Chapter Three
The morning after John and Anna met, they each had separate things to do yet somehow found themselves in the same Ripon coffee shop. They had stayed out rather late chatting with one another the night before, so they both needed a boost of caffeine before getting on with their days. Anna had to catch the noon train back to London as it was Sunday and she had work the next day, and John was going to be driving over to York to meet his friend, Robert, and spend some time catching up with him.
Anna laughed to herself when she realized who was in front of her in line to order coffee. She tapped John on the shoulder lightly. "Guess fate wouldn't let us get away from each other without one more opportunity to chat," she joked when John turned and smiled at her.
"Guess not," John agreed with a smirk.
"I have to admit I'm sad to be going back to London," Anna said before adding boldly, "especially without you there." She didn't know why she said that, but she was glad she had. John made her feel so safe and special, and she wanted him to know how much he meant to her.
"I'll miss you too," John responded. He wasn't sure why he felt so strongly about Anna when they had only just met for real last night, but he did. "But you have my number now, and I don't want you to hesitate about using it. And besides, you never know, maybe I'll be seeing you again soon."
When he said it, he gave a playful wink that turned Anna's brains to mush. And before she could process her thoughts and ask what he meant by that, he had turned back around as it was his turn to order his coffee.
Once she had ordered hers too, she went over to him where he was waiting for his order and asked if he had time to sit and chat for a minute. Seeing as Anna's train wasn't until noon and John's drive would only take 45 minutes and he wasn't in a rush, he agreed and found a cozy sitting area for them to settle in while Anna went to pick up their orders.
"Here's your black coffee with one Sweet n Low," she said, setting it down and making a face.
"What? Don't tell me you're one of those sickly sweet mocha-chip-frappes-whatever-the- heck-they're-called drinkers," he teased.
Anna laughed and covered her mouth to try and hide the little snort that followed. John found that snort endearing and a smirk ran across his face. "No, I'm not a regular consumer of those," Anna said, nodding to her cup which clearly contained just a regular latte, "though a caramel frap never hurt anyone, especially in the summer to quell the heat."
"Okay, well I'll just have to take your word for that," John said playfully, "I'll stick to my regular black coffee and occasional Sunday morning lattes."
"Well now that we've gotten the coffee banter out of the way, can I ask something?" Anna switched gears in their conversation as she took a sip of her drink.
"You're the one who started that, by the way, but yes, you can," John replied in a teasing tone.
"What did you mean when you said we might be seeing each other again soon?" Anna asked.
"Oh, I hope you didn't find that too forward," John stated, clearly growing insecure about his earlier comment. "I only meant that I'm going to London soon, and I had hoped we could see each other again soon. But we don't have to if you don't want to," he said anxiously.
"Oh John, of course I want to," Anna said sweetly, hoping to ease John's insecurities a bit, "When will you be making your way there?"
"I'm going to see my friend in York for the rest of today and tomorrow, and then I'll head to London on Tuesday to visit my mother's grave and see some of my old hangout spots from when I was a teenager. We lived in London while I was growing up," John explained.
Ah, that explains the British accent, Anna thought. She had found that quite curious about John as she knew he said he was Scotch-Irish and wasn't sure how his voice fit into the mix, though it was most certainly a voice she found attractive, she admitted to herself, feeling her cheeks redden slightly at her thoughts.
"I'm sorry you have to go to London for such a sad reason, but I also hope you get some enjoyment out of visiting your old haunts."
"Oh I will. And I will definitely enjoy seeing you," John assured her in a sweet yet flirtatious way.
Anna blushed. "I'm sure I will enjoy seeing you, too. Should we plan for Tuesday evening or would you like to have a breather to grieve?" she asked, sensitive to John's possible emotions in a way that made him appreciate Anna even more.
"I'm glad you asked, Anna. I think, actually, that seeing you will help me feel a lot better after I visit my mother," he professed.
"If you really mean that, then you can pick the time and place for us to meet and text it to me," Anna proposed.
"That sounds great. I know just the place," John said.
"Then, it's a date," Anna agreed happily.
When it sunk in with Anna what she had said, she felt nervous for a second. She didn't want John to back out if he had only meant it as a friend, but then again people say "it's a date" all the time when making plans even with friends or colleagues, she reasoned. Besides, even if she wanted to be more than friends with John, she was happy with where things were between them right now. And she thought that maybe, just maybe, this "date" could lead to something else blossoming between them, and she couldn't deny that thought made her excited.
As Anna ducked inside out of the rain, she could immediately tell why John had chosen this place. He had suggested they have dinner at an Italian restaurant. The place was nice, but not too fancy that it felt stuffy. It was cozy and familial with just a touch of romance in the corner booth John had chosen. She slipped her raincoat off and placed it on the rack by the door before joining him in the booth.
"Hi," she whispered with a shy smile.
"Hi," John smiled back, "I'm really glad to see you."
"I am too," Anna agreed, "Did you have a safe journey?"
"I did. The train was not very full, and it was nice to stretch out. And I had a good visit to see mom too."
"You must miss her terribly," Anna sympathized.
"I do. But visiting her and catching her up on things she's missed is nice. It makes me feel connected to her even though she's not here."
"Where's she buried? If you don't mind me asking."
"St. Mary's Catholic Church," John answered, "We really should have buried her in her native Scotland, but my father had bought side-by-side burial plots. I hated to bury her next to that man, but it was easier at the time because I didn't have much time off to plan a funeral. I had to ship out again."
"You were in the Army?" Anna asked.
