© Copyright 2004

Getting a phone call at three in the morning isn't something I would recommend if you're looking for a way to wake up that's gentle on the nerves. The ringing jarred me awake and I waited a moment, expecting Angie to pick up before my sleep-addled brain remembered that she was with her mother.

"Hello?" My voice was thick and raspy, and I hoped to God the caller had a good reason for getting me up at such an early hour.

"Mr. Daniels?"

"Yes... who is this?"

"I'm sorry, sir. This is Mercy Hospital in Apple Ridge. This is Mr. Daniels?"

"Yes. What is it?" I asked, aware of the worry I could suddenly hear in my voice. Apple Ridge was halfway between our home in Black Ridge and Stapleton, where Angie's mother had moved after Angie started college. Angie had said she wasn't sure when she was coming back, and to be honest I hadn't been all that sad to see her go at the time.

Married life had been a tough adjustment for us, and I was beginning to wonder if we'd made the right decision. I knew it was a foolish thought, because every couple goes through a rough stretch, all our friends said so. At the time, it had been a relief to be on my own again at least for a few days, but the thought of Angie in the hospital wiped that all away in a heartbeat.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Daniels. There's been an accident on the interstate, and your wife is in critical condition.

"Wait a minute. Are you sure you have the right Daniels?"

"Keith Daniels?"

"Yes... oh God... it's my wife? Angie?"

"Yes sir, I'm sorry sir. I don't know any particulars, just that she was involved in a car accident and was flown in an hour ago."

"An hour?"

"Yes. There was some confusion as to her identity."

"What? Jesus, start over. How is she? Why was there any confusion?"

"She was unconscious when she came in, and... I'm sorry sir, there's no delicate way to put this, most of her clothing and all of her personal effects were lost with the car."

"Oh fuck... I'm sorry... what happened? Just tell me what happened." The nurse didn't know enough to tell me anything, and I waited an agonizing few minutes while a police officer who had been on the scene and was still hanging around the hospital was called to the phone.

He went on to tell me that Angie appeared to have been driving alone in the country, when her car was sideswiped by another vehicle at an unmarked intersection. The other driver had been killed instantly, the car a twisted wreck in the middle of the road, but Angie had survived, and her car had skidded off the road.

The impact was violent but not remarkably serious, he said. The other driver would have easily survived, but had not been wearing a seatbelt and broke his neck attempting to fly through the windshield. Angie wasn't hurt with the impact, and would have been fine, but in trying to gain control of the vehicle, she had driven onto a farm property and ran into an above ground fuel tank, which exploded onto the car.

"Oh Christ," I moaned. "How is she? When can I see her? I can be there in ninety minutes."

"Sir," the officer interrupted. "I'd advise you to stay where you are. We'll send someone to get you. There's no rush, Mrs. Daniels is in surgery and will be for the next few hours." My heart was a lump in my throat and I felt my world crashing down on me. I sat back on the bed and took a few deep breaths before continuing.

"What kind of surgery?" I asked, fearing the answer.

"Reconstructive. I'm sorry I don't know any more at the moment."

The officer said a car would come to get me shortly, and he hung up. My hand was shaking as I put the receiver back on the cradle, and I happened to glance at our wedding picture, taken only three months ago.

Knowing I had a while to wait I dressed and headed to the kitchen. I needed a drink.

I was a freshman in high school, and I hated every minute of it. I was the definition of geekiness, and none of the upperclassmen, or most of my friends for that matter, failed to remind me of it at any opportunity. The fact that I had hair that couldn't be managed with all the hairspray in the world didn't help things much, especially in tandem with what were easily the thickest pair of glasses in school.

Combine my less than stellar looks with a schedule that included calculus and advanced economics, not to mention band and choir, and I was the butt of more than a few jokes.

If it wouldn't have been for Angie, I don't know if I would have made it out of my social hell.

Angie and I grew up next door to each other, and for most of our elementary school years the two of us were inseparable. Whether it was racing toy cars on the sidewalk or dressing up our stuffed toys in baby clothes, if one of us was doing it so was the other. I remember one time in junior high my mother commenting, "that Angie is sure a nice girl," and the idea stunned me.

