So, I am the world's worst person ever

So, I am the world's worst person ever. I complain about the lack of reviews and then bam! You guys bless me with kind words and sweet thoughtfulness and how do I repay you? I wait over a month to update! I am so, so sorry! Please don't feel that I don't appreciate them because I do. Each and every word typed means the world to me. I cannot apologize enough, but thanks for continuing on! I am really going to make an honest effort to update more often. I know what you are all thinking - "I'll believe it when I see it", but at least know I am trying!

The only thing I have going for me to get back in your good graces is that this chapter is long!

SexyEm - Thank you for taking the time to review. I should have had them think it was Ryan banging on the door. Oh Well.

KandyLove - Thanks for the compliments. I hated the lack of Kandy in Season 3 too. Too much angst for my liking.

Megan - Thanks for loving all aspects of the story - smut and sweetness. I love being quoted so thanks for that as well.

4EverKandy - A lot of you guys wished Sandy walked in on her. Maybe I will think about that in the future.

Bluetoffee - I don't think the show expressed how important those words really were to him. Thanks for recognizing it!

Cheerleader2006 - Thank you for the enormous compliments especially when I don't feel like my smut is up to par.

Cohenwannabe - Thanks so much for the kind words!

Robbie-kikka - yes, they do need each other on many, many levels

JennylovesKandy - You probably enjoyed this past chapter more than the rest because of the smut, but hope you continue to read forward.

KrabbyPatty - First, the long review makes my day! I am glad that you see more through my words than when you just watch the actual episode. I try to incorporate things I feel and think as I watched for the first time. You made total sense with what you said and I am trying to set up for what is to come in later chapters. I will definitely consider bringing up some of that in later chapters as well. Thanks for the quotes.

Panzie - Delicious? I kind of like that!

kikinjuju - I really wanted to play on Sandy's emotions of firing people. Glad you got that part of this chapter.

uvasoccerchick93 - I remember getting so angry for Sandy making her lonely through the entire season too.

Chicaanglaise - Glad you enjoyed my visions. I love when people point things out to me about the show that I didn't initially catch the first few times around.

OCKandy - Much, much needed Kandy!

Tiffany - If I have anything to do with you taking out your DVDs, I consider it a successful day.

On with it…..

After feeling like she gained some semblance of her old life back, Kristen's focus drifted from her husband to her professional life. She couldn't help it. She was a businesswoman and knew it was something that ran through her veins. She wished she could be more like her mother, but her father's ambitions were always flooding her brain.

Settling herself back into the community and becoming a full time Newpsie could have been an easy transition for someone who liked that sort of thing. Kirsten never prided herself on planning fabulous dinner parties, brunching, shopping and spa hopping. Not that she didn't enjoy those activities, because she did. Her previous life just didn't revolve around them. She always worked hard and treated herself to those things so the novelty never wore off.

Now with all this time on her hands, she was becoming frustrated with the lack of challenge in her life. The challenge of drinking was something she was beyond. She needed something more than cooking. She needed a career, but knew that was not going to be found in the walls of The Newport Group. She was done with that place, plus working with Sandy everyday didn't appeal to her. She needed something of her own.

She knew he would understand that. She has been turning down jobs and activities that involved Sandy since they were in college. He wanted her to join the theatre group at Berkeley so they would share a common interest, but she declined. He wanted her to get a job doing secretarial work for extra money at the PD's office when they were first starting out. She decided to work at the local art gallery. She always told him that the fact that they had separate interests was what was going to keep their relationship interesting. And so far, it hasn't been uninteresting.

But now she was at a crossroads. What was she going to do now? She knew she had to talk to Sandy about it. If she learned anything from Suriak, it was to express every feeling and emotion to come around her so it never built into something she couldn't handle.

Her thoughts carried with her until she went downstairs to see Sandy off to work. She saw him in deep concentration, reminded once again how great the past couple of nights have been. Sandy was not as preoccupied with work and was focusing more on not only her but their family.

She didn't know how to start the conversation. "Sandy, I'm going crazy." She blurted out. She needed to work on that.

"What?" He looked at her concerned.

Again, she couldn't put it into exact words. "It's the sifting, the kneading, the measuring. I can't take it anymore. I need to get out of the kitchen." Her eyes spoke volumes, pleading with him to understand.

"Honey..." He began.

She continued. "It's not the cooking I hate, it's the quiet." She really didn't mind cooking, but she needed more.

Sandy turned this into a different direction, which was fine with Kirsten. He didn't see her as wanting a new career as much as what their lives were going to be like in a few months. "Oh we're going to have to get use to a quiet house."

Kirsten knew where he was going with this and it only made her more sad. "I know. The boys started filling out their college forms today."

Sandy wanted to offer comfort, not only to her but to himself as well. He was going to be devastated in a few months. "Well look on the upside. Seth will be right up the road at Berkeley." He smiles, loving that Seth going to Berkeley will enable him and Kirsten to revisit their roots.

Kirsten knew Sandy had a one track mind. "Oh I wouldn't be so sure. Remember before Ryan came, Seth was dead set on going to a boarding school on the east coast. He wants out of California."

"That was years ago. He was a kid."

"Sandy, Seth has never said that he wants to go to Berkeley."

"But he never said he didn't!" Sandy thought he made a good point. He didn't want to hear that there was another possibility. If he thought about it too much something in the center of his heart would begin to hurt. He kissed Kirsten quickly, wanting to leave. "Try not to go too stir crazy."

She watched as he exited the kitchen, leaving her all alone. "I'll try."

She looked around the kitchen and realized that this is what life will really be like. The boys away, Sandy at work and she standing here with nothing to do. She needed to change this and fast. She decided to lift her spirits and give Julie a call. She had been trying to get in touch with Charlotte for a week now, but she somehow managed to disappear.

"Hey Julie, it's Kirsten."

"Hi Kiki. what's up?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to do something today. Maybe grab lunch at the club?"

Julie paused and Kirsten could tell her mind was somewhere else. "Julie?"

"Why don't you come here? You haven't seen my new place yet and I could use the company as well."

"An hour sound good?"

Kirsten felt better now that she had something to do.

Once Sandy arrived at his office, his first order of business was to unpack some personal stuff that he brought with him a few weeks ago. There were pictures of his family, some Yankee memorabilia that has been with him since his New York days and office gifts Kirsten got him over the years that decorated his PD's office.

He came across a picture of Seth when he was about three years old from their Berkeley days. As he stared at this picture, the mind started to race. He thought about his conversation with Kirsten this morning. He couldn't help but wish for Seth to follow into their footsteps and attend Berkeley. His mind then drifted to the idea of getting to back there and visiting the campus and reuniting with old friends, which he would be thrilled to do. But then his mind took a ninety degree turn off that path of thinking.

What if Kirsten was right? What if Seth really wanted to head as far away from them as possible? The East Coast? That was crazy. Then and only then, did Sandy get a glimpse of how his own mother must have felt when he left New York and headed to California.

As if Seth sensed his father's thoughts, Sandy heard a knock on the door and saw him standing there. Could he really let Seth go? Wasn't it a mother's responsibility to feel like this? Sandy should be proud of whatever mature decision Seth made.

But he couldn't. It wasn't in his nature not to nudge.

Of course Sandy was proud, especially when Seth told him what his guidance counselor had to say. Of course he would have plenty of options. There wasn't a doubt in his mind about that. But Sandy couldn't help but mention Berkeley and express how glad he was that it was still on the table of consideration.

Once Seth left he decided to get Paul Glass on the phone. Words weren't going to do it this time. He knew he had to show him the types of friendships he could build even as years pass.

"Paul? Hi, it's Sandy."

"Sandy Cohen! It's good to hear from you."

"How are you? I feel like it has been forever."

"That's because it probably has. Things are good. My sons are applying to colleges and it has been bringing back a lot of memories for me and I figured I would give you a call."

"Is that the only reason?" Paul figured there had to me more. Sandy knew he worked at Berkeley.

"I'm trying to show Seth how great Berkeley is, but I don't think my words are enough."

"Ah-ha. You still view it like that because you don't live here anymore." Paul knew Sandy viewed Berkeley as a magical place that turned his life around. Not many people experience that, but they spent too many nights stoned discussing it. "How's Kirsten?"

"She's great." Sandy couldn't keep the smile off his face. "Beautiful as ever."

"Still using that line huh?"

"No reason not to." Sandy joked back. "How are you dealing with everything?" Sandy's voice turned serious. Paul lost his wife to an ugly cancer battle a few years back and Sandy knew it had to still hurt.

"I'm doing okay. Still taking it one day at a time." The four of them used to be good friends and Paul knew Sandy understood the depth of his loss. He decided to change the subject though. "So what can I do to help convince your boys about Berkeley? Tell them that they are going to meet a blonde that is going to turn their world upside down and have them eating out of the palm of her hand?"

