"What?" Marian looked at Jack.

He tried to look normal.

"Jack, don't bother. You looked at your phone, and you haven't been able to concentrate on anything since," Marian said. "What was it?"

Jack sighed. They were sitting in her living room, just talking after dinner.

"I got a text from--from Kelsey," he admitted.

Marian continued to look at him, waiting.

"Last fall she asked if I'd be her plus one to this big charity event that's being held in London next month. Prince William is hosting a fundraiser to disarm land mines in Africa. It was one of his mother's charities, and he's carrying it on for her," Jack explained. "So I said said yes, and I guess that, because my name was turned in on all the paperwork, I have to be the one who takes her, or she can't go or something. Because it's the royal family and all that, there are social issues, or security issues or something?" Jack shrugged. "I don't exactly get that part, but basically no substitutions are allowed. She could cancel, but if she wants to go, I have to go with her. So she asked if I'm still willing to go, that's all."

He looked at Marian carefully, watching for her response.

"What about school? Swimming?" Marian asked. "Don't you have championships or something?"

"It's during spring break," Jack replied. "And I have a little break from meets right then. I could make it work."

"So you want to go," Marian said.

"Not exactly," Jack said slowly. "But I kind of feel an obligation, you know? I told her I would, and now it sounds like she can't go if I don't, that's all. It's important to her, and I don't want to be the reason it gets scuttled."

Marian nodded. Even after all these months, Jack found it astonishing sometimes how much she looked like his ex-girlfriend. The way her hair fell forward when she looked down, the way she raked her fingers through her hair; and the fact that Kelsey had actually studied Marian's mannerisms to be more like her for the movie only enhanced the effect.

"You should go," she said. She looked away. Jack noticed more and more these days that she did this, that she didn't seem to want to make eye contact with him, to connect with him for some reason.

"Hey," he said.

She looked back at him.

He patted the couch next to where he sat. She came and sat down, bringing with her the smell of her fabric softener, lotion, and of course, chlorine.

Jack put an arm around her, pulling her close. "What's up with you?" he asked. "You've been kind of glum lately, for no reason I can see. Have I done something?"

Marian looked straight ahead, not saying anything, until Jack have her a gentle shake. She looked over at him with a little smile finally, shaking her head. "No, Jack, you haven't done anything. You've been very forthright and honest and sincere."

"So..." Jack looked at her, eyebrows raised interrogatively.

"I just wish I knew what we were doing, that's all," she finally said, in a hopeless voice. Jack took a breath to speak, but she went on before he could. "I know, I know, this is exactly what we discussed. We're working on being friends, we're going slow, we're going on the possibility that nothing might happen, I get it, I do." The frustration was evident in her voice. "I guess I just hoped that, once we were together, I'd be enough, you know?"

Jack sighed. "I don't know what to say," he admitted. "I said I'd try, and I'm trying, you know? I haven't sought her out, I'm spending as much time with you as I can, I really, really like you--"

Marian shifted away from him. "Thanks for the effort," she said, not bothering to keep the bitterness from her voice. "Thanks for giving it the old college try, Jack. I didn't know that I was so terrible that 'trying' to be with me would require so much work on your part."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it," he said, putting a hand on her arm. "Besides, it's only been a couple of months. These things take time, right?" He nodded at her. "This is what she wanted--"

"What?" Marian's voice was loud and shocked.

"No, I meant--I didn't mean--" Jack stuttered.

"This is what she wanted?" Marian repeated. She backed up even farther on the couch.

Jack shook his head. "That's not what I meant, though."

"It's what you said, Jack," Marian was at the far end of the couch by now, looking like Jack was going to attack her. Jack hated seeing that fearful, hurt look on her face.

He just shook his head again.

"Jack." And now her voice was soft. "What do you want, Jack?"

Jack looked at her in the soft, dim light of the lamp, looking so wounded and vulnerable, and he couldn't stand it. He could see the curve of her hip as it flowed to her waist, and something about it reminded him of his girl.

He had to try.

"Come here," he said, motioning with his hands, and she came back, reaching for him with a soft cry as he held his arms out. He plunged his hands into her long hair, pulling her in for a kiss.

Her body was firm against his as he lay back, except for the softness of her breasts, hips, and bottom. She had the feel of an athlete, the tautness of limb and musculature, the amazing flexibility of someone who'd spent her life working her body, testing her physical limits.