Angie wasn't a girl! She was my best friend, and that was that, and I was sure she felt likewise. We told each other all our secrets, and neither of us had hinted that we had any kind of feelings for each other, so the obvious assumption was that we didn't.

Things began to change after that, possibly because of my mother's comment, or possibly I was just growing up. When we got together now, I was acutely aware of just how much of a woman Angie was turning out to be. Playtime together became more and more difficult, and if I hadn't known better I would have sworn she was dressing to tease me, but Angie wasn't that kind of a girl.

Or so I thought.

It was the homecoming dance, and I didn't know enough to realize that the uncool kids really didn't go to the big social events, especially without a date. I was unpopular and without a date, and as a result spent much of the evening sitting at one of the tables, far away from the dance floor, drinking punch.

I'd had no luck finding a dance partner, and it was beginning to stick with me that all of the girls I had asked to dance had turned me down cold, without so much as an "I'm sorry." I was beginning to contemplate heading home when I felt someone stop and stand in front of me.

"Hey Angie," I said.

"Hey yourself. Wanna dance?" I looked at her quizzically. Surely she wasn't serious?

"Really? You want to dance... with me?" I asked. She nodded. "What about Bobby?" Bobby was our grade's sports star, and although he was a nice guy, I didn't like him. He was dancing with Angie all evening, and I hadn't had so much as a chance to ask her to dance, much less the opportunity to say hello. Obviously he was the enemy.

Angie grimaced. "He's off with his friends. C'mon! I wanna dance with you." She grabbed my hand and I allowed myself to be pulled onto the dance floor.

I had spent enough time watching the other kids dancing and having fun that I knew the basics, and held my arms out to Angie. She gracefully slipped into my embrace and the two of us began the typical back and forth motion that marks many junior high dances, awkward and unsure of ourselves.

"So have you had a good time?" she asked. I shook my head.

"Not really. No one wants to dance with me," I said, full of self pity.

"That's not true. I wanted to dance with you," she answered, trying to act slighted, but her grin gave her away.

"Nah, that doesn't count... you're a good friend. You almost have to dance with me," I said.

As we had danced our bodies had slowly filled the original gap we had left between us, and as we swayed to the music our thighs would occasionally touch. I was aware of the swell of her breasts under her white cotton blouse, and tried not to stare.

"Keith. Look at me," Angie chided, and I snapped my head up, afraid I'd been caught ogling her boobs. That wasn't the case though. "You're a nice guy," she said, and I felt a burning sensation as her chest came in contact with mine as the two fiery points of her tits pressed into me. "A lot of girls would be happy to dance with you." I was suddenly short of breath and could only nod.

We danced another song together after that, our bodies moving closer and closer until at last Angie's arms were tight around my neck, my own hands resting on the gentle swell of her ass. I wasn't aware I had an erection until I felt Angie's hips push against mine, and I suddenly felt pressure where before there had been none. I felt my bulge pressing against her midsection and knew she certainly must feel it too. Embarrassed I tried to pull away, but Angie held tight.

"Is that for me?" she asked, a small smile playing across her lips. I nodded and was relieved when Angie ducked her head, resting against my chest. I felt her sigh, her pear-sized breasts pressing hard against my chest. I unconsciously wrapped her tighter in my arms and as she shifted against me, I could feel my head spinning with all the new sensations.

I thought we were done when the song ended, but the DJ announced one last song, and Angie showed no signs of breaking our embrace.

"What about Bobby?" I asked again, concerned she might want to dance with him.

"I don't care," she said, raising her eyes and looking into mine. "I'm having a much better time with you. You're a good friend," she said quietly as she again leaned into me. I felt her slide her hips against mine and I pulled back slightly, once more embarrassed, but Angie quickly positioned herself and again wrapped me in her embrace.

In all her moving around, Angie had managed to slip one leg between mine, while my right leg was pressed firmly against her crotch. I felt my dick give a surge as her smooth thigh began pressing against it, while at the same time Angie began humping her pussy against my leg.

