I wanted to give a shout out and again thank Mireads for being my first (and only) reviewer.

I still need a beta, so if anyone can help out there I'd appreciate it greatly.

Again, not mine. I only own the books on my shelf.

"For you, she was a chapter. For her, you were the book." Xuan Ta

Chapter 2

I felt like karma was playing a cruel joke. The one person I didn't ever want to see again was on my ledger.

3:30- Edward Masen

What did I do that made karma hate me? I didn't get it. Did I want to see him? Most defiantly. Should I see him? Hell no. Yes, life certainly was not fair. I looked at the clock, then at the front door and back at the clock again. The man who broke my heart not once, but twice was going to be walking into that door any minute and not only was I not going to be able to avoid him, I was suppose to rub my hands all over his body, with his permission.

Oh Lord, help me now.

Images of his nude back filled my mind; muscles strong under my touch and I could still almost feel them move under my fingers, even now. My hands twitched and I had to sit on them to gather myself back to reality. This was so not going to go over well. Unless…unless he didn't know it was me. He hasn't seen me in twelve years, why let him see me now?

I walked over to Alice who was blow drying a young girl's bubble gum pink hair. She was grinning ear to ear and I knew if she could get away with it, she'd have matching hair by the end of the day. She was too conscious of her hair and knew the damage it would cause to sport such a look. But I wouldn't be surprised if she had some tinsel or a few feathers in the same color before we closed for the night.

"Alice, I need to use the bathroom and do a few things before my next appoint comes in. Do you mind showing him to the room and have him all ready for me before I go in?" I asked trying to play it off as if I don't have a clue who my next client was.

"Sure thing sweetie" She answered, eyes not wavering from the mass of pink in front of her.

I quickly walked to the back room before she could change her mind or figure out what was going on. She must not have written his name down because I doubt she would have let me off the hook so easily. My hands were shaking as I entered the bathroom and freshened up as well as possible. Just because I didn't plan on letting him see me did not mean I wasn't going to make sure I didn't look my best. When I was done I reapplied some moisturizer on my arms, hands and feet, and admired my pedicure I gave myself last night; Jade with Asian flowers in baby pink with black and silver accents. There may be times when I looked far from my best, but my toenails were always done. I felt so naked when they weren't.

When I was done I went back into the stock room and looked over all my oil options. I had several in various scents and textures, but I knew exactly what I was going to use. People change, but I doubt he's changed all that much. Sandalwood and vanilla was always his favorite and to this day the combination always reminded me of him. When I was unpacking my orders before the salon opened I didn't realize I ordered several bottles until I was placing them on the shelf. It was just a reminder that moving across the world and making a life without him in every way still didn't mean he wasn't there.

I wanted to hate him. For a while I did. But then I began to remember all our time together and realized I held some blame just like he did. I had made mistakes that I never thought I was capable of and was ashamed of some of my actions back then. Hind sight is 20/20 after all. I remember my mother always saying, "If I knew then what I know now…"

But I have a feeling younger me wouldn't have listened to older me.

And I wouldn't have blamed her one bit.

That thought almost brought tears to my eyes. I needed to stop. This wallowing was not going to help me in any way. He might have made me a weakling then, but I had endured much and have grown up, there is no excuse for being weak now.

The bell over the door rang and I could hear muffled voices on the other side of the door. My breathing immediately sped up, as well as my heart rate and my hands began shaking again.

"Oh for crying out loud woman!" I chastised myself. I set the bottle down, wiped my sweaty hands off and ran my fingers through my long dark hair, and then took a deep breath to calm myself. "You can do this. You can do this. You can do this! You can dooo it." I giggled to myself as I mimicked the famous quote from Waterboy. Yeah, that did it and I giggled some more. I waited a few more minutes to make sure he was ready for me and took another deep breath, pulled my shoulders back, picked up the massage oil and walked out of the stalk room.

As always, I knocked on the door before entering the room. I never wanted to walk in on a client who was half undressed or not dressed at all, that would be a terrible way to start a session. Hey, don't mind me even though you are naked, I'm going to have my hands all over you anyway… Yeah, that generally wouldn't go over too well. Not that I wouldn't mind terribly this time, but if I didn't want him to see me it really wasn't an option.

"Hello? Are you ready?" I asked, making sure my accent was especially noticeable and maybe snuck a little peek in the room just in case.

He was laying face down with the sheet pulled up to his waist exposing his bare back. He lifted his head a little and tilted a bit to the side, "Sure am. Ready when you are."