"Very funny." Sandy thought for a moment before proposing an idea. "Why don't you come down here for dinner? I'll send you a ticket and we can relive our Berkeley days."

"I'm not smoking pot. I'm too old for that."

"No, no!" Sandy couldn't help but laugh. "Just come to dinner and let the boys see how wonderful it is to meet new people and maintain old friendships. Kirsten will cook, you and I can deliver the one-two punch. It will be perfect.

"Kirsten cooking does not sound perfect." Sandy didn't tell Paul about the horror that was his life the past couple of months which led Kirsten to learn how to cook.

"Believe it or not, Kirsten cooks now." He simply stated.

"I don't believe it. You do remember how many times she set off our smoke alarms, right?"

"Even more reason for you to come."

"Let me give you a ring tomorrow and see if I can clear my schedule. Okay?"

"Sounds good. Take care of yourself Paul."

"You too Sandy."

With that, Sandy hung up and felt better. Now all he had to do is nonchalantly notify his family. Yeah, they were going to see right through this.

Meeting with Julie did not make Kirsten feel any better that day. It only served to confuse her even more so. Kirsten went over there to release some bad vibes, hoping Julie would be able to help her sort through how she had been feeling. What Kirsten didn't expect was for Julie to be so distracted that she didn't even want to listen to her.

Kristen was starting to feel like she had to find herself.

It wasn't until the doorbell rang that Kirsten realized her problems might not be the only thing on the front burner these days. A real estate woman that Kirsten recognized was badgering Julie about something and it did not look good. She couldn't make out what the woman said, but knew something was up when Julie made a very sad attempt to cover it up.

She definitely needed to get to the bottom of this and figured it had something to do with Charlotte's sudden disappearance. Julie brushed that off like it wasn't a big deal, but how could Charlotte not contact her about leaving? All the pieces didn't fit in the puzzle.

Sandy spent the evening working and knew Kirsten would be in bed by the time he got home. He hated not seeing her at night, but knew that only hard work would get his business off the ground. Without thinking any further, he called his wife.

"Hey you." He responded to her frustrated hello.

"I knew this was going to be you calling with the bad news that you weren't coming home to me tonight."

"Well when you say it like that, it makes me feel terrible."

"Good." She said half joking and half serious.

"I'm sorry baby. I just have a lot of stuff to do and you know how I hate to let things linger."

"Okay." She said, but wanted to throw a zing in. "You know the less you are home the less chance we get to spend time together."

Sandy knew what she was saying and now wished he was home with her. "Believe me, I would be there if I could." He thought about the offer and couldn't resist. "How do you want to spend time together?" He asked.

If there was one game Kirsten knew how to play, it was the hard to get game. "Well since you are there and I am here, I guess you will never know."

He laughed. She was such a tease. "I think I know." He could talk in circles with her forever.

"You do realize if we keep talking you are never going to come home."

"Okay. I'm going, but thanks for putting naughty thoughts into my head."

"That's my job!" She joked back.

The next morning Kirsten woke up to an empty bed, but she couldn't dwell on it. She had to get dressed and meet Julie for a cardio bar class. She only agreed to go because she wanted to attempt to get Julie to open up to her. When she came out of the bathroom, Sandy surprised her. He was already dressed in his suit and was on his cell phone. She figured he was out surfing or roaming around the house in his bathrobe. Times have changed.

"Oh man, it'll be great to see you." Sandy was on the phone which surprised her even more.

"Yeah that's right tomorrow night. "I'll see you then, alright Paul, bye."

She figured it was some sort of business deal he was working on, but she decided to ask anyway. "Who was that?"

"Our old friend, Paul Glass." Sandy answered like it wasn't a big deal that he was speaking to him. Kirsten immediately knew this had to do with Berkeley and the fact that Seth was not interested in it at all.

"Paul Glass as in Paul Glass from Berkeley?" It wasn't like her to let it slide. She knew what he was up to and couldn't let the opportunity pass to let him know it.

"Well not from anymore. At. He's working there now."

Kirsten shot him a look that couldn't be misinterpreted.

"What?" Sandy defended. "He called me." He lied. "Besides Seth came by the office yesterday to talk colleges." He didn't want to mention deep in his heart how he truly thought that went. "He seems interested in Cal." Sandy continued lying for his own benefit more than anyone else's.