Without any conscious thought, my hands slid further down her back, until both were grasping at her firm buttocks. I gave a quick squeeze and then panicked as I felt Angie start and her muscles tense, but she gave a little sigh and pressed more firmly against me.

We held each other after the final song was over, swaying to our own music until at last the lights were turned on. Angie looked up at me and smiled. I looked down, happy to spend so much time in her arms, and then she kissed me.

I froze, not having expected that, but finally melted into her arms, kissing back at her sweet lips. We managed to pull ourselves away from each other and Angie gave me a quick wave goodbye, with a promise that she would see me tomorrow. She went off to search for Bobby, and I made a beeline for the parking lot, hoping no one would see the bulge in my pants.

Riding a bicycle home with a raging hard-on is generally a very unpleasant experience, but I didn't notice a thing, I was so wrapped up in my time with Angie.

"How was it?" my mother asked when I got home. She always stayed up when I was out, and this evening was no exception.

"Good," I mumbled, wanting desperately to get to my room and relieve the tension in my groin.

"Sit down, tell me about it," she said, motioning to a chair.

"That's okay," I said. "It was fine. I sat around most of the night and danced a couple of dances with Angie. Goodnight!" Before she could respond I was out of the kitchen and in my room.

I closed the door behind me and within seconds was lying on the covers, my pants around my ankles as my fist flew up and down my erection.

I'd never had any personal experiences I could use as masturbatory material, and I kept remembering the feel of Angie's breasts against my chest, the way her ass felt in my hands as the muscles tensed and relaxed while we danced. I remembered the stray hairs that brushed against my face and the way she smelled. I felt myself rapidly approaching my orgasm, so rapidly that I had no time to grab my usual towel, and before I was ready the first burst of semen sprayed all over my stomach.

I lay there panting for a moment before sitting up. My shirt and chest were a mess with my sticky cum, and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. Groaning, I reached down and pulled off a sock and quickly wiped myself clean. Collapsing back on the bed, I pulled the covers over my naked body and fell asleep, dreaming of Angie.

True to the policeman's word, there was a quiet knock on door little more than hour later, and I wondered how quickly he had driven to get here.

"How is she?" were the first words out of my mouth, but the man in front of me raised his hands, shaking his head.

"Sorry, I don't know anything about it. I was just told to come pick you up. You'll have to wait to talk to the doctors. Sorry. Do you have an overnight bag with you?"

I did, and we were quickly off.

The ride to Apple Ridge seemed to last for hours. Visions of a burned and scarred Angie lying in a hospital bed ran through my head the entire trip. At one point I must have inadvertently moaned out loud, because the cop looked over at me sharply.

"Hey, mac... you okay?"

"Yeah, sorry. This is just so... I don't know what to think. The nurse I talked to seemed to think she was going to be okay, but I haven't talked to anyone who really knows anything, and she's in surgery right now, and I just don't know what to think."

"Can I say something?" the cop asked, and I nodded. "It's a real good thing she's in surgery, you understand that, right?"

"Why?"

"If it was hopeless, they wouldn't bother. The fact that she's there means there's hope. So hang your hat on that, remember that, okay?"

"Yeah." I sighed, staring out the window. "It's just... we've only been married a few months and we had a fight and she ran to her mother and... God... what if that's the memory she had of me, screaming at her to run back to mommy?" I started to cry and buried my head in my hands, trying to fight back the tears.

"Do you love her?" the cop asked, finally breaking the silence. I nodded that I did.

"Of course, it was just a stupid fight."

"Then you tell her you love her when you see her, got it?"

After the initial shock of the homecoming dance wore off, I began to think more and more about Angie and me as an actual, honest to goodness couple. The thought scared me, but when I tentatively asked her out on a movie date the following week she accepted happily.

I wasn't sure what had gone on between her and Bobby, and wasn't sure I wanted to know, but being with Angie made me happier than I'd ever been before, and I didn't give him much thought. There was one scary confrontation with him and what seemed like half the football team, but Angie stuck up for me, and any problems I had seemed to disappear.