"Navy, actually," John responded.
"I can't believe that never got mentioned in our previous conversations. Though I suppose we couldn't talk about everything over a span of four hours. I should like to know everything there is to know about you though, at some point," Anna said, feeling awfully nervous about how forward she was being but also sincerely meaning it. She wanted to get to know John. And she wanted to get to know him on a level that went beyond just likes and dislikes and family backstories. She wanted to know his quirks. She wanted to know what could make him laugh. She wanted to know his soul.
John could feel how genuine Anna was in her interest in him, and he felt safe to tell her all there was to know, at least about the Navy and his time in it. He told her how he wound up dishonorably discharged from the Navy after his fiance at the time had stolen something from the regiment during a banquet, in which she had also gotten very drunk and made a belligerent fool of herself. Even though it wasn't his crime and he certainly hadn't condoned her behavior, he had pleaded with the Navy officers to not press charges on her. His commanding officer didn't take too kindly to this, and he had warped it to look like John was trying to bribe him so that he would get discharged. That led to John calling off his engagement and starting a new life in Ireland, where he had worked at a local distillery and become friends with the people that later became his bandmates.
As they ate, they got to know more and more about each other, and Anna was grateful. She felt like she could tell John anything, and he would guard her secrets. She had never experienced that with any of her friends– or boyfriends– before. They had had a fantastic time together, and she didn't want it to end.
"Thank you for this, John, I had a lovely time," Anna said as they put their coats back on and prepared to brave the rainfall once more. "You couldn't have picked a better place."
"It was one of my mother's favorites," John revealed, "She always said it made the busyness of London life feel like a world away, and I just knew this would be the place we needed to go to ignore the busyness and spend some time together."
"Well it was," Anna confirmed, linking her hand with John's as they prepared to dash out into the rain. "But I don't want it to end," she professed as they felt the rain beating down on them.
"Me either," John agreed, pulling her hand gently so they could get closer and wrapping his arms around her in a hug. Soon enough, their lips met. Before John could even process what was happening, their lips were being pulled gently into the other's mouths and their hands had roamed to each other's heads. Not even the pouring rain could stop them from exploring each other's mouths, getting to know each other in one of the most intimate ways possible.
When they finally broke for air, Anna whispered something John could barely hear, but he was sure glad he did. "Come back to mine," she said, her chest rising and falling quickly as she regained her senses.
He simply nodded and clasped his hand with hers once more as they made their way to Anna's flat, stealing little glances and smiles along the way.
They cuddled in between the sheets basking in the afterglow, not quite asleep yet but not fully awake either. "Third time's the charm," Anna mumbled to herself as she settled into John's arms and felt her body relax instinctively. John made her feel the way no man had ever made her feel before. So safe. So special. So valued.
"What was that?" John asked, whispering into her hair which sent shivers up her spine in a good way.
"Nothing," she said, giggling slightly.
"It's obviously something,"John protested, tickling her slightly, which made her laugh even more.
"Okay okay, I'll tell you," Anna said between laughs as John stopped tickling her. "I…I was saying 'third times a charm' because you're the third and so far absolute best lover I've ever had," she revealed sheepishly, feeling her cheeks turn red despite the darkness of the room.
"Well in truth, you're my third lover, too," John responded, cheeks growing equally pink at his own confession.
"Really?" Anna asked.
"Yes, really," John answered before teasing "Why? Do you find that hard to believe?"
"I mean I just thought a handsome man like yourself would have had lots of dates that ended like tonight ended," Anna flirted back, running her hands along John's chest hair affectionately.
"Nope," John confirmed, pressing a soft kiss to Anna's forehead, "Only once, and that was a one-night stand. I don't plan on what we have to be a one-time deal."
"I don't want it to be for only tonight either," Anna agreed, "John, I..I think I'm falling for you."
"Well, what a coincidence cause I think I'm falling for you, too," he said, pulling her closer to his chest as she began to get sleepy once more.
Even though they were tired, John felt he needed to explain to Anna how she was different to the other women he'd dated. So, he did.
He told her about Vera, how she'd been an abusive partner, and how somehow– despite knowing that when he called off their engagement– he'd still felt so hopeless that he'd gone out and gotten plastered and had a one-night stand. He'd gotten his life together and was not the type to lose his inhibitions and share an intimate experience with just anyone anymore, which is how he knew the special experience he had shared with Anna was just right. She wasn't just anyone; she was the person he cared about most in all the world and the person he wanted to connect with the most.
Anna felt so special upon hearing John's confession, and she felt it was important he got to hear her story and just how much their time together meant to her too. She confessed that her first time had been with her high school sweetheart. They knew they were going separate ways for university, but they were convinced it was right to share that first experience together as a sort of parting gift to each other. Her second partner was someone she was dating a few years ago who pressured her into taking that step since they had been together for six months, and he couldn't wait any longer. She broke up with him later that same week knowing that any man who was actually right for her would wait until she felt ready. And with John she had certainly felt ready. Something deep within her knew he was the kind of person she could share her body with in that way. Because she wasn't just sharing her body, she was sharing her soul.
And John was the person who made her feel the most comfortable doing just that.
And that realization made her never want to stop being around him. It made her want to be his forever, which she sincerely hoped was possible. With this happy thought in her mind, she dreamt happily as she slept in John's arms, snoring softly with contentment at being exactly where she wanted to be.
A/N: Disclaimer, I have no idea how the British Navy system works and therefore how the discharge process would be. Any inaccuracies are fully my own. Anyways, thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter.