’ve been teaching for 7 years and love it. I live in the middle of England and although the weather drives me crazy at times I like it.

I can’t believe on a list like this that I’ve found someone else who’s not into the show! What a coincidence! Spooky really! My friend Rachel introduced me to the list I have promised her that I will watch the show one day!

Well I’m off for a shower as I’m absolutely shattered; I’ve been to the gym! I ran well and my figure is slowly getting back into shape!!

I’m around all evening and weekend if you want to chat.

Take care

Cory

She sent the mail and then sat there, she could go downstairs and talk to Sam but it had been a hard day and she just wanted some peace and quiet. This was what she missed most about being single; you never had to think about someone else’s feelings all the time. She needed quiet time, time to herself where she could just mull over the events of the day and reflect on her life. A bath, that was the answer, a nice long soak in the tub, she usually had a shower after the gym but tonight she just wanted to chill out.

She turned on the taps and slowly peeled off her gym wear. She noticed as she did so that her muscles were slowly gaining back their definition. She’d studied Physical Education at college and whilst she hadn’t been the fittest person in the group she hadn’t been the worst. She’d quite enjoyed the challenges of the course and as it was mainly practical it kept her attention span focussed and after four years she’d gained her degree.

After college she’d kept her fitness up, she’d joined a netball team and met up with Mandy who became her training partner. Her body had toned up dramatically and if she said so herself she looked good. Then she’d met Sam and the commuting to each other’s houses at weekends had meant her gym time and sport time had decreased and as they’d settled into a comfortable life together the weight had begun to creep on. Now she had caught the fitness bug again and her body was beginning to respond.

The bath had finally filled and she lowered her tired body slowly into the small tub. She closed her eyes and it didn’t take long for her to relax into a light sleep.

She had the image of someone hugging her from behind; his or her head resting lightly on her shoulder and the breath of the person was gently caressing her ear. She breathed in deeply and although the smell was familiar, it wasn’t Sam’s; it was a sweet, mildly floral smell like baby’s talcum powder. The arms although strong were longer than Sam’s and much softer; she felt safe. The arms around her suddenly tightened and she felt herself warm to the touch of the pressed body against hers. Silky lips started nibbling her ear…..

Cory awoke a little startled, she was feeling a mixture of emotions; one of them was fright at the fact that she’d fallen asleep in the bath something she’d never done before. The other one was a tingling sensation coursing through her body, she was feeling turned on and she had no idea why. She shook her head to try and shake the feelings and finally ducked her head under the water and quickly washed the sweat off her body. She climbed out of the bath and dried herself quickly, grabbing her bathrobe. As she went past the office she felt the urge to do one more download before she settled downstairs for the evening.

She entered the office and looked at her watch, 8pm, well someone might be around and want to play. She clicked on the machine and gently tapped her fingers against the desktop as she counted the seconds before the mails started downloading. There weren’t that many mails which was surprising but Cory didn’t ponder that fact for very long as a familiar name appeared on screen.

JJ Matthews Friday

Hi Cory,

Good evening, well it’s still afternoon my time but you must be half way through your evening!!!! This time difference thing is kind of weird!

Just a quick question-- does shattered mean really tired, because in the States it usually means "drunk" which I think you use the term "pissed" for; which means
really mad here. I think I might need to employ a translator soon! (vbg) This friendship should be entertaining at least and a learning experience!

Well I’m still at work so I’d better go and look busy! By the time I get home you will be tucked up in bed having sweet dreams (I hope!), so I guess as tomorrow is Saturday we should be able to meet up and swap mails about midday onwards. I’m not too busy this weekend.

The weather over here is amazing the snow is coming down thick and fast! What’s the weather like your end?

Hope your evening goes well,

JJ

Cory sat and reread the mail, her lips turning upwards when she read the line about shattered. She could just imagine herself drunk in the gym! She found herself thinking about what she should write next. She had so many things she wanted to ask. JJ had said her mum had died, well she couldn’t relate exactly to that but her grandma had recently passed away and it still hurt. She didn’t talk about her feelings about this very much and well she just knew that JJ would understand it might be good to put her feelings down on paper. She was slowly coming to terms with the death of her grandmother and it had been two years but you never really recover from a loss of close family and her grandparents and mum had brought up Cory, when her father had left. She’d also found out recently that her grandfather who she worshipped was terminally ill and this had brought back the memories of her grandmother’s death.

She settled in front of the computer. She was beginning to feel tired and decided that she’d write the mail in the morning when she felt fresher; she also needed to spend some time this evening with Sam just to keep the peace. She shut down the computer and made her way downstairs.

Part 4

Mail Jules

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