I staled from entering the room and closed my eyes. I haven't heard his voice in so long. It hurt and soothed at the same time. How was it possible that his voice had such a powerful effect on me? Taking another deep breath and repeating to myself my little mantra from the stalk room, I entered the room and silently shut the door.

"Excellent!" I faked enthusiasm as I walked further into the room, trying not to notice his naked body was separated from me by a single sheet. I walked over to the stereo and made sure the music was on repeat so it wouldn't stop while I was working. Keeping my back to him just in case he snuck a peek I asked, "May I ask what enticed you to bring your business here at Curl Up and Dye?" I thought it was a legit question anyone could have asked, but I honestly wanted to know why he chose to come here, to the place where I happened to work.

"Um, well I've been really stressed lately and when my wife saw the coupon in yesterday's paper she pretty much demanded that I come. I guess I've been a little unpleasant." He sounded guilty and it didn't escape my notice that his voice was clear, meaning he had turned his head to answer my question. Meaning he might be looking at me right now.

"Well then, I shall see what I can do to make it all better. Lets get started shall we?" I peeked over my shoulder just a little and saw him turn his face back into the face rest.

"Do with me what you like, you are the master here." He said.

Oh boy, if only.

I walked over to him and stood at the head of the bed facing him, his tall frame laid out before me. Naked. Under the sheet anyway. I reached forward and lifted the sheet and pulled it down to right above his butt where his lower back started to curve and I could see his back dimples. My hand reached out to touch them, and I had to stop myself. I get to touch him, but not randomly, he would find that weird. But only because he wouldn't know whose hands were on him.

Oh my word I was going to have my hands on him! My heart began to race more than it already was. I needed to be professional and pulled myself together. I looked at his chart he filled out and saw his lower back and shoulders were where he wanted me to focus on most.

"I see here where you want me to focus on, are there any sore spots or places you would like me to be careful around or avoid? And do you have any other requests?" I asked as I poured oil on my hands.

"No, just that I like it pretty deep and hard. I haven't had a good massage in over ten years."

I almost dropped the bottle and stuttered. "Wow, that's awful." It was awful. I haven't had a decent massage myself since he left. I tried to teach William, but he just never could do it right.

Taking a deep breath I took the plunge and placed my hands on his upper shoulders and gently rubbed the oil across his skin where I would be focusing on for more than I should, and less that I liked. I had to hold in the moan as my skin touched his. When I started to deeply rub the muscle that ran from his neck to his shoulder he let out a moan and I had to bite my lip and close my eyes to keep myself in line. This was torture. I pretended to not notice and continued to run my thumbs slowly across the muscle.

Up and down. Repeat. It was after his third moan he apologized. "I'm so sorry, this is embarrassing. But you are doing exactly what I need and if feels so good."

I couldn't help but smile. It was good to know he missed me on some small level. I did have pretty amazing hands. "Good." I replied. "That means I'm doing my job correctly."

He chuckled, "Oh believe me…" I moved my hand down between his shoulder blades and he let out another loud moan mid sentence. "…you are. Man I haven't had a massage like this since Bel-" he cut off before finishing.

I didn't ask him to finish either. But I did have to stop myself from doing a victory dance. I should be ashamed of myself; the guy was married and hurt me pretty bad, I shouldn't be happy. He missed my hands, only my hands.

I cleared my throat and continued stroking my hands across his flesh. And he continued moaning. Things began to quiet down when I began to focus on his lower back and I could feel, just like in his shoulders, all his tense muscles.

I spoke before I realized, "It's no wonder you've been so ornery. Your poor back is so tight and those poor muscles have been protesting. Your wife should be ashamed for neglecting you so badly. Doesn't she know this is part of the perks of having a partner in life?" Kill me now. I wanted to slap myself on the forehead for saying such a thing. Not only should I have not said it because of our history and it was snotty of me, but because his body tensed immediately after I said it.

"Uh, no…" He paused and cleared his throat.

I interrupted him before he could say anymore. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. It was uncalled for." Generally I could tease my clients, but I didn't have a life long romantic history with them either.

"No no, it's fine. Just things are complicated and part of it is personal and includes my wife so… uh, yeah."

I left it at that. Even if my mind wandered like crazy, thinking of all the ways things involving his wife could be complicated. If it involves her not touching him it certainly limits the complications in my book. Thinking of all the possibilities helped distract me from what I was doing as I go through the motions of my job.

"So uh, your husband has to love your job I bet." His statement catches me off guard and I stopped, my hands resting where I wanted to touch earlier, on his back dimples. I smiled sadly and began to move my hands again, this time moving up towards his upper back and over his arm, and began to move down his bicep. They were still so strong and I had to stop memories of them wrapped around me. It wasn't until I was finished with his right arm and started on his left that I answered.