Kirsten knew there was no way that Seth wanted to stay in California, let alone attend a place where both his parents went. She needed to remind him of that. "As long as you don't pressure him!"

Sandy didn't want to be the type of father that puts any pressure on his son. He and Kirsten both knew what that was like from their own parents. "No, no pressure. A nudge, a father is allowed to nudge."

Kirsten felt the need to draw the line for Sandy. She didn't want him to get his hopes up. "Nudging is allowed but anymore than that and I will confiscate your Cal sweatshirt." She threatened, knowing how much he loved that thing.

"You wouldn't dare!" He flirted a little.

"Try me!" She smiled, flirting back a little. She took one look at her cell phone and all thoughts of their flirting leading somewhere went out the window. "Oh I got to go. I'm going to try to make a Cardio Bar class."

"Cardio Bar is crawling with Newpsies." Sandy couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice. It wasn't like post rehab Kirsten spent her free time with the judgmental minds of Newport. Sandy started to become concerned. "How bored are you?"

Kirsten sensed the worry in his voice which she actually did appreciate, but decided to be honest and put him at ease. "Well I thought I'd go because Julie loves it and I thought it might cheer her up. Lately she seems not herself."

Sandy felt a little bit better, but knew their conversation from yesterday still plagued her mind. "Is that a bad thing?"

"I'm serious Sandy. She's keeping something from me."

"Well when it comes to Julie Cooper, sometimes it's better not knowing." Sandy couldn't help but think back to that awful footage he saw of Julie screwing Lance on her porn tape.

"Well..." Kirsten knew what Sandy was referring too and if she wasn't so worried she would have laughed. Sandy had tried countless times to get her to watch it because it was so appalling in his eyes, but she just couldn't do it.

Sandy still wasn't a hundred percent convinced that she was okay. She moved toward her and placed his hands on her hips, stopping her from moving any further out the door. "I know right now you are worried about Julie, but I don't want you to think that I am not worried about you."

Kirsten stopped for a second, listening to what he said. "Thank you, but I don't want you spending your days worrying about me and the simple little fact that sometimes I feel bored."

"Come on Kirsten, I think we both know it's a little more than that."

"What do you mean?" She asked, wondering if he still could read her.

He moved his hands from her hips and cupped face, wanting to grasp her full attention. He wanted her to feel his sincerity. "You can do anything you want. You know that right?"

She just looked at him skeptically, but he continued anyway.

"You can be successful at anything you put your mind to. I just don't want you to doubt yourself and your abilities. You are the most diligent and driven person I know. I don't want you to think you can't hurdle certain obstacles anymore because you failed at something once in your life." He was referring to her drinking and the fact that alcohol proved to blur her perfection.

He could still get at her deepest feelings and it stirred some deep feeling within her. She started to feel the tears pool at her eyes. There was a huge part of her that was afraid to do anything professional with her life. She didn't want to fail herself again.

As one tear slipped over her eyelid, Sandy caught it with her thumb. "Hurdling your alcoholism was no small feat. I don't ever want you to minimize that success. I am so proud of you and want to support any new endeavor you embark on." He leaned in a slowly pecked her lips. "Okay?"

She was speechless. She felt an enormous lump in her throat. Almost afraid to speak, she just nodded and that was all he needed.

Once they left the confines of their bedroom, Kirsten's day was filled with answers to all those questions she had been having. When Julie didn't show up at class, Kirsten went to her condo, and was surprised to see a U-Haul truck parked in front.

Not only was Julie taking off, but she was driving the truck herself. Curiosity got the best of Kirsten and she followed Julie all the way to a place that she had never been. Julie was leaving her condo and moving into a trailer park. Obviously money was a major issue with her and it probably had to do with Charlotte's disappearance.

Kirsten only hoped that Sandy would be home tonight so she could talk to him about it. Maybe he could shed some light on the situation. All those years he spent in the public defenders office masterminded the ability to see things from a completely different angle.

No such luck!

She didn't see Sandy until the next morning when he came into the kitchen and mentioned that Paul Glass was coming to dinner that night. Kirsten immediately noticed the disappointment and worried glances Seth was throwing in Ryan's direction. How could Sandy not notice it?

Once the boys left for school, she decided to make him aware of what he was doing.

"I waited up for you last night, but I guess you got home late." She started the conversation.

"Yeah, I wanted to take care of as much as possible so I could be home at a decent time tonight. I don't want Paul to be alone with my wife." He joked around.

"Sandy!" She scolded. "Paul is nothing short of a gentleman. You and I both know that."

"Yes, but I have heard him say things about you in the past that I rather not repeat."

Too late. Kirsten wasn't going to let it go. "What things?"

"Things that people just say when you and I first started dating. It's nothing." Sandy could feel his cheeks turning red and the blood rushed to his face.

"Go on!"

"Fine!" He said knowing she wasn't going to let it go. "When you and I started dating, all the guys I lived with always talked about how hot you were and how I was going to somehow screw the whole thing up."

She couldn't help but laugh and that.

"It's not funny now. It might have been then, but you are my wife now. It's just different."

"Well I'm certainly glad you didn't screw it up." She couldn't keep the smile off her face.

"Me either." He wanted to change the subject and make her blush. "So was there any particular reason you waited up for me last night?"

Kirsten knew that is what he would initially think. "Well, I wanted to talk to you about Julie, but I have something else I want to discuss."

"Does it involve you and me and our bedroom?"

She just gave him a look, trying to express that she wanted to broach something serious.

"Does it involve you and me naked?"

"Sandy! I'm trying to be serious here."

He laughed at her frustration. "Sorry."

"Do you remember the summer after you graduated when we first lived together?"

"Of course. How could I ever forget living in the back of that mail truck? We shared the night of seven times in that truck."

"I can't believe you still mention that." Kirsten knew it was a special night, but Sandy always managed to beam with pride about being able to have sex that many times in one night.

"That is a very proud moment in my life."

"Please!" She joked, but turned serious again. "Do you remember why you were miserable for a big chunk of that summer?" She asked.

Sandy racked his brain, trying to understand what she was getting at.

"You spent two full months agonizing over the fact that you disappointed your mother. She was so upset that you were staying in California and that you were planning on going to Berkeley Law in the fall. You felt like you failed her."

"How do you remember that?"

"Because that was the same summer my father was royally pissed at me for not coming home that summer to intern at The Newport Group. We lived in that mail truck because he refused to pay for my living expenses."

"Well, the joke was on him because if he knew you shacked up with me all summer, he would have paid anything to avoid it."

"Probably!" She chuckled at the amount of orgasms her father would have been horrified to learn that she had by Sandy's late night performances.

"Why are you bringing this up now?"

"As much fun as we had that summer, our spirits were always dampened by the disapproval of our parents. I don't want Seth to ever feel like that. I want him to live his life the way he chooses. I don't want to choose a path for him because we think it is best for him. We would be no better than our parents. Make peace with the fact that Seth doesn't want to go to Berkeley. Okay?"

He knew she had a point and didn't really look at it from that point of view. "Okay."

Kirsten felt like she got her point across and felt like Sandy did the same the day before. Sandy really gave her the encouragement she needed. She decided that in the right environment she could really excel. That was why she organized a lunch with Julie.

Little did she know she would start that lunch with the a thousand hopes and leave with her heart broken in utter confusion. How naive was she? How stupid and gullible had she become? All those months of sharing her feelings and opening up only made her weak and vulnerable. She couldn't help but feel nothing short of pathetic.

How could Julie and Charlotte undermine her like this? How could they use her and the name she was trying to rebuild in this society to scam money to selfishly benefit themselves? She knew Charlotte had to be a big part of this because she only met Julie through her, but even this was an all time low for Julie.

She was supposed to be her friend. She was going to let her be her business partner. How could all of this happen?

She did the only thing that made sense.

"Sandy Cohen?" He answered his phone.

"Sandy?" She sounded desperate.

"Yeah. Baby, what's the matter?" He could tell that she was on the verge of completely breaking down. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. No. I don't know. Did you know you married a very unintelligent woman? Did you know that I have the ability to be extremely stupid? Because I am!" She was raising her voice.

"Honey, where are you?"

"I'm on my way home. Can you please leave work early and meet me there?"

He didn't think twice about it. Whenever Kirsten was this upset, he knew it was for a very good reason. "I'm on my way."

When he pulled up to their home, the Rover was already in the driveway. He hurried through the front door and made his way to the kitchen. There was a glass filled to the top with a clear liquid on the granite countertop which he immediately noticed. Then his eyes drifted to his wife who was currently pacing back and forth. When she heard him enter, she looked up at him with red rimmed eyelids.