She pulled back to look searchingly into his eyes, and Jack reached over his head, switching the lamp off, so they were in near darkness. He was left with the image of her beautiful face, full, swollen lips, and blue eyes, pupils dilated as she gazed at him.

He felt her mouth on his neck, kissing, nipping, sucking on him, and it felt outrageously good. It had been so long since he'd done this, months and months.

Jack's hands found the snaps on the front of her blouse, and he pulled, relishing the brisk, popping sound as he simply ripped the front of her blouse open, the snaps coming apart satisfyingly quickly under his hands. She sat up, slipping the blouse off, and he could see her, a dim shape in a black bra who sat astride him on the couch.

He sat up, sliding his hands into the back of her pants to cup her bottom with his hands, feeling the warm roundness under his palms as she moaned into his ear. She pulled his shirt over his head so he could feel the whisper of the fabric of her bra against his chest, and he captured her mouth with his again in the dark, pulling her hot tongue into his mouth.

"It's been too long, way too long," he said with a laugh as he undid the hooks on her bra, freeing her breasts and lowering his mouth to them. He felt her explosive exhalation on the top of his head as he sucked one nipple deep into his mouth, biting at it as he held her on his lap by her hips.

His hands moved to the button and zipper of her jeans and she rolled to the side briefly to slide them off. She then made quick work of his shorts, and he rolled over on her, hemming her into the back of the couch, pressing on her. He pulled her undies down and felt momentarily surprised at her complete lack of pubic hair. He knew that different women "kept house" down there differently, but to have none at all seemed really odd to him, and he was glad it was dark so he didn't have to see.

He touched her, tentatively, unsure if this attention would be welcome. But Marian immediately spread her legs and arched her back, gasping, obviously feeling pleasure. She was very wet, very slick, obviously very excited, and Jack continued to touch her, rubbing on her as he kissed her.

Within minutes she was gasping, unable to kiss him back. She grasped his arms as she lay next to him, moaning his name as she came, for what seemed like a very long time, beautiful body tensed as if carved from marble as she pressed against him.

Finally she just pulled his hand away, leaning her damp face into his neck for a minute before kissing him. She turned them so he was on top of her, reaching between their bodies to grasp him, pulling and stroking. She tried to pull him into her body, but he resisted, instead sliding along the groove of her hip a few times, leaning in to kiss her neck.

Eventually it became obvious that he was no longer excited, and she stopped, releasing him and sitting up. She finally just leaned over and turned the lamp back on, looking over at him in the soft light.

He looked at her, somber and apologetic, while she looked back at him seriously, frankly, blinking, lips pulled in thoughtfully. Without haste or emphasis she found her blouse and pulled it on, snapping up the snaps, which sounded loud in the silence. She handed him his underwear and pulled on her own right after as he grabbed his shorts and put them on.

She came and sat down next to him, taking a deep breath as she turned to him. He found himself once again looking into her pretty blue eyes and getting ready to apologize, but she shook her head.

"No, don't," she said. "You have no reason, you must know that." She put a hand on his thigh, rubbing gently. "You did exactly what you said you'd do, you did," she insisted, as if he'd challenged her. "How long has it been, though?" she asked.

"What, since I've been with anyone?"

Marian shrugged. "Since you've anything, I suppose."

Jack stared at the carpet, blinking. "Uh, well, I did have a good time by myself about a week ago, I guess," he finally admitted, embarrassed.

Marian laughed. "Thinking about her?" she pressed.

Jack didn't answer.

"And tonight? What happened tonight, do you think?" Her voice held no accusation, only curiosity.

"Tonight, once I realized it was really you," Jack said, in a voice so soft Marian had to lean toward him to hear it, "my heart knew it wasn't her. That's all I can say."

Marian was silent for so long Jack wondered if she was going to talk at all, or if he should just get up and leave. Finally, though, she spoke, resignation ringing through in every syllable. "And I guess that's all there is to say about that."

He risked looking at her, and saw that she was looking at him, clear-eyed. "I knew, my heart knew you weren't mine, that I shouldn't try, but I couldn't help it," Marian said. She reached up and stroked his hair and his cheek. "You just glow, Jack, you shine like a diamond."

Jack grinned, shaking his head.

"You should get back together with her as soon as you can," Marian said, nodding.

"She doesn't want to," Jack replied.

"Oh, I bet she does," Marian replied. "I just bet she does."