"He would have had I been working then. I didn't start up again with massage until recently when we opened a few months back. I've been an at home mom, but he did get the perks of my skills and he often would ask for what he called my 'magic hands'." To emphasize my statement I squeezed his left hand as I worked on his long fingers. He always had amazing fingers. I sighed. Fighting off memories in this setting was harder that I thought, not that I had much time to think about it before hand.

"Did? Do you not give them to him anymore since you do it all day at work? I wouldn't blame you, not wanting to work at home after doing it here all day."

I stopped my ministrations and pulled the sheet up to his shoulders and left it slightly raised, but not enough to see anything and quietly asked him to roll over onto his back. The moment he did I turned around; keeping my back to him so he couldn't see my face and reached for the cloth I set aside for this part of the massage.

"I need you to close your eyes." I waited a few seconds and then turned around and saw him for the first time in twelve years. He took my breath away. He was more beautiful that he was then. Some people were lucky that way, their looks improving with age instead of diminishing. Before he could open his eyes and peek, I gently placed the warm cloth across his eyes. I knew this was unusual but it would feel nice and keep him from seeing me without raising suspicion. His lips raised in a small smile. Satisfied, I began to rub his neck muscles.

I felt I couldn't avoid his question without being rude. "Yes, did. He died last year, car accident."

His smile went immediately into a frown and he reached up and touched my wrist. "I'm so sorry, how terrible." The words of kindness only intensified the feeling of electricity shooting thought my arm at his voluntary touch.

"It's okay; you had no way of knowing. I get asked that question all the time." He laid his arm back down and I continued working his neck muscles.

"I started working again because all three of my children are in school this year and there was no need for me to stay at home alone all day. A woman can only clean so much before it becomes obsessive. I would have gone crazy. Either that or became incredibly fat because I would just sit around reading and eating all day till the crazies came back. Not that I would mind, I love to read. And eat too." I laughed a little, surprised at my little rant and being so open to this man.

"I can understand that. So did you have to brave the depression that is job hunting to find a place here?" He asked and then moaned again, "Wow that feels amazing."

I laughed again, "It's my signature move, if a massage therapist can have one that is." And moved my fingers quickly up and down his neck muscles along his spine and then moved across the base of his skull, receiving another moan of approval. "No I was fortunate. Rose Alice and I went to elementary school together and kept in touch. I moved back just in time to help start the process of starting the salon." My hands paused for a brief second realizing my mistake immediately.

Aw hell.

I continued as if what I said was of no importance, it shouldn't have been if I was trying to keep Edward from realizing who I was. We were in the same fourth grade class the year I moved here, with both Rose and Alice.

"But I thought you were from England or something?" His face scrunched up and I was waiting for him to put the rest of it together.

I cleared my throat, "I moved there a while back." I wasn't about to say more than I had to, not that it was going to matter soon. I looked at the timer; I had thirty seconds left before I could walk out. I grabbed his head with both hands and stretched his neck by pulling on his head gently and then moved it side to side, making it difficult to talk while doing so. When I finished I set his head down and waited for the inevitable.

"Wait a second, I went to school with Alice and Rose. Do I know you?"

The timer went off and exhaled deeply, not realizing I was holding my breath.

"Times up Mr. Masen" I held down his cloth across his eyes lightly as if I wanted him to pay attention and continued, "I hope you feel better. Don't forget to drink lots of water to help flush out all those toxins that a massage releases." I started for the door and heard him sit up. "You'll most likely be sore tomorrow since you requested a deep massage. Have a good day!" I opened the door and tried not to run out.

"No, wait!" he called. But I shut the door quickly, and not quietly I might add.

There was muttering and shuffling behind the door, and then a loud crash, followed by a few swear words. I leaned against the door and closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

"Well, I have to say that went better than I expected". My eyes were still closed, but I knew who spoke.

Rose, never holds back that one.

I opened my eyes to see Rose with her arms folded across her chest, Alice sitting next to her with a wicked grin. It didn't escape my notice that there was something bright pink on the counter in front of her.

"I need to use the bathroom and then I'm going to head out. Can you please take care of Mr. Masen's transaction for me? He was my last appointment for the day and I want to get home and make some cookies for the children."

I didn't wait for an answer because I could hear footsteps moving towards the door. Instead I ran to the back of the salon as if I had to pee like my life depended on it. Because let's face it, right now it kind of did. As in, I needed to be in a place where he was not and could not be. The girl's bathroom worked in elementary school, why not now?

A/N: Thank you again for taking the time to read my drabble.

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