His worry increased and the glass forgotten as he scooped her in his arms. "Tell me what's wrong," he said softly, but almost demanding. He wanted to know. He needed to know.

She buried her head in his suit jacket and the tears just flowed. "I'm sorry. I'm stronger than this." She said more to herself than to him.

He pulled back to look at her. "Stronger than what?"

She started telling Sandy about her lunch meeting with Julie. She started with yesterday and following her around to a trailer park, then leading into Charlotte and then the scam they tried to pull. The more she spoke about it, the angrier she was becoming. Sandy just listened as he drew his own conclusions. He knew what Julie did was wrong, but he really didn't think Kirsten was seeing the entire picture.

When she finished venting, she wanted to hear what he thought. "I can't believe I didn't see this coming. I am usually such a good judge of character and now two people who I thought cared about me are worth nothing to me."

Sandy kept one hand on her back, rubbing it soothingly as she started to calm down. "I still think one of them cares for you very much."

She looked up at him, not understanding so he continued. "You know I am not one to stick up for Julie Cooper, but think about where her life is right now. She is living in a trailer park. Even for Julie, that is an all time low. She is there because you were more important to her."

Kirsten knew Sandy could make her feel better. She smiled up at him slightly, still mad about the entire situation. She was mostly mad at herself. "You're probably right." She moved away from him and toward the glass and took a huge gulp. Sandy knew it wasn't alcohol now, but he couldn't help but wonder if a day would come where that wouldn't be his first instinctive thought.

"Paul is going to be here soon. I am sure a visit from him will cheer you up." He said trying to take her mind off of this.

"Reliving my Berkeley days always cheers me up." She said before making her way upstairs to fix herself up a bit.

Once Paul arrived, Kirsten again reminded Sandy to leave Seth alone about attending Berkeley. Like always, Sandy obliged her wishes and kept the conversation away from the future and admissions and focused more on reminiscing about the past.

"You know, after that Halloween party, I never heard the end of the perfect Kirsten Nichol." Paul teased Sandy.

"I couldn't help it. She was perfect." He reached over for her hand. "She is perfect." He corrected.

"Dad, please!" Seth interrupted.

"You should be so lucky!" He shot back at his son.

Paul continued to tease, but from a different angle. "Don't worry Sandy, you weren't the only one who couldn't stop talking about your significant other." He looked at Kirsten as he spoke.

Kirsten's face suddenly became flushed knowing that he was going to spill the beans. He was married to her college roommate for almost twenty years. Of course she told him everything. "Don't you dare Paul!" She threatened.

Paul chuckled and this certainly drew the attention of the boys. "I'm sorry, but you always had my buddy here hanging on by a string." He patted Sandy on the back as he spoke. "I think it's time he knew the truth."

Seth, not missing a beat, contributed to the conversation. "Yeah, Mom. I think it is time we all found out the truth."

Kirsten knew she was trapped and it was nice to laugh about something so trivial in the greater scheme of things. "Fine Paul, go ahead. Sell me out. I knew Emily told you everything anyway."

"Are you ready man?" He asked Sandy and could detect a little bit of nervousness. "Believe me, you are going to love this."

"Okay" He reluctantly replied, his eyes focused on Kirsten.

Paul started telling this to Seth and Ryan although he knew Sandy was really his captive audience. "Your father spent the majority of his senior year trying to impress your mom. He would do everything in his power to gain her attention, make sure she fell in love with him. He would meet her after classes, take her out to eat, court her in every sense of the word. And from the outside looking in, we all thought he was crazy. See, your mom played this game where she acted like she didn't care which drove my man here insane. Little did he know, she spent her days worrying about his feelings just as much as he worried about hers."

Sandy kept his eyes focused on Kirsten, a smile spreading across his face. "I knew it."

She laughed out loud at his sophomoric ways. "Well I hope now you know it, considering we have been married for this long!"

"So dad, it turns out, you were the man, huh?" Seth joked.

"I'm always THE man, son."

"Please!" Kirsten interrupted.

After this fun conversation, there was a series of interruptions. Summer showed up to talk to Seth, Kirsten received a message from Julie and Marissa took Ryan away from the table. The only two left were Sandy and Paul.

"So how long did you know this information?" Sandy asked. "And please don't say since our senior year! You know the agony that woman put me through and it would pain me to know you were watching it the entire time enjoying my squeamishness."

Now it was Paul's turn to laugh but before he responded, Kirsten came back to the table to politely excuse herself for the evening.