It's amazing what happens to a guy's confidence when he has a pretty girl on his arm, and my high school years seemed to fly by. By the time our junior prom came around, the two of us were one of the "old couples" of the school.

As often as I had been allowed the privilege of touching Angie's beautiful body, or feeling her hands on my penis as we kissed and groped in the back seat of my car, my heart stopped when I watched her come down the stairs in her prom dress. She had dressed in a tight maroon number, all billowy and sleek. It was sexy as hell without being slutty, accenting her femininity without being ostentatious, and I suddenly felt numb all over just looking at her.

"Close your mouth son," Angie's father warned good-naturedly, laughing at my look of awe. "You're liable to catch a fly doing that." I snapped my jaw closed with an audible snap and Angie looked at me, a big smile on her face.

"You... you look beautiful," I stammered, and Angie blushed at the compliment.

"You do too," she said, looking me over. I clean up pretty nice, I guess, and the tuxedo and shiny leather shoes certainly helped, but I felt like a toad next to her, and told her so.

"Nonsense," she said, giving me a quick kiss on the cheek as we waved goodbye to her parents and headed to the dance. "I never feel more beautiful when I'm with you. I love the way you look at me, and I think we look good together."

"If that's true," I answered softly, "then it's all because of you. You're easy to look at," I said, my entire world swelling and becoming a better place to be as her smile seemed to light up my car.

We danced and ate and did everything a couple is supposed to do at their first prom. We made sure to get lots of good pictures so my parents, who were away visiting relatives, could relive the experience. It was late when we finally left the hotel where the prom had been held. I looked at my watch and saw that we had just under an hour before Angie had to be home at midnight, and asked what she wanted to do.

"I don't need to be home until two tonight," she answered happily. "Let's go out to the pond."

The two of us had discovered "our" place a few months before while giving a classmate a ride home from school. An old quarry had filled with water, and we would often swim there during the hottest part of the summer. It was also one of our favorite spots to park, and I felt my dick jump in my slacks at the thought of two hours alone together.

I pulled off the path and turned the car off, leaving the auxiliary power on so we could listen to an oldies station. I turned to Angie only to find she had slid over and was hovering inches from me.

"Do you love me?" she asked, staring into the deepest part of my soul. I found I could barely speak, which I had found to be a regular occurrence in Angie's presence.

"Yes," I squeaked, my head nodding vigorously.

"Good. Me too," she murmured as her arms found their way around my neck. I was about to say just how much I loved her when she pulled me close, and then she kissed me. As always I felt an electric spark as our lips met, and we spent many minutes just kissing as our tongues explored together, slipping and sliding against one another.

I had dropped one hand to Angie's front and was happy just squeezing her soft breasts through the slick material of her dress. I could feel the nipple, firm and erect against my palm as she moaned into my mouth. My cock was erect, and Angie squirmed against it, pushing me closer to her hot, wet center as she sat on my lap.

Breaking the kiss, Angie leaned away from me, grabbing for her purse. Finally finding what she was looking for, she handed me a tiny foil packet, blushing slighly. I looked at the condom with surprise, and my eyes looked up to meet hers.

"Angie?" I asked, not daring to hope what this might mean. She nodded silently.

"Do you want to?" she asked, biting her lower lip between her teeth. She looked gorgeous, beautiful, shy and unsure and I knew at that moment that not only did I love her, but I was in love with her, and always would be. I nodded quickly, afraid my voice would betray my nervousness, and before I could move, Angie had slid off my lap, and was quickly shucking her shoes and hose to the floor.

"Wait," I croaked, watching as she undid the buttons running down the side of her dress. I could see the soft skin underneath, and wanted to touch her, wanted to feel her smooth body in my hands. "Let me."

Angie looked at me and turned, and with trembling hands I slid the material off her shoulders, baring the smooth expanse of her back, covered only with a satiny blue bra strap. Angie lifted her hips off the seat and helped me slide the dress the rest of the way off and suddenly she sat there, clad only in bra and panties. I swallowed, trying to get rid of the lump in my throat.