"Is everything okay?" Sandy asked, wondering what would take her away from this moment.

"Yeah, I'll be back in a half an hour."

Sandy watched her leave and Paul admired the way Sandy kept his eyes focused on her. "I knew how she felt about you years after you guys were together. I don't think I could have watched you suffer that long."

"Well that's good to know!"

"She used to brag about your sex life."

"What?" Sandy almost spit out his drink, wondering what prompted him to say such a thing.

"That is how I found out in the first place. Kirsten used to tell all the girls how great you were in bed. And let me tell you man, women talk in much more detail about sex than we ever did. It's appalling really!"

"I don't believe it."

"Believe it! I even know about the night of seven times."

"Well now I believe it."

"You're never going to let her live this down?"

"Never!" Sandy exclaimed back.

Once Paul left, Sandy had a conversation with Seth that he would never forget. At that moment he realized that Seth was no longer a kid. He was growing into a well-adjusted man, who had no fear opening up to his father. This was something that made him very proud, since he, himself was incapable of that sort of expression at Seth's age.

He didn't want to go to Berkeley. He wanted to rebut. He wanted to tell him that he should considered it, but he remembered what Kirsten said and decided to tell him what he was feeling in his heart at that very moment.

He was immensely proud of his son.

He didn't hear Kirsten come home, but she was just there watching them have their moment.

"Seth's applying to Brown." Sandy declared proudly. As Kirsten expressed her approval, it hit Sandy like a ton of bricks. His son was leaving them and suddenly something inside began to hurt.

The feeling of abandonment began as Seth went to his room to be with his girlfriend as Kirsten swept into his arms right on cue.

"So it seems that we are going to be empty nesters." Kirsten stated the obvious as she affectionately rubbed his arms up and down to create more of symbolic warmth. She knew he was hurting inside

"True." He moved his hands to her waist, appreciating the affection. "What do you think about getting an apartment in Providence?"

Kirsten leaned in to hug him and she chuckled lightly at his antics. She swayed with him as he repeated, "Ooh, Providence", trying to make it sound more enticing.

At that moment he was just enjoying having Kirsten there in his arms, not realizing there might be something bigger going on in her head. "Where did you go?" He asked lightly pecking her lips, his hands still on her hips.

"I thought about what you said and you were right about Julie. She left a message and I just wanted to clear the air with her. I wanted to feel better about the whole thing." She said leaning in and kissing his lips. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For always knowing what to say."

He spun her around and pushed her up against a nearby wall. He kissed her deeply, forcing his tongue into her mouth, searching for more. When he pulled back, she looked at him surprised at his abruptiveness. "What was that for?"

"You are in for it tonight!" he said forcefully kissing her again. He pressed his slowly growing erection against her groin, causing her to moan softly.

When he moved his lips to her neck, he whispered. "I cannot believe you led me to believe, for months, that I really never had a chance with you." She stopped speaking as his lips found her ear lobe and sucked gently at it.

She giggled at the sensation he was causing, but also at his words.

"As if that's not bad enough, that whole time you were bragging to your friends about our sex life!"

His hands started to roam from her waist upwards, searching for her breast. His last statement sobered her from his touches. "What?"

His hands massaged her breast and he continued to whisper in her ear. "Don't try and deny it."

"What exactly did Paul tell you when I was gone?" She asked, knowing Sandy was enjoying this, much to her dismay.

She slowly moved his hands toward the button of her pants, fumbling to open it without their groins losing contact. "Kirsten…" He moaned. "You really don't seem like the bragging type."

Once his hand slid under the waistline of her pants, she moaned a little louder, trying to play along with this conversation.

She wanted to deny it. After twenty years, she still wanted to play to part of the girl who was hard to get, but how could she. His right hand was submerged in a wet panties and his left was pushing her ass toward him so their groins could feel a greater friction. "Well, there was so much to brag about."

"Like the night of seven times?" He joked, revealing he knew she talked about it as much as he did.

"Think you got it in you?" She challenged, wishing they would one day relive that fantasy.

"You better believe I am going to try!"

She gently pushed him off of her, wanting to escape to their bedroom. As his hands came out of her pants, she grabbed it and led the way. Half way down the hall she stopped walking and spun around to face him. "I love you Sandy."

He paused, taking in every piece of her. His eyes wandered over her flushed face, her hard nipples, her unbuttoned pants and her lustful eyes as he sincerely spoke. "I love you too."

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